There are lots of ways that you can save time. You can start with easy and low hanging fruit, the simple things… all the way through to full digital transformation; automation and machine learning artificial intelligence (AI).
You can adapt the systems you use; this is called automation.
You can adapt the way your team works together; this is called flow or teamwork.
It might be as easy as discovering a feature in a system you didn’t know about before.
It might be more time intensive such as designing a digital strategy and implementing an overhaul of your current systems.
The time spent on updating your systems and automation, teams and flow, will have an exponential payback with the time that is saved.
1. Nothing
Nothing is the easiest thing to do. And also the most painful. No risk, no reward. You keep doing things the same way, you get the same results. No time-saved.
Ask yourself, “What’s the risk of doing something?” And then ask yourself, “What’s the risk of doing nothing?”
2. Tinker
You casually tinker and poke around without any real method. You might stumble upon a shortcut here or there. It might satisfy your curiosity and very mild interest to change. There maybe a small benefit to your understanding of a system and how to use it.
3. Experiment
You are open to learning more about other systems. Every so often in your spare time, you look around at options to change your technology. You might receive a recommendation from a friend and you might sign up for a free trial period to a new product. Usually, this does not eventuate into any lasting changes.
4. Tweak
You have a bit of an idea about the systems you use. And there are ways to improve the current systems you have by knowing how to alter some of the settings and make use of more of the in-built features.
Getting more from your current systems and utilising what you have can have an impact with small cost to your organisation. But make sure it is of real benefit for your organisation. Otherwise you may have outgrown the current systems and may need to investigate new systems.
5. Knowledge
You know where to find information and resources systematically. You can generally understand the tech jargon, you know ‘how to Google’, find solutions to problems and quirks with online guides, documentation, forums and StackOverflow.
6. Training
To multiply the effect of automation and team workflow, your best asset is your team. So you want to invest in your team by training them. Upskilling your team so they can use your systems well and work better together will have a noticeable positive affect on productivity.
Tip: When training your team, always start with ‘the Why’. This will help to offset hesitations and questions people might have with implementing and using your systems. It will also help to clarify for yourself the reasons you invest in the systems you have.
7. New
You are not afraid to try and implement a new system. You have an idea about how these systems can work for the benefit of your team and organisation. The systems may be cobbled together and may not be integrate together. You may or may not feel confident in implementing this with your whole team.
8. Strategy
Instead of implementing new systems in an ad hoc manner, it is much better to design a digital strategy for your organisation. This strategy supports your key business objectives, the tasks that your team do, and the teamwork and flow amongst your team. Systems are analysed, some current systems may remain and some new systems may be implemented.
A digital strategy is great and a plan to implement is even better. Now following the action steps and making the strategy a reality is the most important step towards lasting transformation and digital progress for your organisation.
9. Transformation
For full digital transformation, a strategy is born and implemented with dramatic improvement in productivity, automation and flow. The ROI of a successful transformation is significant on staff time saved, cost savings, the quantity and quality of work improved, and the culture, vision and morale of your team. The strategy is reviewed on a regular basis to align with the ever-changing needs of your organisation.
