Workflow Redesign

Over time, it is often necessary for employee job descriptions to change. In this tight economy, it may not be possible to replace an employee who leaves. Work tasks need to be redistributed. Change can also be appropriate in conjunction with new tools or systems.

New solutions are typically a combination of better data and document repositories, new processing utilities, new management summary and exception reports and new staff task procedures. Deployment of new or improved systems is the perfect time to review workflow.

We have found that involving staff early in the design, testing and deployment of new systems pays many dividends. Management is not always close enough to the ground to be able to completely articulate requirements. Asking for staff input helps develop a "buy-in" and avoids resistance to adoption. It also allows for early training. There is often a bit of quid pro quo between me, the agent of change, and key staff. I usually need to interact with the most knowlgable, and hence busy, staff so that they take an up-front hit in time. I need to develop trust that this will pay off in the long run. In the meantime, if I can relieve specific time-consuming tasks with new reports, or some "back door" tricks, then I can earn the attention projects generally need.