One of the quickest ways to kill your company’s efficiency (and ultimately your own profits) is to fail to address conflicting workflows. Double-work and missed project deadlines are detrimental to your company’s vision, focus, and sales and marketing efforts across the board. While every company will run into the occasional snag or crossed wires, by following these ten guidelines you can avoid the vast majority of workflow conflict.
1.) Plan – Most conflicts can be avoided at the very start, by planning out workflows in as much detail as possible. Using marketing project management software or other industry workflow-focused solutions right from the beginning is essential to a smooth-running operation.
2.) Communicate – Having the ability to quickly share any changes in workflow administration to the relevant parties is invaluable. Modern collaboration software with online document management like Workzone or Basecamp can help you share needed information on the fly.
3.) Adjust – Just as important as having a plan in the first place, being able to tweak that plan when things go south gives you flexibility.
4.) Modernize – Many companies are still humming along on old software standards, using copies of MS Office or MS Project that can’t adequately address modern workflow conflicts. Upgrading from Microsoft Project to a more advanced Microsoft Project alternative can give your company’s organization a much-needed boost.
5.) Reassign – Based on your workflow planning and analysis, you may find that many good workers are simply in the wrong seats in your company. Don’t be afraid to reassign people to more appropriate departments or chairs as necessary.
6.) Lead – Keeping your own workflow running smoothly and well-organized as a gold standard to those around you. Leading by example is far more effective than simply managing with your words.
7.) Be Creative – Many workflow problems can be addressed head-on with out-of-the-box solutions that software and traditional business methods can’t compete with. Look for innovative solutions at all times.
8.) Improve – Simply improving worker efficiency through better training and workplace discipline can free up valuable time for use in your workflow calculations.
9.) Act – While workflow theory and head knowledge are great, they’re useless until you put your ideas into action. Implement needed changes right away, and don’t worry: you can always adjust things later.
10.) Seek Counsel – Perhaps above all, don’t try to make changes on your own: instead, seek the advice of the best and brightest on your company’s leadership team. You’re far more likely to solve conflicts with their input than alone.
