Subscribe to the CheckFlow Blog Get our research and insights direct to your inbox
Lean Manufacturing Principles - The Ultimate Guide
17th March 2021
The main objective of Lean is to cut down on waste. Lean uses systematic techniques to accomplish this objective. Manufacturing is the traditional place to use Lean techniques, but you can also use them anywhere that you want to reduce waste.
Here is what we'll be covering in this guide to Lean:
What is Operations Management - Definition & Guide
12th March 2021
When you want to increase the efficiency of your business to its fullest potential, you need to administer a series of business practices and strategies to make it happen. This is done through operations management.
To set up an effective operations management team, you must utilize all of your company’s resources. Its most important resources include technology, equipment, materials and staff members. When you effectively use these resources every day in your organization, you will notice increased profitability and results.
As you read this article, you will learn more about operations management and why it is so important for a business to implement. Then you will learn how to put together good operations managers for your organization.
How To Create Checklists - Our Tips To Make Great Checklists
8th June 2020
Do you want to increase the productivity and efficiency of your business organization? If so, then checklists can help make your operations much more effective. Not only can checklists help you consolidate your workload, but you will be able to manage it better too.
Making a checklist may seem like a simple task. However, in a business environment checklists are often much more complex and detailed than a simple list of things to buy at the grocery store. There are a lot of factors to consider in order to make a really great checklist that has a beneficial impact on your business.
We have compiled some tips that will help you with this.
A business process involves specific repetitive tasks that must be performed to accomplish a particular goal for your business. When a business process is presented on a flowchart with the use of graphics, it is called a process flowchart.
This type of flowchart makes it easier to understand the steps of a business process and the possible results of accomplishing the overall goal of it. People should be able to take one look at the chart and understand the process well because of the graphical representation of the process.
Don't Micromanage - We Have an Alternative Approach
1st May 2020
Micromanagement requires too much control over every little thing people do. You may not like observing other people making mistakes, especially when you would never make those same mistakes yourself. It would feel tempting to correct their mistakes and let them know what they did wrong, but you probably wouldn’t want to embarrass them or cause a scene.
So, what should you do? How do you micromanage them without pointing out every little mistake they make? To figure this out, let’s explore the definition of micromanagement and the best ways to replace micromanagement with something less demoralizing to people.
Does it feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything that you need to get done? At the same time, you might see other people getting far more things done throughout the day at a much faster rate.
How are they able to be more productive than you? There is only one answer to that question. These people are experts at task management. They’ve developed techniques which have allowed them to accomplish their tasks in a fast, efficient, and productive manner.
If you can learn to prioritize the tasks that are most important to you, then you can achieve the same level of productivity each day too. After you read this article, you should know how to do this easily.
Business Process Reengineering, also known as BPR, has the power to transform a failing company into a successful company with vast financial growth. The trick is to execute and manage your company’s business process reengineering properly.
A lot of business owners do not understand the term “business process reengineering” or how much change to their organization it actually entails.
Business process reengineering means you are changing the entire business process of your organization by scrapping the old one and replacing it with something completely new. There is nothing easy about doing something this extreme.
When a company starts to lose customers and profits for a long period of time, it means the core business model of the company is not working so well anymore. In an effort to save the company, its leaders may decide to reengineer the entire company’s business process or model.
That way, they can hopefully lower their operating expenses and produce a better-quality product that people will want to purchase.
Business process reengineering requires a comprehensive analysis of all the workflows of the organization. If any of these workflow processes are found to be inefficient or unproductive, then they will either be eliminated or improved.
All companies want to utilize their resources as much as possible. If a company can make substantial profits while reducing their operational expenses, then their goal is achieved.
Technology continues to be a great way for companies to solve challenging problems that humans cannot solve alone. Whenever technology is used to solve a major problem, several minor issues get solved along with it.
If a company is going to stay competitive in the 21st century, then it must utilize all available resources by putting the right strategies in place. Business process automation is the newest way in which companies avoid wasting their precious resources.
The advantage of business process automation is that several important tasks can be performed without requiring manual input. Many companies have information technology departments that utilize automation technology regularly in order to use resources more efficiently and effectively. Meanwhile, their operational expenses are reduced because they’re not wasting any resources.
There are countless advantages to process automation. Any new or existing business can benefit immensely by establishing process automation in it. Let’s explore the reason why.
Each company functions with a specific business process. If you can understand that process better and the impact it has on an organization, then you can manage your business a lot better as well.
Business Process Mapping is what it’s all about. If you can visualize the business processes of your company, then you’ll have more understanding of how it functions. You’ll also understand its strengths and weaknesses too. Once you obtain all this knowledge, you can increase your company’s productivity and help it run more efficiently.
Your business management approach can make or break your company. For your firm to survive, it is vital to understand the process, identify risks, and streamline your operations. You can make your venture successful if you know where to focus and what to improve. It is for this reason that business owners are always on the lookout to boost their firm. Business Process Modelling, as one of the in-demand methods, can organize your activities and help you learn more about your firm.
There’s no such thing as a perfect process, and there is always room for improvement. Sadly, most businesses don’t have the ability to identify, assess, and execute modifications, and as such, every adjustment is left to chance.
A program for continuous improvement is necessary to ensure that any changes made don’t complicate your existing operations.
When successful, these modifications will simplify the tasks your staff undertake, and make their jobs more enjoyable overall. Both money and time will be saved. Best of all, you’ll be optimizing your existing operations and efforts.
Let’s go over the process of continuous improvement from the beginning.
What would happen if the customer service representatives and other support employees at your company had no standard operating procedure in place to handle questions or concerns? Do you really think it is possible for them to do a great job and represent your firm properly if they all use different methods for getting the job done?
When you skip standardizing processes, these are the outcomes you get. A variety of different tasks must work in the best way possible for your company to function properly. This is true in both the long-term and on and everyday schedule. Without organization and guidance, chaos reigns.
Each activity requires a set of instructions that tell all employees the necessary methods for ensuring top-quality results. Not only does standardizing processes help streamline everything workers do, it helps you oversee quality and handle customer or client issues more effectively.
Launching a new business or improving one that has existed for years requires some of the same steps to get everything functioning like a well-oiled machine. Not only do you need to identify important long-term projects and daily tasks, you also need to identify who will do them best and how to approach them to get them done correctly in the shortest amount of time possible.
A standard operating procedure includes the answers to all these questions. Creating one for every action necessary to grow your business is an integral part of deciding how streamlined your path to success will be. What are they? How do you make them? And how do you know the ones you create will help you reach your goals?
Learn how to create the best standard operating procedures with these 16 essential steps.
Launching a new business or improving one that has existed for years requires some of the same steps to get everything functioning like a well-oiled machine. Not only do you need to identify important long-term projects and daily tasks, you also need to identify who will do them best and how to approach them to get them done correctly in the shortest amount of time possible.
A standard operating procedure includes the answers to all these questions. Creating one for every action necessary to grow your business is an integral part of deciding how streamlined your path to success will be. What are they? How do you make them? And how do you know the ones you create will help you reach your goals?
Learn how to create the best standard operating procedures with these 16 essential steps.
A workflow refers to a repeatable sequence of tasks used to get work done. They are often illustrated in the form of a diagram or a checklist.
Although workflows occur in all types of businesses and industries, they describe the process of doing or processing something. An example of a workflow could be something like:
A manufacturer creates an invoice and sends it to a client
The client receives the invoice and sends it to their finance department
The invoice is approved by the finance department and the payment processed.
Business Process Management (BPM) is a methodology used by organizations to create, manage and improve their processes. BPM involves analyzing each process on its own, while also considering the part it plays within the organization. A key part of BPM is the frequent fine-tuning of processes, with the aim of optimizing as much as possible. This could be as easy as removing a step in a process or rebuilding the entire process from start to finish.
Before we talk more about business process management, we should firstly define what a process is within the context of BPM...