Do you think that you should have a better understanding of what your team is currently working on? Do you need a system in place to allocate tasks, track deadlines and measure productivity of your employees?
As a business grows, managing workflow becomes moredifficult.You might not know where to start to get things under control. Ifyou need a better CRM, ERP, better collaboration software, better email management system, or something else.
The answer is, you need an effective workflow management. Workflow management is the arrangement of tasks that make up the work an organisation does.
In order to simplify things, here we present a few tips for better workflow management.
1. Prioritise the tasks
The first step in simplifying any process is prioritising the tasks in hand. List down the tasks which need to be worked upon and then rank them in the order of priority. This will allow you to focus on the most urgent task first, then move on to the second and so on.
2. Team Huddle
A morning huddle is the most effective meeting that you can have with your team. The purpose of the team huddle is to check in with team members about what their day will look like and plan the day. The huddle is not to plan your week or projects. An effective morning huddle is a chance for your team members to share information with each other and project status updates.
3. Clean the mess
Someone has rightly said, “a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind”. Similarly, an organised desk is a sign of an organised mind. A clean and organised office helps employees concentrate and perform better.A messy office makes it difficult to find things. It also gives a bad impression to clients/vendors visiting the office.
4. Invest in workflow management systems
It may sound obvious, but you must invest in a system that aligns your workflows and processes. You can either buy or develop a system inhouse, through which you can assign tasks, measure productivity, set SLAs and so on.
For example, you want to assign a task to employee A, you can do so in the system and A will get an email notification, saying that there’s a task assigned to him. He will then start working on it. If he has to then pass the task on to B, he can do so within the system and B will also get notified.
5. Set-targets and deadlines
Always set deadlines and targets for every task.Without them, the employees will work according to their own will and take their own time. So, in order to set things in place, targets and deadlines are necessary. Goals provide a direction to work.
6. Finish tasks one by one
Do not indulge in multitasking. It will only create a chaos.Finish the task already in hand first, only then move on to the next one.For an effectiveworkflow, people need to take responsibility of their tasks and make sure they’re completed within the deadline.
7. Learn to say no
Only take responsibility of the tasks which you can handle. For example, if you’re already overworked with ten tasks and the eleventh one comes up, then it is better to not take it up. Even if you take it, then also you will not be able to do full justice to it. It’s better to say no.
Say yes only when you feel that the task is manageable and within your capabilities and possibilities to do it. Don’t just take up a task for yourself just because yourboss has come to you.Consider your situation also.
8. Learn to delegate
Some employeesas well as managers have the habit of keeping things to themselves. It makes them feel valuable. However, they should learn to delegate responsibilities to subordinates or colleagues when they feel that any task is not within their bandwidth. It will lead to an effective workflow wherein work is properly divided between everybody. No one is overburdened.
9. Measure productivity
Make sure you have ways of measuring the productivity of your employees.Adopt a specific set of metrics in order to track what’s doing well, what needs to be improved, etc. If you don’t have any data against which you can measure improvements, you’ll never know what’s working for your organisation and what isn’t.
Conclusion:
Workflow management is crucial for any business, big or small. It gives a direction in which the daily business operations should flow. Without a proper workflow, a business runs like a horse without a rein.
Smart business owners are looking for ways to automate their workflows and achieve a new level of efficiency. Owing to which, a good number of workflow management applications have emerged in the market.
Since last 5+ years, Siddharth Kamble is working in Digital marketing field. Currently, he is working with UK based IT outsourcing company called ESG Global Ltd. since last 2 years. He is graduated from Mumbai University in Arts. In his free time, he likes to read and write a topic about Digital marketing, Internet, Business development, etc. Connect with him on Linkedin @siddharthkamble