New Decade, New Evolution: Redefining Your Processes in 2020

 

 

Modern businesses need to be at the forefront of technology. It’s hard to believe another decade has flown by. Let’s make a new resolution together. To prepare for success in 2020, we will evaluate our business processes and resolve to have more efficient and productive workflows. You might be asking, “So how does that work?” Well, here are five ways to improve your organization’s workflow challenges… just to get you started.

Tip 1: Include Everyone in Process Mapping

What is process mapping? It’s a deep dive into your current process that pinpoints each task and employees’ roles in completing a project as a whole. It helps to have a bird’s eye view of your processes to effectively automate mundane tasks. To do this, create a process map that identifies each stage of a project, as well as any related challenges.

When mapping out your process, it’s essential to include everyone that interacts on the project. Even if Mark from accounting only glances at an approval form, get him in on the mapping. He may have insights or thoughts on the process that you never thought about.

Tip 2: Start Simple

Don’t let that first tip wear you down. You probably have several processes to map, but it’s best to start with one. It can be tempting to try and automate the most complex workflow first, but it’s best to start with a high-volume task that requires a lot of manual work. In other words, think simple and menial tasks like forms or approvals that need data capture and signing approvals.

Tip 3: Take It Step-by-Step

Our simplistic “start with one” approach isn’t only advised for your workload. We know that this helps you avoid process design flaws. It’s easy to make a mistake with process mapping. To ensure the least risk, roll out one process change at a time. This helps you understand how one process affects another in meaningful ways. While this rollout process doesn’t ensure you won’t experience any errors, it makes troubleshooting them much easier if there is a flaw.

Tip 4: Test in Advance

After the mapping is done and the process selected, make sure to test out the workflow before rolling it out to your whole team. This helps you discover any bugs or errors that you might have missed when drawing it out on paper. Also, make sure that you let the employees who will be using the new process explore the software and test it themselves.

They will be most successful in the new process if they can be part of the new concept from the process map stage. This will finalize the new process and help you identify any bumps in the road that might cause disarray. Take their feedback and consider making adjustments before a full-scale roll out.

Tip 5: Train Employees Prior to Rollouts

Now that you’ve established the details and tested it out, it’s time for training. Make sure that all your employees know exactly what’s changing and why to ensure an effective and productive rollout. Make sure that your employees are prepared to participate with proper training. This time together will significantly improve the implementation process and prevent a number of headaches for your team.

We’ve reached a new decade. It’s time to automate mundane tasks. Technology is rapidly advancing, and 2020 is your chance to get ahead of the curve. Bring your organization to the next level with process automation from OnTask.