Transform Your HR Workflow with Automation and AI: Smarter Planning for a Successful Year

As we step into the new year, many of us have reviewed last year’s goals and lessons learned and set fresh objectives for the year ahead. The real challenge now lies in turning those goals into real actions. For us as HR professionals, whose work demands a balance between day-to-day responsibilities and managing diverse projects, effective planning is critical. I would like to share my plan to tackle this challenge and how we can achieve more this year.

Understanding the Nature of HR Work

Our roles as HR professionals involve much more than routine tasks. Beyond daily responsibilities such as employee support, payroll, and compliance, we frequently manage small to large-scale projects, from rolling out new HR initiatives to designing comprehensive employee experience.

Each of these projects requires meticulous planning—breaking them down into smaller tasks, assigning deadlines, and maintaining flexibility for unforeseen issues.?

Often, urgent matters can derail the carefully laid-out plans, pushing other tasks down the priority list. This underscores the need for tools and strategies that enable dynamic and effective task management.

Planning Our Year with Project Management Tools

I’ve found that digital project management tools such as Trello and Asana are game-changers for organizing our workload. Both platforms can be used for free with some limited functions, so the ROI is always positive. I call this cost-efficiency!

Trello and Asana are two widely used project management tools that help us stay organized and on track. Trello uses a card-based system that allows for easy visualization of tasks and progress, while Asana offers a more structured layout with detailed task tracking and team collaboration features. Here’s how we can make the most of them:

1. Create a Project: Start by setting up a project for each major initiative.
2. Break It Down: Divide the project into smaller, actionable steps. Assigning deadlines to each step and grouping related tasks together provides clarity on what needs to be done and when.

1. Use Visual Organization: These tools offer view features by status, a timeline, or more, which make it easier for us to visualize progress and prioritize effectively.

Tackling Tasks Better with Automation

In the past, I relied on traditional methods like pen-and-paper planning. This approach often felt time-consuming and messy, especially when priorities shifted. It was difficult to push tasks and track deadlines.

I started using technology, hoping to plan and prioritize better. I moved from a paper planner to an iPad and Apple Pencil was a step forward. Every week, I created a weekly planner and updated it every day. Moving tasks around based on urgency has gotten easier. Paper-like screen protector provided a similar satisfaction as writing on a paper planner, which was a nice addition. However, managing future tasks still required a separate calendar and it still took 30 minutes every morning.

It has been two months since I’ve moved to a task management platform that schedules and pushes tasks automatically. Since then, prioritizing and determining ‘what’s next’ has been a breeze. Motion is widely-known for this, but I’ve found FlowSavvy to be more affordable and simpler to use. (I LOVE maximizing ROI and cost-efficiency, if you haven’t noticed yet!). It is also available for free with limitations, making it ideal for personal use as well.

FlowSavvy combines task management and calendar synchronization into one platform, saving me significant time and effort. This is how I use the platform:

1. Task Dumping and Scheduling: I simply list my tasks, add deadlines and importance, and let the app automatically schedule them into my calendar. It also highlights tasks if I am most likely to miss the deadline, based on the available time.
2. Seamless Integration: FlowSavvy syncs with my existing calendar, identifying free slots between meetings for tasks. I integrated both my work and personal calendar. This allows me to use both calendar and to-do list functions in one application.
3. Automatic Rescheduling: This is my favourite feature! If a task isn’t completed at a pre-populated time, FlowSavvy automatically moves it to the next available slot.

Using technology has transformed my planning process and has saved my time. By using FlowSavvy, I’ve reduced my daily planning time from 30 minutes to just 10 minutes—a 67% time savings!

Downside of Using Project/Task Management Tools

It is also important to note the downsides of these project & task management tools. One downside of it is the potential for information overload. These tools often require users to input a lot of data, track multiple tasks, and stay updated on project progress. This can lead to an overwhelming amount of notifications and updates, which can decrease productivity and focus.

Additionally, when you spend too much time managing the tool itself, it can divert attention away from the actual work to complete the project.?

I love the simplicity of FlowSavvy, however it is not easy to track a project progression because the platform does not provide a project view. For this, I use a simple gantt chart on Excel.

I’ve found it is challenging to always have FlowSavvy up on my screen when I am working with many windows and applications. It was easy for me to lose track of it because it was out of my sight. To keep myself on track, I am making a habit of checking the calendar every time I complete each task.

Conclusion

For us as HR professionals, effective planning isn’t just about managing time—it’s about creating capacity to focus on ‘a step forward’. By leveraging project management tools, and automated task management tool, I am certain that we can work smarter and achieve more. So why don’t you give these tool a try, if you are not using one already? This year, let’s make planning the cornerstone of our success and watch our goals come to life.