Article Contributed by Dennis Hung
If your small business gets bogged down by repetitive or unexpected activities that interfere with productivity, your company will lose time and money. With a reasonable approach to organizational efficiency, you can get the schedule and processes under control to maximize the work day for everyone. The following workflow management tips can help.
Prioritize workday tasks.
If your business follows a particular course of action each day, set up a system for handling them effectively. You can assign the same person or team to a certain type of tasks, for example, customer inquiries or complaints and monitoring daily productivity quotas. Make a list of tasks from most important to least important and designate them to specific time periods throughout the day. Although it may seem logical to appoint high-priority tasks to the beginning of the workday, a later time like after lunch might work better, when other tasks are out of the way and employees can focus on important issues that require careful consideration without interruption.
Automate repetitive tasks.
Repeat tasks like mail sorting, filing, and form letters may be managed by automation to save time. Check out current electronic systems for handling these tasks routinely rather than assigning them to employees. Electronic sorting and filing is faster and often more efficient than regular employees.
Establish a flowchart.
A flowchart for offices, duties, and tasks can reveal at a glance who should do what. The chart can be digitalized for everyone’s computers as well as posted in strategic company locations. This can save considerable time in trying to locate the right person to answer a question or solve a problem. Contact information for each individual should be included and updated as needed.
Outsource specialty work to experts.
It may be cost-effective to outsource specialty work like transcription or bookkeeping to professional individuals or organizations who will do it for you. Your company can save a great deal by not paying for office space, benefits, and other services that regular full-time employees are entitled to. You can also avoid recruiting and training costs for employees who know how to do this kind of work.
Invest in task management software.
Workflow software can be a tremendous time saver when organizing your office for efficiency. Online scheduling lets managers or employees arrange their schedule for doctor visits, vacation, and sick days as well as overtime. The schedule will be automatically updated to show existing gaps so these can be filled.
Project monitoring software is another valuable program. Using color coding, a numerical system, or other organizing means, a project can be tracked from start to finish so that everyone involved knows the status at a glance. This is especially helpful if some employees work different shifts or from different locations, including home.
Shared workgroups or projects is another great way to form teams and keep them on track with a given project. Specific tasks associated with a project can be assigned and tracked for completion outcomes, along with dates and notes to be included in the file. Only those people assigned to the project will have access, along with the ability to comment on each other’s work or edit the project overall.
Projects can be assessed for time spent, employees involved, costs, and other aspects in order to determine the efficacy of each phase or the final outcomes. Not only will this help to determine how well the project is handled, but it can serve as a model of comparison for subsequent projects if desired.
Accountability.
Every department should have a reporting chain of command to be followed. Each employee should know who to report to or who is monitoring the work. This stems from the flowchart but includes tasks like incident reports, training, monitoring, and performance evaluations.
A few thoughtful steps like these can streamline a small business approach to efficiency. Small investments of time and organization are advantageous.
About the author:
Dennis Hung is an entrepreneur and product analyst specializing in mobile technology and IoT. He’s spent most of his career consulting for businesses in North America.