Streamlining your work processes can help you save time, money, and energy as a small business owner. It can also improve your productivity and quality. But how do you streamline your work processes without compromising your standards or goals? Here are some tips to help you optimize your workflow and achieve more with less.
The first step to streamline your work processes is to identify your core processes. These are the essential activities that add value to your products or services and generate revenue for your business. For example, if you run a bakery, your core processes might include baking, decorating, packaging, and delivering your goods. You can use tools like flowcharts or checklists to map out your core processes and identify the inputs, outputs, steps, and resources involved.
It's important to audit your task list, especially your recurring tasks, regularly. It's easy to feel productive because you're checking off a lot of tasks every day. However, if those tasks are no longer helping you get closer to your goals, you may be wasting time. By reviewing them regularly, you can be sure you're always working on the most important tasks.
As well as identifying core processes, it is important to align these with your high-impact tasks, those that make the most difference to your business and add the most value.
Waste is anything that does not add value to your customers or your business. Inefficiencies are anything that slow down, interrupt, or complicate your work processes. Waste and inefficiencies might include errors, delays, overproduction, or unnecessary steps. Methods like the 5S system, the Pareto principle, or the lean approach can help you identify and eliminate these in your work processes.
Automation is the use of technology to perform tasks that are repetitive or low-skill. Delegation refers to assigning tasks to other people who have the expertise or authority to do them. You can automate tasks like invoicing, scheduling, or email marketing with software or apps. And you can delegate tasks like accounting, legal, or design to freelancers, contractors, or employees. This can help you save time, reduce errors, and focus on your core competencies.
Automation is essential for any small online businesses. In my clinical education business I use automation features and workflows available through my Learning Management System software to automate as much as possible, such as delivering students their course access, to setting in place reminders to encourage them to continue their progress, as well as scheduled emails to tell them about my next product that may be of benefit to them. In many ways this has replaced the need for me to delegate some of these tasks to a VA, which has saved time and still allows me to have full control of what's happening. Automate, then delegate what you can't automate!
Standardization requires establishing rules or best practices for performing tasks consistently and efficiently. And documentation involves recording work processes, procedures, and policies. Consider standardizing procedures for quality control, customer service, or inventory management. And you can document procedures with manuals or videos so others can learn from them. This can help you maintain quality, train staff, and comply with regulations.
Monitor your work by measuring it against your goals or benchmarks. Then implement changes to your work processes based on your monitoring results. You can monitor performance with various types of indicators, such as cycle time, defect rate, or customer satisfaction. Then improve performance with techniques like feedback, brainstorming, and problem-solving. Implementing these processes can help you track progress, identify gaps, and achieve continuous improvement.