Priscilla Lloyd Running a small business can be challenging. There are always customer requests to address, sales to make and invoices to send, meetings to plan and host, and other tasks to complete within a limited time and resource budget. Small business workflow tips can help.
A workflow refers to the series of steps that a process undergoes. Effective workflow allows people to identify what work needs to be done, by whom, and when. It helps eliminate repetitive work and makes common processes easier to follow. Small business workflow tips are about finding a suitable process that simplifies day-to-day operations, rather than making them more complex.
Overview
Small business workflow tips are about establishing effective methods for handling tasks, responsibilities, information, and business processes. They refer to the procedures that allow a company to standardize the manner in which its regular operations are performed.
An example of a business process is the procedure that is followed when a client makes an inquiry. The procedure may entail the following stages: Inquiry -> Response -> Quote -> Approval -> Payment -> Delivery -> Follow up
Such a standardized approach makes it easier to address similar situations in the future. A proper workflow typically involves
- ownership of a given task,
- established steps and standards,
- timely completion,
- provision of required tools,
and regular review and update of the procedure. In essence, it should be logical and easy to follow.
Key Aspects of Small Business Workflow Tips
Some of the key aspects of small business workflow tips include:
1. Ownership
Whenever there is a task that needs to be completed, someone has to take ownership of it. Otherwise, every party involved will assume that the other person/group is handling it, thus leading to no one actually completing it. Small business workflow tips enable organizations to minimize overlap by defining who is responsible for what they need to do.
2. Standardization
Standardization is part of a broader concept of processes. Any given organization will have a set of routine procedures and functions, e.g., order processing, new customer onboarding, invoicing, etc. Following a standardized approach is important for eliminating avoidable errors.
3. Task prioritization
There is nothing wrong with having a number of activities that need to be completed. However, some of these activities are more pressing than others. As such, small business owners should use a prioritization framework such as
- Urgent/time-sensitive
- Important but not urgent
- Routine/programmed
Non-essential, to help them determine which activities to tackle first.
4. Eliminating repetition
Many small businesses have regular, repetitive tasks that need to be completed on a recurring basis. Where possible, these can be minimized by using templates or software applications that automate some of the steps. Effective use of technology is an important small business workflow tip since it can save time.
However, automation is only useful when the process being followed is appropriate. This is why it is important to optimize a procedure before digitizing it.
5. Visibility and tracking
Creating a to-do list allows people to keep track of what they need to do. It also serves as a motivating factor for completing pending tasks. As a general small business workflow tip, it is important to minimize the number of emails and other communications that people need to send or respond to in order to move a given project/process forward.
Why People Are Interested in Small Business Workflow Tips
Some of the key reasons why people are interested in small business workflow tips relate to
productivity and growth. Workflow planning helps people achieve higher productivity by eliminating unnecessary steps and activities, thus helping them complete tasks faster. Another reason why people are interested in small business workflow tips is that they want to grow. However, a workflow procedure that worked for one person/single department may not work for an entire organization, especially a growing one.
For instance, a small online store may start with only one person processing orders, but as sales volume increases, several other people may be involved in the order processing and delivery. Having proper documentation makes it easier to inform everyone about what they need to do, when they need to do it, and any changes that may be required.
Usability and Accessibility
It is important to ensure that a given procedure is easy to use and accessible to the people that need to implement it. For instance, if a certain procedure requires complex instructions, people may ignore it or implement it incorrectly. Small business workflow tips recommend keeping instructions as simple as possible. Tools are also important, and the most effective ones are often those that do not require advanced expertise.
As a practical small business workflow tip, it is important to ensure that the procedures being created are not overly dependent on specific tools, unless such tools are being used to complete an otherwise tedious, paper-based procedure. Some of the tools that can be used to support a given business process include those related to email management, task scheduling and management, file storage and organization, customer management, accounting, and invoicing.
Security, Trust, and Reliability
Effective procedure design also requires that the necessary measures be put in place to protect the data and information being handled by the company. Some of the key trust-enabling aspects that small business owners should consider when developing a procedure or choosing a tool to support it include:
Data privacy and encryption of sensitive information.
Limiting access to information based on the level of authority, e.g., customer service reps may see order details but not financial information.
- Avoiding the use of weak passwords.
- Using two-factor authentication where possible.
- Keeping the tools and applications updated.
- Reviewing access control lists regularly to remove inactive users.
Backups
Having a reliable backup is another crucial small business workflow tip. The backup should be reviewed regularly to ensure that it is reliable and up to date.
It is also important to put in place reliable process recovery measures, e.g., if an employee who was handling a particular procedure is absent, another person should be able to take over where they left off without having to start the entire process from the beginning.
Looking Ahead
Technology will continue to play a critical role in automating small business operations. Such innovations will support a wide range of procedures, including document management, invoicing, customer communication, etc. However, adopting new technologies does not necessarily mean that a given company is following a good process. It is important to understand the work being done before identifying opportunities for improvement.
The next time a small business owner is considering how to optimize a process, they should focus on one area at a time. The following questions should be answered:
- Are these steps necessary? Is it possible to merge some steps?
- Who is supposed to complete these steps? Can they do it in a reasonable timeframe?
- Does the same information get entered twice? Can some steps be automated?
- Where are the main pain points and process delays?
- Is it possible to use a simple tool to expedite some of the steps?
Once the changes have been implemented, the revised procedure should be reviewed to determine what works and what needs to be adjusted.
Finally, a periodic review of key procedures is important, since business needs tend to change as the company grows. As such, it is important to identify steps that can be eliminated and update instructions as needed. In essence, the most important small business workflow tip is about optimizing an organization’s operations based on current requirements. It should not be about making things overly complicated or relying on the latest fads.
Summary
Effective procedures enable small businesses to standardize and systematize their operations, thus improving their overall efficiency. They should make it easier for employees/managers to identify the work that needs to be done and ensure that it is completed within a reasonable timeframe. The most useful small business workflow tips are typically about eliminating unnecessary steps and activities, e.g., removing redundant procedures, reducing paperwork, and implementing technology to reduce manual steps.
