Workflow analysis is a process in which businesses examine the progression of workflows in order to improve efficiency.
Workflow and usability are not afterthoughts; they impact the core of any project and dictate how it should be engineered.Ryan Holmes
Workflow analysis identifies areas for improvement, for example:
- Bottlenecks
- Redundant tasks or processes
- Inefficient workplace layouts
By improving workflows, your resources are used more efficiently, and your staff is better able to work to capacity. It’s particularly important in situations where teams handle core processes in succession. For example, if Team B often finds itself waiting for Team A to complete its process before it can proceed, or conversely, can’t keep up with input from Team A, you have a classic bottleneck situation.
It also works for individuals performing a task. Any task is divided into phases. Particularly in established businesses, individuals could be performing unnecessary tasks simply because they were once told to get their work done that way or always have implemented a certain process.
Why Your Company Needs to Perform Workflow Analysis
The leaner and the more efficient your business processes are, the less it costs to get each task done. Small time wasters can cumulatively cost your businesses a great deal of money. So, for example…
Redundant tasks that could be eliminated or automated can be even more costly. Records and reports that are never analyzed or used can take hours to compile, and your employees may never question them. All they know is that they were told to complete the report as part of the process years ago, and they’re still doing so because that’s the way the work is done.
Plus, efficient workflows will have a lot of knock-on effects. Your clients will experience shorter lead times, for example, or your staff will feel more motivated because they recognize the potential to get much more significant outcomes faster than before. If you’re able to simplify workflows, it’s also a lot easier to onboard and train new employees or even work remotely.
How Should You Perform Workflow Analysis?
It’s a good idea to do a full workflow analysis for every task and process in your business, but there are clear areas where improvements will have the greatest impact, and these should be analyzed first. They are the core tasks that your business performs, and core tasks are the ones with the greatest value-add. In most businesses, for example, the admin would be seen as a support function, while the revenue-generating activities the company engages in are the core tasks.
Since each business is different, it would be difficult to give a step-by-step breakdown in detail, but in effect, you’ll be answering the following questions:
- What do we do? Which core processes generate revenue for your business? Your business has an internal value chain. From an overview perspective, how does revenue generation begin and end? For some businesses, the sales process comes first, for others, production or purchasing is the first step. Be critical. For example, if production comes first, how sure are you of sales? Is there a way to secure orders before production even begins?
- How do we do it? In order to complete work what steps are followed? Record every single task that goes into producing the end result in each of the areas you identified in the first step. Every single activity, no matter how obvious, small, or trivial it may seem should be included.
- Why do we do it? Examine each of these smaller steps. If there’s no answer to the “why” question, you may well be doing something that’s a complete waste of time and resources. Non-value add steps in the value-adding process are clear targets for simplification. Record keeping and storage activities are clear areas with no profit. Sometimes, they are necessary. However, sometimes they can be eliminated with no impact other than efficiency improvement.
- Which departments do what? Workflows invariably pass from one person to the next and from one department to the next. For example, in making a sale, your sales representative gets an order from a customer. Now, your warehouse staff must draw and pack the order. Dispatch staff sees that it’s sent off, and accounts management staff will now track payment. There will also be intra-functional workflows. For instance, what does your accounts department do between being made aware of a dispatched order and collection of the bill?
- What does each person do? To complete a task, what steps are required from each employee who forms part of the workflow? Why do they do it, and what are the benefits?
Analyzing and Improving Workflows
Keep your eyes firmly on the goal. The entire process is aimed at improving efficiency. Take a fresh look at your workflows as if you were an impartial outsider. Indeed, many companies even hire consultants to do this for them.
Ask yourself whether modified or even completely different workflows could be more effective. Get as much input as possible from the people involved in each process. You may find that they have already identified areas that are holding them up and preventing them from delivering greater productivity. The more input the people who execute workflows have, the more easily they will accept any changes you ultimately decide to make.
A lean workflow will use the least amount of workforce resources, time and effort possible to produce the desired result. That means that you don’t lose an ounce of quality or service-orientation. On the contrary, it allows your employees to focus on the tasks that matter most to you and your clients.
Automating Workflows with Software
One of the easiest wins with workflow improvement is to use software. Workflow management software allows you to make your workflows more efficient by automating all the communication.
Your employees don’t have to spam each other with emails on who’s supposed to do what – the software manages the tasks automatically.
Meaning, once employee #1 is done with their task, the software automatically assigns employee #2 the subsequent task.
This allows for a lot more efficiency for your business overall – your employees will be able to spend time on tasks that create real value. And the best part? Tallyfy’s workflow management software is free for up to 5 users. Give it a try and see the increase in efficiency first-hand.
Related Questions
What does a workflow analyst do?
A WORK-FLOW ANALYST The work within an organization is the object of analysis of a work-flow analyst. They watch how others work, map out steps, figure out problems and suggest a better way of doing something. Think of them as workplace sleuths unraveling puzzles — they search for waste, redundancy and bottleneck that slows everyone down. Then they figure out how to accomplish things more easily and more quickly.
What are the 5 steps of workflow?
The workflow is actually divided into 5 stages: Plan, Input, Processing, Output and Store. Planning is the destination of the journey and the trip” The input part is all about preparing all needed information and stuff. Processing is the real work you do to the data. Output is the act of that process or its result. Storage is a way to record and learn from what occurred. The process is recipe-like, in that if you flub one of the steps, it may not set the way you want.
What is the workflow analytical method?
In truth, workflow analysis is a way of analyzing how work flows through an organization. It’s similar to seeing a river from its beginning to its end — you trace tasks as they intersect and flow through people and departments. You audit who does what, how much time everything takes and where work is stuck. This method will encourage solutions to keep work moving smoothly and quickly, just as you might remove rocks from river to make the river run.
Why Do You Need Workflow Analysis?
To break your company of the habit of pouring time and money down the drain turning cranks and correcting mistakes, you need workflow analysis. It’s like having a GPS for your business – it tells you where you are, what you’re doing wrong, and shows you the best route to take to get where you want to go. Without such a system, you could find yourself perpetuating outdated, inefficient working practices just because “the way we’ve always done things”. Beans about analysis that can help you sense problems before they become disasters, and can help you find new and better ways to work.
What are the benefits of conducting workflow analysis?
Workflow analysis is very beneficial; It’s cheaper, a sheen of waste removed; It’s faster in parts, a logjam undone; It’s more reliable, the way made clear; and it makes the workers feel better? Consider it a spring cleaning for your business — when you clear out the clutter, scrub things clean and make way for growth and innovation.
What are the basic components of workflows?
The core components of workflows are triggers (the thing that initiates the work), rules (what gets done and who does it and when it’s supposed to happen; what constitutes ‘done’), tasks (the individual component parts of work), routing (how work gets moved from person to person), and completion (how a workflow reaches an end state). These are pieces of a puzzle, all necessary for the full picture to be in place.
How to conduct workflow analysis?
In order to analyze your workflow, the simplest thing you can do is to simply to watch it happening itself and write down what you see happening right now. Interview people who are doing the work to find out what’s hard for them. Create diagrams or flowcharts for each step. “There are going to be ways to navigate the rut,” he added, “be open to seeing the issues like, what’s with the overhead of having to do that work twice or introduce unnecessary lag time.” Experiment on a small scale with potential improvements before going all in. It’s like being a detective of the workplace — collecting clues, decoding evidence, solving problems.
What tools are used in workflow analysis?
There are any number of workplace efficiency tools you can use to do a workflow analysis – process maps, time studies, digital software for tracking stuff, etc; tools that can automatically see how long stuff takes and notice patterns you might not think to notice, since you’re a human being (Bender excluded) and you have limitations; if there was one tool you could have that’s the equivalent of a Swiss army knife for making your work better in a lot of different ways, wouldn’t you want that?
How often should workflow analysis be done?
For example, workflow analysis should not be a one off process, but one that is continuous. Do a thorough inventory once a year, with brief check-ups every quarter. Study workflows if you see the same problems crop up, or are contemplating significant change. It’s like car maintenance — you have regular check-ups to stop the break down and everything running smoothly.
What are common workflow analysis mistakes to avoid?
Common mistakes people make include not involving the right people, jumping to solutions before understanding the problems, ignoring small inefficiencies and failing to measure results. Another big mistake is to believe that one size fits all. As you recall from watching our last episode on workflow analysis, we know this is about understanding reality, not making reality fit the theory.
How does workflow analysis impact employee satisfaction?
Workflow analysis, by removing annoying bottlenecks, clarifying roles and creating the time people need to do productive work, can also serve to increase employee satisfaction. 2. When employees notice their input has led to improvements they feel more valued and involved. It’s kind of like oiling a squeaky door — it sounds trivial, yes, but it makes everyone’s day a little bit easier.
