The Workflow Trap - Kintone Ebook
The Workflow Trap - Kintone Ebook
The Workflow Trap - Kintone Ebook
WORKFLOW
TRAP
CHAPTER 2
Improving workflows: it’s not about the people, it’s about the tools . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CHAPTER 3
Alright, what’s wrong with my current workflows?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Your workflows lack structure
Your workflows are decentralized
Your workflows are largely manual—and annoyingly repetitive
CHAPTER 4
How do I fix it?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Create structure
Centralize
Automate what you can
CHAPTER 5
Change doesn’t have to be overwhelming: an intro to the Kaizen method . . . . 10
CHAPTER 6
You don’t have to do this alone: use Kintone to create effective change. . . . . . 12
1
CHAPTER 1
So what is a workflow?
Between emails and Slack messages, phone calls and
Zoom meetings, the work day can get pretty chaotic.
We jump from platform to platform, lost in countless
open tabs while still attempting to keep up with the
notifications popping up on our computers and phones.
But that’s just the way it is, right?
When everything feels so choppy, we don’t often think
So what can you do?
In this ebook, we’ll discuss:
of all of our work tasks as a flow. But that’s exactly what
they are: a workflow. Every phone call, email, and instant Why improving
message is a part of this flow. But, while you’re busy workflows isn’t about
juggling platforms, you might be surprised to learn that your people, but
your workflow doesn’t actually have to stress you out. rather your tools
Instead, it’s possible for the tools you use throughout Why your current
the day to transition you seamlessly from task to task— workflows aren’t
and help you communicate effectively with your team. setting you up for
your best work
Not only can an inefficient workflow increase individual
anxiety, reduce motivation, and contribute to burnout, How to lay out a
it can also be detrimental to your company as a whole. plan that will improve
your workflows.
According to market research firm IDC, companies
actually lose 20 to 30 percent of potential revenue Let’s put the “flow”
every year due to workflow inefficiencies. Yet many
companies continue to “make do” with their current
back in workflow.
applications and systems. When you’ve gotten used
to the bottlenecks and go-betweens, it’s easy to
overlook inefficiencies entirely.
2
THE HENRY FORD FLOW:
RETHINKING THE WAY WE WORK
When we think of productivity, we often think
of how much we can accomplish: how fast we
can write a report, how many phone calls we
can make in an hour, how many meetings we
attend in a day. Of course, most of us could
probably spend a little less time on Instagram
or Facebook. But the truth is that the capacity
for what humans can do is limited, and to-do
lists, delegating, and getting eight hours of
CHAPTER 2
sleep can only elevate productivity so much.
Improving
If we really want to make gains in our
workflows and productivity, we have to
workflows:
focus on the way we work – like Henry Ford
did. Ford knew that to maximize productivity
(and profits), he couldn’t just tell his people to
work harder and faster. While the factory’s first
3
CHAPTER 3
Alright, what’s
wrong with my
current workflows?
YOUR WORKFLOWS RELY ON MEMORY.
How much do you really In other words, your memory isn’t always the
trust your memory? When most reliable source. It won’t always be able
we’re juggling spreadsheets to tell you (accurately) what to do next, who
and emails and Slack to send that spreadsheet to, or exactly which
messages – and our mind is occupied by documents your boss wanted you to send
non-work related things, too – it can be difficult to the client. That makes way for mistakes,
to rely on our memories alone to do all our miscommunications, and inefficiencies.
assigned tasks during the work day. We’ve Our imperfect memories can present problems
all gotten off calls with our team and thought, for managers, too. As a boss, it’s your job
Wait, so what do I do next? to keep track of your employees’ memories
And even those of us with self-proclaimed too; you’re in charge of reminding them to do
“good memories” struggle. Experts believe everything they’re supposed to. However, it’s
that you can only hold approximately seven impossible to know where your employees’
items in short-term memory for about 20 to tasks stand (In progress? Complete? Or totally
30 seconds. What’s more, a common cause forgotten?) without asking, and that can
of forgetting is “interference,” which happens become complicated and frustrating.
when memories are competing with one When we don’t have clear, structured
another. Anyone who has ever worked in an processes in our workflows, our memories
office knows that there always are far more than are the only things we have to rely on. And
seven things happening at once, and these when our memories aren’t always reliable, how
things are constantly in competition for space in are we supposed to do our jobs productively,
your brain. efficiently, and as error-free as possible?
4
YOUR WORKFLOWS
ARE SCATTERED ACROSS
TOO MANY TOOLS
Okay, say you do remember to tackle everything
on your to-do list. How long do you really spend
completely focused on a task?
5
YOUR WORKFLOWS ARE LARGELY MANUAL—
AND ANNOYINGLY REPETITIVE
Copying and pasting. Forwarding and resharing. Inputting and
converting data. These are all small tasks that don’t seem to
take up much time in your work day. But when stacked on top
of each other over and over again, they take up valuable time
without actually getting you closer to your goals. Little frictions
can start big fires.
6
CHAPTER 4
Choose tools that allow visibility. How does each step fit
into your big picture flow? Choose tools that make it easy for
everyone – from the employee to the manager to the colleague
A tool built for collaboration
– to clearly see how each task fits together and helps the
Kintone’s workflow company tick. Task and workflow management tools can help
management platform lets with this, giving you a collaborative space to map out steps,
you lay out a process from assign tasks, and automate the tedious stuff.
start to finish and track every
little step. Determine the information-sharing flow. Establish a system
for sharing information that’s uncomplicated and quick, so that
Assign tasks to specific everyone has access to the conversations and data that are
people or groups, easily important to their role.
check the status of tasks,
and see what the next step Get everyone on board! Your new system won’t work unless
in the process is for ultra- managers and employees alike buy in. Give your team enough
clear accountability and information that they can adopt new tools with excitement and
efficiency. Learn more. understanding.
7
CENTRALIZE: CREATE VISIBILITY AND
ACCESSIBILITY
Centralizing is critical for a better workflow experience; you want
information to be accessible to all who need it from start to finish.
But how can you make this happen?
8
AUTOMATE: ELIMINATE REDUNDANCIES
Why do a mundane, administrative task over and over again that a
digital tool could do just as well—and faster! With a more organized and
automated workflow, you can eliminate tiny frictions and save
time for the tasks that are truly productive (and even enjoyable);
33% of organizations that utilize automation in their processes are
more likely to be “human friendly workspaces, in which employees
are 31% more productive. With automation, you’ll be able to:
9
CHAPTER 5
Enter: The Kaizen methodology. Kaizen Therefore, it’s important to choose a workflow
methodology promotes an approach that management software that can adapt as your
pushes forward “the continuous improvement company’s needs change.
in an organization, based on constant small
positive changes that can result in major and
more significant growth.” Put simply, your
organization doesn’t have to leap right away.
Small steps in a more efficient direction are
great too, and can catalyze big change. It’s
about shifting perspective, building sustainable
habits that will change the way you work. You need tools that
You don’t have to introduce new management take small steps
tools all at once. In fact, your employees will
probably feel overwhelmed if you do. But once
alongside you—and
your team recognizes that they don’t have to generate big results.
10
Small Team, Big Impact:
The Benefits of a Clear Workflow
Jessica Lee is a staff attorney at the Center for WorkLife Law,
a small legal clinic that operates out of University of California
Hastings’ College of Law. Her team of ten focuses on ensuring
workers aren’t discriminated against as a result of their
caregiving responsibilities and family needs.
One of the many initiatives that Jessica and her team run
includes a national hotline for people experiencing workplace
discrimination.
“ The goal was to find a platform that Jessica and her team can
now quickly see which
could help us manage this process in an cases are still being
open and transparent way that wasn’t worked on and who’s
currently assigned to them.
going to break the bank.” The intake team can also
follow along the clearly
The team needed a tool that would let them lay out the steps laid out steps and view the
different questions they
of the entire hotline workflow in one place and easily see the
should ask depending on
status of all the open cases. Jessica used Kintone to build out the type of case.
the hotline workflow and track each step of the process.
Read more
“Kintone keeps us organized and accountable. All the customer stories >>
information is there so we never have to worry about dropping
balls because someone is out. We can track our progress so
easily, which allows us to have trust in each other and that
things are getting done. Kintone’s given us the tools we need
to help hundreds of people.”
11
CHAPTER 6
You don’t
have to do
this alone.
USE KINTONE TO CREATE
EFFECTIVE CHANGE.
Imagine a world where you weren’t spending
two or three hours a day answering emails or
sending Slack messages. A world where you
didn’t have to wait for that document to be
forwarded from sales to marketing to HR to
start digging into that report, or where data is
accessible company-wide quickly, easily, and and communicate with colleagues like never
efficiently. A world where your employees are before. And the best part? There is absolutely
logging off their computers at the end of the no coding involved.
day thinking, wow, I got a lot done today.
No, we might never delete our social media
While it may seem far away now, that world is accounts or make that productivity spreadsheet.
easily within reach. Seriously! The solution is a But it’s finally time to take the heavy weight of
clearly defined process, a place to track it all, productivity off humans and put it on Kintone.
and automated features that allow you to focus
your energy on the human parts of your job.
12
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