Many firms track drawing sets and submittals in a shared spreadsheet: one row per document, a status column, a date, and a name. It works well for the first few weeks. Then someone forgets to update a row, two people edit it at once, and the weekly status meeting turns into an exercise in finding out what's actually true.
The trouble is that status is recorded separately from the work, so it's only correct when someone remembers to copy it over.
Define stages that match how work actually moves
Start with the stages a document really passes through at your firm, such as in development, in internal review, revising, out for agency review, and accepted. Keep the list short enough that everyone uses the same words for the same thing.
Let the work set the status
When a document is submitted for review, its status should change as part of submitting it. Status that comes from the work itself stays current without anyone maintaining it.
Know who has each document
"In review" isn't enough. Each document waiting on someone should show who it's waiting on, inside or outside the firm. That's what turns a status report into a list of follow-ups.
Watch how long things wait
A review that has been sitting for two weeks matters more than one that arrived yesterday. Sorting what's waiting by age shows where to spend the next phone call.
Review the board weekly
A short weekly look at what's waiting, who has it, and what's overdue covers most of what a status meeting is for, and leaves the meeting free for decisions.
How Kineo handles it
In Kineo, every document lives in its project, with its own tasks, reviews, and history. The board lays out documents by stage, using stage names you choose, and each document's review status follows it through submission, review, and acceptance.
The company dashboard counts documents at each stage across the firm. It shows each person's open reviews, tasks, and overdue work, and lists the reviews that have waited longest.