Workflow bottlenecks can mean a significant loss of time, money and resources for your organization. While one person or department is madly rushing to complete an overwhelming workload, staff members responsible for the next step in the process is idle. This lack of efficiency impacts more than payroll costs. Bottlenecks can prevent on-time, as-promised delivery of products and services. The effect is diminishing customer confidence in your ability to meet their needs.
Signs of a Workflow Bottleneck
Identifying process bottlenecks can be challenging when there is no formal workflow management strategy in place. However, there are a number of signs that may indicate you are not operating at maximum efficiency. Examples include the following:
- Specific tasks are frequently stalled in a particular department, or there are often delays with completion of tasks by a certain individual.
- There is a noticeable imbalance when it comes to workload. Some employees and departments are constantly busy, while others have excessive downtime.
- Tasks and work product completed in a particular department or by a certain person are often returned for rework due to errors and quality issues.
Cumbersome approval processes are a common example of workflow bottlenecks. Whether related to purchasing, expense reimbursement or human resources transactions, many organizations require a series of sign-offs by various decision-makers. In these situations, a single individual on vacation can bring the entire process to a screeching halt. What can be accomplished during that person’s absence is limited. Fortunately, it is possible to relieve bottlenecks and smooth out your process flow. You need to use business process mapping and comprehensive workflow management.
Identifying Breaks in the Workflow
The first step is to take another look at your process mapping strategy. This is particularly important if your current business process map is an informal outline. Or, your current process might lack the detail needed to drill down to the root cause of bottlenecks. There are a variety of business techniques that can effectively illustrate workflow to the level of detail necessary to locate and correct inefficiencies.Advanced business process mapping software has become the method of choice for simplifying activities related to workflow management by automating many of the associated tasks. BPM software uses key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure efficiency in processes and employees. This makes it easier to identify and eliminate slow paths and bottlenecks. In addition to analyzing process efficiency and employee effectiveness, these systems are uniquely able to analyze costs and savings. In turn, this makes it possible to minimize waste and maximize profits.
