Raise your hand if you’re constantly looking for ways to organize and reorganize. We create Asana workflows, Monday, and Trello boards, but if you’re like me – you have all that, and you’re still disorganized and unfocused. So how the heck do you start to streamline your workflow?

Alliance Virtual Offices has a community of solopreneurs and business owners with teams who, like me, are overwhelmed with all the tools out there. They want to focus on small business marketing but are getting bogged down by their current processes. In partnership with Alliance, I’ve put together a few steps we can all take to help streamline our workflow and business processes.

Streamline Your Workflow: Make it Simple

Whether it’s allocating work, project monitoring, or simply reviewing a to-do list, we often overcomplicate the processes in front of us. So, let’s take a step back and uncomplicate it. The best way to market a small business is to uncomplicate your workflows. As you streamline processes, you’ll free up time to focus on your product or service and how to market it. 

The first thing you want to do is analyze your current workflow. It’s funny–we often get so comfortable in our current work process that we don’t realize how long it takes us (or our team) to work through its intricacies. 

Step 1: Make a List

You’ll want to start by listing every process and then start your analysis. If you have employees, it’s worth asking them for their feedback. Perhaps each employee or team can put together a list of their day-to-day processes, too. It definitely helps to hear the opinions of others – you don’t want to bottleneck yourself – and one of the best parts about having a business is being able to learn and grow from the people that you surround yourself with.

Step 2: Opportunities for Improvement 

Then, identify your opportunities for improvement. You’ll want to pay attention to any areas that feel unclear; no one likes when there’s a communication breakdown. Sometimes it helps to explain your process to someone, and if you find difficulty explaining it, there could be something messing with your effectiveness. Once you’re able to identify these opportunities, you’ll be able to fill in the gaps and create a better version of your work process. You want to ensure that this new process does not have any loopholes. 

Step 3: Manageable Steps

Next, break down your process into smaller and more manageable steps. The simpler, the better. Remember, don’t overcomplicate your process – keep it simple, break it down into steps, and ensure that each step is working towards the desired outcome. 

Step 4: Repeat

Do this with each of the opportunities you uncover and for each process you simplify. The most important thing you’ll want to do is document it. We’re not perfect, and we can’t remember EVERYTHING. Make sure you’re laying out each step. It doesn’t have to be perfect: write it down, add it to your Asana board, screen record it. Document what’s happening in the way that makes the most sense to you and your employees.

Can You Automate?

Now that you’re in the nitty-gritty of streamlining your workflow, what can you automate? We’re in a modern age, and a lot of that means we can avoid data errors and miscommunication just with a few simple clicks. There are so many options out there to help streamline your workflow: Jira, ClickUp, and Sharepoint are just a few. Through all of this, make sure you’re identifying the effectiveness of your new work process and workflow. Maybe try testing your workflow on a new project – see if things are smoother and see how your team responds. 

Don’t feel bad if you need to adjust. It takes time to find a process and a platform that works best for your team. When you finally have a workflow in place (remember, this can be tedious), start to use it. There’s no need to delay implementing it anymore. Make sure that your team is aware and open to providing feedback as they learn more. It’s important to understand your workflows and what you can get out of them. 

Refine As You Grow

Once you’ve made these great improvements to your process, be open to refining it later as things change and grow. Always try to stay a step ahead. Clear insights into your work process and workflows are vital to productivity and staying focused in your business.