I have yet to meet the business leader who has enough people, time, and resources to get everything done. Why? Because the list seems to grow exponentially making it feel like you are running on a hamster wheel. Preaching “do more with less” does little to change the situation, creates cynicism; adding staff may not be an option.
Get your team off that hamster wheel by taking proactive steps to prioritize, evaluate and redesign work. Then redeploy talent to get the mission critical assignments done. Try out the approaches below and let me know how you make out.
- Catalogue the work – Create a list of the work to be done and organize it (ex. one-time project vs. daily transactional or operational work).
- Align the work – Identify work that supports achievement of the organization’s strategic objectives.
- Prioritize the work – Evaluate the work but first establish the criteria on which it is evaluated. I love the positive VUCA framework – where work is grounded and evaluated in vision, understanding, clarity and adaptability. Reflect on the results; it can be eye opening.
- Eliminate work – Starting with output from step 3, ask “Is the work accomplishing what it is supposed to?” and “Can the work or part of it be discontinued?” Once all work items have been reviewed for elimination then move on.
- Assess quality expectations – “Have appropriate quality standards been set for the work?” Sure some work must be completed to meet the highest quality standards, while “good enough” is “good enough” for other types of work. Clarify the distinction.
- Determine opportunities for improvement – Where quality needs enhancement, collect and analyze data and trends that help identify root causes of problems and opportunities for the most significant quality improvements.
- Streamline workflow – Ask “Is there a better way to complete this work?” Redesigning a simple process may be a breeze, so just do it. Streamlining a complex process may involve many perspectives. Be sure to engage the employees who actually do the work. And don’t overlook streamlining communication flow since it is always ripe for enhancement.
- Automate – Automation may go hand in hand with streamlining processes. Make sure the business process drives automation tool functionality otherwise you may be back at square one in no time.
- Redeploy employees – Redesigned work often changes the skills needed to complete it. So, assign employees to the work that optimizes their strengths.
- Develop and delegate – Redesigned work often creates employee development and cross training opportunities be it for skills, tools, or process.
Some leaders will reflect on the above steps individually which is a great start. You’ll want to engage team members since they know where the opportunities reside for streamlining and improvement. True, it takes time and effort in the short run but it’s a win / win when employees experience the sheer joy of influencing the design of their work, eliminating work, and recharging by learning marketable new skills.
Putting this process in place and routinely using it will help optimize your team’s energy, productivity, and contribution. The hardest part is developing the habit. So, as leader what small steps will you take over the next three months to navigate a hefty workload with limited resources?
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