What are some best practices for creating and managing task workflows across different platforms?

As an HR professional it's crucial to prioritize clear communication and streamlined processes. I focus on selecting tools that facilitate collaboration and integration, ensuring a smooth workflow for our teams. Standardizing procedures and providing clear instructions are key to minimizing confusion, and I regularly assess and update workflows to adapt to our evolving needs. Encouraging collaboration and offering training and support contribute to a positive work environment. Monitoring progress through reporting features allows me to ensure tasks align with organizational goals. Prioritizing security, privacy, and documentation are integral parts of my role to maintain compliance and support efficient onboarding processes.

When deciding which platform works best for you, consider the cost associated with it, the features it has, and the ease of use it brings for yourself and your team. If a platform takes hiring a trainer multiple times to come out and teach your team how to use it, if the platform doesn't sync with others that you use consistently or if it costs beyond what you originally budgeted it may not be worth it. I personally love using Trello because of all of the additional power ups it includes. These extensions give me access to the automations I need while keeping the platform itself super streamlined and easy to use. I can collaborate with others, make it as cute as I want, and feel like I have things under control. It is a game changer.

Ultimately, the best tool is the one that you'll actually use. While complicated software can make you feel more productive, you're less likely to actually utilize the system. In that case, it's making you less organized and productive. Think about your current process for managing your tasks. What fields and features are crucial to that process? Take a page from the product and startup world (Minimum Viable Products) and create Minimum Viable Systems?. What are the absolutely essential elements you need in order to manage your tasks and achieve those goals? Start with those core components first. Look for tools that make it easy for you to input those elements.

Your workflow should have a clear path from where you are starting to where you want to end. In between you should have several steps that will help you each the final destination. At each step you can include things like objectives, people involved in execution, resources that will need to be allocated and any other variable that will move you forward to the next point in your workflow. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you choose, including pictures, diagrams, icons and color coding. Be certain to have deadlines and any other important information associated with each step included so that nothing is left to chance.

Automating parts of your workflow is a game changer. There are certain components that require the human touch but others that can be done by setting it and forgetting it. There are many automation tools out there so take some time in deciding which ones work best for you and your team. Once it is set, you can delegate the task of making sure it works properly to someone else. If something goes wrong it would be up to them to communicate that with you and troubleshoot how to fix it. There have been a few time early on in my automation journey that I have forgotten to simply toggle a switch and it messes the whole thing up! The more you can automate the more time you will have to dedicate to the tasks that require your full attention.

For any good system to function, including task management, you need to have a good feedback mechanism in place. Determine how you'll get feedback on how your task management system is working for you and the stakeholders that are important to you. Remember, feedback can come in lots of forms (e.g. metrics). Put a process in place to regularly assess that feedback and use it to inform what areas you need to improve. What worked for you last year may not work for you now, and that is okay. By continually receiving feedback and integrating it into your task management system, you can evolve and optimize your system for your current needs.