Optimize workflow processes from "summary" of Your Goal Guide by Debra Eckerling
Finding ways to streamline workflow processes can be an effective way to save time and money. Taking the time to analyze current processes for inefficiencies and developing a plan for improvement can help build a more efficient business.- Evaluate who should be involved at each stage of the workflow process. Clarifying responsibilities and assigning specific roles helps emphasize accountability while removing overlap between departments.
- Prioritizing workflow processes will go a long way to improving your efficiency and streamlining tasks. Focus on the most important activities first and assign them the proper amount of time, resources, and energy. This ensures that you are working on what needs to get done and is most beneficial to you or your company’s bottom line.
- Change and update workflows as needed, based on recent events, feedback from employees, regulations, and other variables. This encourages collaboration and can help workers form better strategies for completing tasks.
- Identify any potential areas for improvement or bottlenecks in current processes, then create an action plan to address those issues. By doing so, the overall flow of work will improve as fewer mistakes or halting points are encountered.
- Keep track of each step within your workflow process and document every action that was taken with each activity. This allows you to look back on how something was completed or changed in order to make sure it was conducted properly and not repeated later.
- Utilize available tools for managing and monitoring workflow processes. This helps automate tedious tasks and free up time for more complex activities, whilst also providing visibility into what has been achieved and what still needs to be done.
- Involve staff in the optimization process. As they have firsthand experience of the tasks, they can provide insight into how things should be done differently and why. Asking their opinion and involving them in decision making can build trust between the team.
- Analyze the value created by each task and assess if its worth effort based on the benefit gained. By understanding which steps add the most and least value, you can determine which ones need to be further refined, removed, or improved.
