So you made the decision to test out some workflow automations… Now what? Where do you begin? Here’s one approach to consider:
Start With Team Brainstorming
Identify which operations are bogging your team down with tedious, manual processes. List challenges and sources of frustration such as length of time to close, lagging approvals, data entry errors, missing documents and files… You get the idea.
Then take a good look at the pain points that your team has identified; some of these things might be easily solved by a workflow automation.
Map Current Processes – Honestly
Discuss processes that are currently in place, assessing them to identify where the blockages and bottlenecks are.
Focus on a single pain point. Have someone map out each step of the identified processes on a whiteboard. Be straightforward and brutally honest. Does it usually take three days to get approvals from management? If so, note that approvals take 72 hours (not your company ideal of 24). Don’t point fingers or blame; the point is to identify the reality of the current process.
Next, highlight the steps that don’t flow as well as they could. Consider how these processes might be improved by applying automation.
Begin with the low hanging fruit; you don’t have to fix the entire company. Your goal is to fix one or two simple challenges with some easy workflow automations.
Repeat this process for a few more potential candidates for an automated workflow.
That Wasn’t So Difficult!
Once you have created some simple workflow automations, you will probably wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!
Now that you have a simple process and you know what works – and what doesn’t work- you are ready to tackle more complex challenges. Your team will thank you, your business operations will begin to flow, and you will realize an increase in productivity and team satisfaction.
Could working with a virtual document management provider be part of the solution? Just a thought!