A workflow can be easily explained as a pattern of certain steps that are involved in the process of working until everything gets done. These steps should be done in a particular order, in other words, by flowing from one task to the next one.
Creating a proactive #workflow is a great strategy if you want to make sure everything gets done properly and efficiently. Click To TweetThe whole workflow process usually consists of four crucial elements: actors, activities, results, and state. Firstly, actors represent the people or types of technology responsible for getting the work done.
Activities are usually all the actions that must be taken to complete the working process, while results represent the outcomes of all steps of the process. Finally, the state stands for a stage when a project is in between these particular steps.
To track the stages of work more easily, there are workflow diagrams. These diagrams come in many shapes depending on your preferences and enable you to keep up with the important information. For example, you can see which tasks were completed, the person responsible, and how much time it took, all in one place.
Why do you need it?
For starters, we should plainly explain the difference between the workflow process and the business process. The workflow process is more focused on completing tasks, while the business process is way broader and covers the area of general objectives connected to the business itself.
Many people are reluctant to the strict rules that a workflow process demands, but this strategy could really help you finish everyday tasks with better organization, less effort, and without wasted time.
Benefits of a workflow process
1. Improving business operations
In business, everything is about the organization. If you want to improve your business operations, you should define the steps that must be followed in order to complete specific tasks properly. This way, you will make sure that the proper individuals adhere to the given timeframe and do things in the right order.
It doesn’t matter if it’s only one individual or a whole group of people because you can design a workflow however you want and assign roles if needed.
2. Automation of the processes
One of the advantages of a workflow process is the identification of the opportunities for automation. For example, while hiring new employees, there are plenty of actions that have to be taken, but most of them take a lot of time which could be used in a more productive way.
A workflow recognizes such time-consuming details by automating them. Automation of the processes helps you with analyzing business operations and the newest trends but also warns you about the possible risks.
3. Elimination of redundancies and unnecessary expenses
If you wish to raise the profit by saving time and money, you should definitely consider establishing a workflow. Undoubtedly, the workflow processes guarantee to fulfill the tasks faster and usually do not require as many resources.
In addition to that, once you have implemented workflow strategies into your everyday activities, you will be able to have insight and analyze the whole operation. This way, you will see if something is redundant and unnecessary and then remove it from future operations to reduce operational expenses and gain more profit.
4. Improvement of communication and customer service
When there is a default workflow process, employees are familiar with the proper channels through which they can communicate and find the answers to their questions. This will not only raise their productivity, but it will create a better connection with management.
Furthermore, automation will solve all the tasks that were supposed to be done manually, so employees will have more time to assist the customers and improve the whole customer experience.
Examples of a Proactive Workflow
As you have probably noticed, a workflow is not strictly limited to only organizations. This type of process can be used in any department that needs to work productively and efficiently. For instance, it would be equally beneficial to the department of management, marketing, HR, sales, production, operations, IT, or engineering.
There are many templates that can help you with creating a new workflow, whether you need it for your processes of recruitment, IT projects, customer support, or something else. Since every organization has unique demands and needs, they cannot fit into one box. We will illustrate a few workflow process examples to show you how to improve your systems and operations.
Process of hiring
There are many tools and steps needed when recruiting and onboarding a new employee into the company. Starting from receiving their application to its review, scheduling an interview, and making final decisions.
Once the company has decided to employ a candidate, he will be sent an offer that he can accept or reject. If he accepts it, the process of onboarding will begin.
Creating a new customer account
In the past, opening a new customer account required a lot of manual work for employees. It all begins with submitting an application, which is then evaluated. It can either be rejected or accepted with an additional request for supporting documentation.
When the customers send the supporting documents, they are reviewed, which is followed by the acceptance or rejection of a new customer. For instance, in banking, the customer is then assigned an account number, gets a bank card, and is being welcomed.
Conclusion
The workflow process will make sure that everything runs smoothly with more automation and less manual work. It will help your business by removing the unnecessary steps and provide you and your employees with satisfaction and more free time that can be dedicated to the more important parts of work.