by Lewis Robinson
Business processes are often mired in unnecessary details and procedures. Business owners who take the time to create business plans easily identify when it is time to trim the fat in their daily processes.
There are several tips to know where to simplify business processes:
- Regular workflow and employee performance reviews
- Tighten process and scheduling systems
- Reduce workflow interruptions and downtime
- Implement a fully comprehensive business “system”
Workflow and Employee Performance Reviews
Business owners who regularly monitor workflow know the value of daily records outlining quantitative and qualitative workflow. Reviewing “ups” and “downs” in workflow detects various flaws in business processes. For example, inefficient workflow reliant upon ineffective transition from one department to another is clearly identified.
Employee performance is the most significant factor in workflow. Each employee involved in the business process plays a role in smooth workflow, which results in high productivity. Regular employee performance reviews identify the most and least productive employees. These performance reviews serve the purpose of relocating less productive employees to areas of the business process that require lower levels of productivity without the expenses involved in replacing or hiring additional staff.
Tighten Process and Scheduling Systems
Process and scheduling systems are part of most proactive business processes. When the business process experiences delays, the scheduling system in place may be the reason. Scheduling sales appointments, workflow and daily processing of products or services benefit most from creation of an articulated system. Avoid basing scheduling on a system overloaded with details or one that overburdens a timely process performance. Create a reliable, consistently updated, scheduling system employees need to reach daily business goals.
Reduce Workflow Interruptions and Downtime
If there is any glitch in business process, it is untimely, non-productive workflow interruptions. Interruptions occur in sales and marketing, production, shipping and receiving and nearly every business function. Knowing where these interruptions occur most frequently and more importantly, why they occur with such frequency is essential to creating a smooth business process that produces maximum productivity and the most cost-effective implementation of a system.
Downtime is usually due to failure of business equipment. It may also be attributable to employee downtime due to illness or general malaise created by ineffective business processes.
Implementing a fully Comprehensive Business “System”
Business owners endeavor to maximize business processes through the innovative creation of a system. This system is the basic template that combines several essential business factors:
- Business goals
- Cohesive application of employee efforts
- Four-phase workflow planning for optimal results
Goals in business are the major reason for establishing a service or product oriented enterprise. Goals need to be part of the business system in place. If all involved in achieving business goals clearly understand and rely on the system in place, the role that their duties play achieve business goals expediently and cost-effectively.
Cohesive application of employee efforts is crucial to unifying a business team and to imbue employees with initiative, drive and challenges related to goal accomplishment. When all members of a team are “on the same page” on a regular basis, the result is stellar performance and productivity.
Four-phase workflow planning is basically the “map” that outlines how to achieve business goals with less interruptions and overlapping of details. Consider Phase One the start up of a yearly business process. Keep it simple and easy for employees to implement. In Phase Two, the engine of business processes moves forward. In this phase, objectively assess errors, loss of time and missed deadlines.
Phase Three of a workflow is the proactive implementation and continued development stage of business processes. In this phase, all engines are operating and function at maximum performance levels by reducing or removing unnecessary obstacles not originally foreseen. Phase Four is the point at which business process management shows its greatest value to the business owner whose system produced or surpassed desired goals.
Lewis Robinson is a business consultant specializing in social media marketing, CRM, and sales. He’s begun multiple corporations and currently freelances as a writer and business consultant.
