The Flow of Performance

The Critical Task of Conducting Workload and Workflow Analyses

July 15, 2021

Transformance Consulting

The battle cry to optimize performance strikes at the heart of every organization. High performing organizations seem to operate effortlessly in allocating staff to essential functions, connected to organizational mission and goals.

But what happens when things do not go as planned?

Organizations face considerable competitive challenges such as embracing technology, managing change, keeping the customers satisfied, developing intellectual assets, and containing costs. All these challenges require efficient and high-performance employees to compete in the global environment. Unquestionably, it falls upon organizations to manage employee related issues to achieve optimal production by the employees.

The essential link between effort and results rest on a myriad of variables such as skill, knowledge and abilities of employees, training provided, unique expertise utilized, team and organizational culture, classification, compensation and reward systems, career progression opportunities, management and leadership structure, and level of authority and responsibility. Critical in this discussion is whether employee tasks are not only defined and described accurately and appropriately but that the amount of time allocated to performing essential tasks is structured suitably and systematically.

For high performance, employees workload must institute three key elements:

· Structured and established task processes, procedures and workflow protocols linked to organizational goals and objectives.

· Clear expectations of each task linked to employees understanding of the significance of their role in completing the task and the overall task workflow.

· Organizational productivity and performance-centered culture, that communicates employee’s responsibility to seek out improvements, empowers employees to make changes and reinforces and rewards employees consistently who recommend the realigning of processes to address obstacles and gridlock.

It is essential then that workload and process workflow be periodically evaluated as organizational changes take place. These changes could involve new functional and operational priorities and initiatives or the transition of newly hired or recently departed staff. Workload evaluation accordingly must become a consistent component of organizational review, and must involve various levels of employees in the evaluation process. Within this discussion, organizational priorities and norms cannot be ignored. However, employees should also be permitted to raise their workload issues with their supervisors and managers, in an environment that objectively assesses their concerns and their input for resolutions.

In undertaking this analysis, a structured review of prioritized tasks, established work processes, level of workload and alignment of workflow should encompass a comprehensive review of each allocated job's purpose, duties, key performance indicators and performance measures. Key requirement and standard operating procedure may further be defined by the organization's short and long-term strategic plan, including a long-range learning expectations.

While not an easy process, and certainly one in which the interests of organization and its employees may be at odds, the review of workload, workflow and appropriate staffing level must be a regular and consistent occurrence within an organization's needed review of its functions. What also cannot be cast aside is that employees desire to work at their full potential but not for the mere benefit of the organization. If their extra efforts are not acknowledged by the organization, employees become overwhelmed, dissatisfied, and unproductive, leading to increase in mistakes, complacency, and eventual loss of skilled staff.

Organizations have therefore the ability, and to a larger degree, the responsibility to consistently engage employees and undertake periodic review of processes aligned to key tasks to be performed. Attention must be centered on whether those processes are serving the organization, involve unnecessary steps, are so comprehensive and complex that time to complete are excessively long, or that employees are waiting for approvals and signatures that task completion is affected.

The quest to focus on how work flows, what level of work flows and who is responsible for that flow must never be cast aside or delayed to ensure effective organizational performance.