Workflow management software can help keep things running smoothly in a busy office, but is it really necessary? In many scenarios, yes.
Workflow management software is a tool that can help patch up problems in office dynamics that hinder your productivity. Here are 4 things to look for in your office that suggest it might be time for you to give workflow management a try.
1) Your Employees Are Confused
If someone doesn’t know what tasks you envision to be part of their role they obviously won’t be doing those tasks. However, when all your workers know exactly what is expected of them, they have all the information they need to fill the functions you require of them. Workflow management software allows you to clearly outline a set of tasks and assign them to each worker, making sure that everyone knows how to play their part in your team.
2) Downtime Is Lost Time
When a worker finishes something, they shouldn’t just be sitting around waiting for their next assignment; they should ideally be picking up another task straight away in order to maximise the productive use of their time. However, they can only do this if they have access to a list of objectives and frequent updates on what others are doing. Workflow management software can provide exactly that, letting you feel confident that workers with time on their hands always have the guidance necessary to put that time to good use.
3) Deadlines Are Being Missed
Everyone misses a deadline from time to time but for a good team it should be an extremely rare occurrence. If you find yourself having to frequently address late work it’s only a matter of time before heavy consequences start to set in. Workflow software can break tasks up into small steps and make it easy to track the progress of work so you’ll always know if your team is falling behind and be able to course-correct before too much damage is done.
4) Poor Communication Is Bringing You Down
Let’s say you have a task which must be completed by Mary, polished up by Paul, and finally sent off to the board of executives by a given date. Mary does her part and finishes with time to spare but she forgets to tell Paul that her work is ready for him to inspect. As a result, Paul doesn’t know that he can begin his work, never begins, and the task is ultimately not fully completed by the deadline. Everyone in this scenario had good intentions but poor communication took a disastrous toll on the project. With workflow software, this process can become mostly automated and everyone who routinely checks the software for updates will be kept abreast of all developments. This leaves no room for excuses on later projects.
All these issues and many more can be curbed or eliminated with the help of workflow management software, making it an invaluable addition to any office experiencing difficulties with productivity. Consider adding it to your organisational toolbox to reap benefits on a scale that few other interventions can hope to match. Speak to us about the range of solutions we can develop for the unique needs of your business.