Three Tips for Streamlining Your Workflow

Improper business workflow affects efficiency and performance in the workplace and can lead to a loss of profits. Here are some tips on how to streamline the business workflow.

Streamlining business workflow, which is applicable across all departments, can be a universal process to save company resources and improve overall profitability and productivity. 

A streamlined workflow will make it easier to put out a consistent product and develop uniform branding across different platforms. Also, employees won’t be overwhelmed due to project needs when given a set of clear procedures to follow. 

Furthermore, unified processes for requests and complaints, as well as simple rules for project satisfaction will lead to smaller employee turnover, reducing the time spent training and explaining work processes.

All these benefits make it necessary for leaders and managers to take control and ownership over the workflow and make necessary changes and improvements to benefit the entire team and company brand.

Here are some of the best tips to streamline workflow and achieve better profits.

1. Evaluate Current Processes

The first step in streamlining the workflow is proper documentation and evaluation of all processes that take place in the work environment. 

It might sound counterintuitive, but some companies have processes that have grown too convoluted over time and without proper management, slowing down the rest of the company as a result.

Some of the essential data gathered in evaluations include:

• Number of items initiated, completed, and rejected over a period

• Average, minimum, and maximum times required to complete a task

• Number of clarifications needed for a task

Additionally, soliciting the opinions and experiences of your employees in a survey can point to parts of the workflow that are creating unnecessary steps or bottlenecks.

Once a proper estimate of the current workflow is complete, focus on improving one problem at a time and testing it out before making further changes. A complete overhaul at once might prove to be as problematic as the original.

2. Simplify Processes

Overcomplicated processes can lead to errors and lack of clarity on the task at hand. A workflow contains many parts, but a process has a way of growing over time to encompass smaller ones, which can cause a bottleneck and reduce productivity.

Breaking down a complicated part of a workflow into its constituent pieces is the best way to streamline it. And keeping only the necessary steps will lower the risk of errors and improve productivity.

3. Automate

For some processes, automation is the best way forward. Menial and repetitive tasks are best left to automated solutions, as this can leave employees with more time to perform the more-vital duties instead.

Additionally, discreet, purpose-made software is less likely to make errors in carrying out mundane tasks and doesn’t need much monitoring. 

Automation software often has a high return on investment, especially if you’ve put in the work to survey the market and find the best solution to the problem.

A great example of this is using tools such as A2X or Link My Books to automate e-commerce bookkeeping by syncing your transactions from platforms such as Shopify or Amazon to your accounting software like Xero.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Streamlining the workflow of various company departments is only the first step in improving productivity. Bringing those departments together and improving cohesiveness and collaboration can be an equally important task.

Thankfully, online seminars and automation tools are widely available to help out in this aspect.

If you want us to review your systems and give you advice on the right tools, people & processes for your business - Contact us today!