We are redesigning a 5 step repetitive process for some web software. Normally for a step-by-step process I would like to use a wizard but to me it implies the process must be complete in one sitting and cannot be exited. At any point the user can stop the process if some information is missing and jump back into it later when they have that information and complete it (they would have a history of system inputs which could see the progress of and jump back into).
At the same time this is a repetitive process because the user could have multiple "applications" to fill in. Also the users do this process everyday so they are expert users.
We have this functionality in place just not as a wizard. Currently The first 2 steps must be complete in that order, then the other 3 can be done in Any order, but I've done some user research and found the majority of people do it in a fixed path.
My question is -
Is a wizard really the best approach for a process that is all required but the user can leave and jump back into? Can anyone think of a better approach?