You work hard to keep your team members on track. So when projects stall or come to a sudden halt, it’s a bigger blow to productivity than just a couple of missed deadlines here and there.
How can you keep this from happening? Master team workflow management.
When you understand how information flows from one team member to another, it’s much easier to move projects forward and meet your goals.
Keep reading for a primer on team workflow management — what it is, why it’s important and which best practices to put in place today. This strategy will make your job much easier, and it won’t take long to master.
What are team workflows?
A team workflow is the structured coordination of roles and responsibilities across team members. It defines who's accountable for each task, and when. Team workflows keep projects on track and ensure everyone’s carrying their fair share of the workload.
For example, consider the marketing team responsible for maintaining a business blog. A typical team workflow starts with the strategist, who’s responsible for creating an outline. It then moves on to the search engine optimization (SEO) specialist to conduct research and the copywriter to create a draft. Lastly, the strategist conducts a final review and approval before passing the baton to a website producer to publish the final content.
Why is team workflow management important?
Actively managing team workflows empowers you to do more than just streamline tasks. By bringing clarity to daily activities, you also set the stage for success — both at the individual and team levels. The result is greater collaboration, more productivity and higher engagement. And because effective workflow management systems keep critical business processes moving forward, they also allow you to adapt quickly to market changes.
Put simply: When team members understand their tasks and how they fit into the bigger picture, they’re more likely to be motivated and committed to their work. Well-structured workflows encourage open communication and the sharing of ideas, which ultimately leads to a more cohesive team environment.
Benefits of team workflow management
Effective workflows are the lifeblood of productive teams. They not only keep projects on track but also help reduce mistakes, speed up timelines and ensure goals are met. The biggest advantage include:
- More innovation: Workflow management boosts productivity by automating routine tasks and freeing team members to focus on innovation.
- Fewer errors: Keeping a close eye on team workflows allows you to find and fix mistakes quickly, before they threaten to derail timelines.
- Faster work: It’s easy to keep projects on task when you optimize every portion of the workflow.
- Enhanced collaboration: Workflow management breaks down barriers that otherwise limit communication, empowering teams to collaborate on tasks and assignments in real time.
Best practices for team workflow management
Not sure how to achieve effective workflow management? These best practices are a great place to start.
1. Use workflow automation software
Each workflow is made up of a series of steps. And while each one is important, some require more brainpower than others. For example, putting together an important presentation requires concentration and creativity — data entry does not. The trick is to minimize the amount of time your team members spend on repetitive tasks so they have more focus time for critical thinking.
For this reason, workflow automation is a must. Using software to automate repetitive tasks is the first step to streamlining team workflows. It also increases productivity, reduces manual errors and improves engagement.
2. Designate roles and responsibilities
Defined roles and responsibilities are critical to avoiding overlapping efforts and wasted resources. Make sure each team member clearly understands their tasks and how they contribute to overall project success. This one move results in less conflict, more accountability and faster decisionmaking.
First, outline who is responsible for what within your team. Take the time to align each role to employee skills and strengths. Then use workflow management software to assign tasks accordingly.
3. Address workflow bottlenecks
To manage workflows effectively, you have to find and fix bottlenecks. These are the great enemy of productivity — something as simple as a missed review cycle can cause major delays and decrease morale. The sooner you identify and address these issues, the faster you’ll get workflows back on track.
Identifying bottlenecks requires careful analysis and open discussion within the team. For this reason, it’s important to encourage a culture of transparency where team members feel empowered to voice concerns and suggest improvements. Once you pinpoint an issue, work together to redistribute tasks or adjust deadlines as needed.
4. Establish clear communication channels
Establishing clear communication channels is vital for any team. When communication is open, team members share information and address issues promptly. For in-office teams, in-person conversations and camaraderie facilitate this best practice naturally. But what if you lead a team of remote or hybrid employees?
This is where project management tools come in. Or, more specifically, collaboration tools that allow team members to communicate on tasks in real time. If you don’t already use software to facilitate real-time decisionmaking, now’s the time to start. Look for a solution that allows you to automatically send due date reminders and makes it easy to check on status.
6. Leverage technology
Workflow management tools are another key element in successful workflow management. Using task management systems and collaboration platforms make it easier to track progress. In many instances, you can even drag and drop your way to effective workflows.
For example, Kanban boards let you organize tasks in virtual cards that team members move around as they complete tasks. Similarly, digital Gantt charts make it easy to visualize timelines. These and other project management tools not only assist in organizing tasks and deadlines but also provide valuable insights for more informed decisions.
7. Create a collaborative work environment
Creating a collaborative work environment contributes significantly to successful workflow management. Encouraging teamwork and cross-functional collaboration not only enhances relationships but also leads to innovative solutions.
Best way to do this? Focus on establishing an inclusive culture where every voice matters. That way, when a problem surfaces, team members feel comfortable discussing the issue openly and proposing solutions. You may be surprised at just how much more efficient your workflows become from this one step alone.
8. Monitor and adjust
Team workflow management is an ongoing job. It means taking time to understand what your people need to keep work flowing and projects moving forward. Does each team member have the right amount of work? Or are some employees carrying more of the load? Is each task assigned to the right person? Revisit these questions and others like them on a regular basis to optimize workflows.
Streamline team workflow management with ActivTrak
Ready to take your team's workflow management to the next level? More than 9,500 organizations use ActivTrak’s workforce management solution to do just that. It tracks and analyzes employee activity data to show you when workloads are uneven, where people work best and even which apps help support productivity.
Create your free account to start using ActivTrak today. And if you’d like more team workflow best practices, get in touch for a personalized tour of the most popular features.
