What is a workflow analysis?

We get it. You’re pushed for time, and you need more paperwork, like a fish needs a bike. But hear us out. Imagine you’re about to set off on a cross-country drive. Do you check a paper map and set off, rigidly following the route no matter what? Or do you switch on your satnav and make adjustments based on traffic and road availability along the way?

Your workflow is essentially a map, guiding your team from project start to finish. But just like a smart driver, project managers need to analyze and adjust that map as things change (which they always do). In fact, despite costing you a little time upfront, a workflow analysis could be the very thing that cuts your task list down to size. 

What is a workflow analysis?

Workflow analysis is the study of the way work flows through an organization. Think of it as taking a magnifying glass to your business operations to see the steps behind every task and project. It isn’t just about what gets done. It’s also about who does it, how long it takes, and what resources you use.

Why workflow is important 

Still not sold on the benefits? Read on. 

1. Spotting inefficiencies and bottlenecks

Every process has weak points, and workflow analysis is a great way to weed them out. Bottlenecks might be due to outdated procedures, underutilized resources, or simply steps that no longer serve a purpose.

2. Streamlining work

This might involve reordering tasks, automating repetitive jobs, or removing redundant steps. The goal is to create a workflow that’s both efficient and logical.

3. Enhancing quality and consistency

A consistent workflow means consistent results. By standardizing processes, you not only improve quality but also make it easier to train new employees. 

4. Happier staff 

We’ve all had to deal with the pain of an inefficient process. By optimizing workflows, you can reduce stress and frustration, leading to higher job satisfaction and employee engagement.

5. Facilitating smarter decisions 

With a clear, logical path ahead, you’ll have a solid foundation for making smart decisions about resource allocation and process improvements.

6. Supporting scalability and growth

As your business grows, so does the complexity of your operations. Workflow analysis ensures they flex with your business, avoiding the growing pains that hamper expansion.

7. Enabling continuous improvement

The business world is always evolving, and so should your processes. Regular workflow analysis helps you to stay adaptive to changing market demands.

8. Risk mitigation

By thoroughly understanding your workflows, you can spot potential risks and compliance issues sooner rather than later.

9. Cost savings

Efficiency often translates into savings. By optimizing workflows, businesses can reduce labor costs, minimize wastage, and avoid unnecessary expenditures, ultimately resulting in a happier bottom line.

10. Improved customer satisfaction

Efficient workflows mean quicker turnaround times and better quality outputs, both of which play a key role in customer satisfaction. Happy shoppers are more likely to be repeat customers and to recommend your business to others.

Types of workflow analysis

There are several ways to approach this. Let’s explore some of the most widely used types.

1. Linear workflow analysis

This type focuses on workflows that follow a sequential process. Each step follows the previous one in a set order, with no deviations or parallel processes.

When to use it: It’s best when you need to complete tasks in a specific order, for example, in manufacturing or assembly line environments. The analysis aims to optimize each step and foster handovers between stages.

2. Cross-functional workflow analysis

Unlike linear workflows, cross-functional workflows involve multiple departments or teams. 

When to use it: It’s for processes that span different areas of the business, requiring coordination among various units. The goal is to optimize the interaction between different teams, weed out communication barriers, and ensure each department effectively contributes to the process.

3. Hybrid workflow analysis

Hybrid workflows combine elements of both linear and cross-functional workflows.

When to use it: It involves understanding how these different elements interact and overlap. The goal? Fine-tune the linear parts of the process while facilitating smooth cross-functional collaboration.

Workflow analysis: Real-world examples

Here are some practical use cases to help you visualize the concept. 

Healthcare: Improving patient admission process

In hospitals, streamlining the patient admission process is crucial. A linear workflow analysis could optimize each step — from patient arrival to room assignment. This might involve reducing paperwork, improving communication channels, and coordinating better between departments, leading to quicker admissions and enhanced patient care.

Manufacturing: Assembly line efficiency

For manufacturers, every second saved on the assembly line counts. Using linear workflow analysis to examine each stage of production can spotlight areas for improvement, like reorganizing workstations or automating certain tasks, boosting output and lowering costs.

Marketing: Streamlining campaigns

Agencies need the creative, digital, and analytics teams working in harmony. Cross-functional workflow analysis can help you spot communication gaps or inefficiencies. 

Software development: Enhancing feature release cycles

Software development often calls for a hybrid approach. Analyzing the workflow to balance the linear aspects (like coding) with cross-functional elements (like collaboration between developers, QA, and operations) can streamline feature releases and improve deployment efficiency.

Retail: Optimizing inventory management

Using hybrid workflow analysis can make stock management smoother by getting different teams like purchasing, warehousing, and sales to work together better. This makes sure you have the right amount of stock while lowering waste.

How to do a workflow analysis

Ready to get started on your own analysis? Here are the steps you need to take. 

Step 1: Identify the process you want to analyze

This might seem straightforward, but it’s crucial to be selective. Here’s how you can approach it:

• Define the scope: Start by defining what you want to analyze. Is it an end-to-end process like your product delivery system or something more specific like your monthly invoicing routine? Be clear about the boundaries of the process you’re investigating.

• Understand the importance: Choose a process that has a big impact on your business. It could be something that’s central to your customer experience, a major cost driver, or a process that’s been causing problems.

• Seek input: Don’t decide in a vacuum. Talk to team members, managers, or other stakeholders to understand which processes they think need improvement. Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from those who are directly involved in the day-to-day operations.

• Prioritize: If you have several processes you want to analyze, prioritize them. Which one will give you the most benefit if improved? Which one is causing the most pain right now?

Step 2: Gather information

This step lays the foundation for a thorough understanding of the workflow. 

• Direct observation: There’s no substitute for seeing the process in action. Observe the workflow as it happens, taking note of how the team performs tasks, who is involved, and the time taken for each step. 

• Engage with team members: Employees who are directly involved in the process are your best resource. Have interviews or informal discussions to gather their thoughts. They can highlight challenges, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement that you might not see from a higher-level view.

• Review existing documents: Gather any documentation related to the process. This could include procedure manuals, workflow diagrams, performance reports, and even email chains. These docs will give you a formal understanding of how the process is designed to work, and may reveal discrepancies between the intended and actual workflow.

• Collect quantitative data: Look for measurable data related to the process. Time logs, error rates, throughput numbers, and other metrics can give you quantitative information that’s crucial for identifying inefficiencies. 

• Determine relevant metrics: Speaking of metrics, which metrics are important? Is it speed, accuracy, cost-effectiveness, customer satisfaction, or employee workload? The metrics you choose will guide your analysis and help you measure the impact of any changes.

Step 3: Map the current workflow

This involves creating a visual representation of the process you’re examining. 

• Choose the right tools: This could be as simple as pen and paper, or you might use specialized software like flowchart tools or business process mapping templates. Pick something you’re comfortable using and that suits the complexity of the process you’re analyzing. 

• Document each step: Start by documenting each step in the process as it currently exists. Don’t leave out any stages, no matter how small. At this point, you are capturing what actually happens, not what should happen.

• Include decision points: Make sure to include key decision moments. These are often sticking points because they represent a fork in the road.  

• Identify roles and responsibilities: For each step, note down who’s responsible. Understanding who is involved at each stage of the process will show you communication gaps or areas where too many handoffs are causing hold-ups.

• Capture timelines: Where possible, include information about how long each step typically takes. This will help you spot bottlenecks or stages that are disproportionately time-consuming.

• Solicit feedback: Once you have a draft of the process map, share it with team members who are involved in the process. They can provide feedback and help ensure that the map is an accurate representation of the process.

Step 4: Analyze the process

 This is where you turn your observations and data into actionable insights. 

• Identify bottlenecks: Look for stages in the process where work tends to pile up. Bottlenecks look like long wait times, high levels of work-in-progress, or frequent complaints from team members.

• Spot redundancies and unnecessary steps: As you examine the process, ask whether each step is truly necessary. Are there tasks that don’t add value or could be combined with other steps? Eliminating these will streamline the workflow.

• Evaluate decision points: Decision points are necessary, but they can make your project feel like it’s hit mud. Assess whether these points are necessary and if the criteria for decision-making are clear. 

• Assess workload distribution: Are some team members overloaded while others are underutilized? Uneven workload distribution leads to inefficiencies and delays.

• Consider external factors: Sometimes inefficiencies are caused by factors outside the immediate process. This could include delayed inputs from other departments or external suppliers. 

• Gather more feedback: Revisit the people involved in the process and discuss your thoughts. They’ll give you that all-important extra layer of context and insight. 

• Document your findings: Make sure you note down all the inefficiencies and issues. This documentation is crucial for discussing potential improvements and convincing stakeholders of the need for change.

Step 5: Redesign the workflow

This is where you propose changes based on your analysis. 

• Prioritize changes: Start by determining which changes will have the biggest impact. Not all improvements need to be implemented at once. 

• Simplify the process: look for opportunities to simplify things. This might involve combining steps, eliminating unnecessary tasks, or automating repetitive activities. The goal is to make the process as straightforward as possible.

• Redistribute workloads: If your analysis revealed uneven workloads, now is the time to address this. Consider how you can redistribute tasks more evenly to avoid overburdening certain team members.

• Improve decision-making: If decision points are causing delays, think about how to smooth the process. This might involve setting clearer criteria for decisions or delegating decision-making to speed up the process.

• Introduce new tools or technology: Consider whether there are tools or technologies that could improve the workflow. This could be as simple as a new project management tool for tracking tasks, or as complex as an automated system for handling certain processes.

• Plan for implementation: Think about how you’ll implement the changes. This includes considering resources, training, setting up a change management plan, and communicating these changes to the organizatio. 

• Get feedback on the proposed changes: Before finalizing the redesign, share your proposals with the team and other stakeholders for their thoughts. 

Step 6: Implement changes

This stage is where your planning and redesign efforts come to life. Grab your implementation plan, and let’s go! 

• Train your team: If the changes involve new processes or tools, ensure your team is ready to roll. Provide resources and support to help them adapt to the new workflow.

• Start small: If possible, start with a pilot or a phased approach. Implement changes in a small area or with a limited scope before rolling them out more broadly. This allows you to test the changes, make adjustments, and learn from any issues that arise.

• Monitor things: Keep a close eye on the process. Be prepared to make adjustments if things aren’t going as planned. Monitoring also helps you spot any unforeseen challenges or resistance.

• Gather feedback: Throughout the implementation, collect feedback from your team and other stakeholders. Their insights will help you fine-tune the process. 

• Celebrate successes: Recognizing and celebrating a job well done will boost morale and encourage adoption. It’s important to acknowledge the efforts of everyone involved.

Step 7: review and refine

This is an ongoing process of monitoring, assessing, and making continual improvements. 

• Continue monitoring and gathering feedback: Keep an eye on how the new workflow is performing. Are you seeing the expected improvements? Use the metrics you identified earlier to measure success. Meanwhile, regular feedback will help you understand what’s working and what isn’t, which might not be apparent from a higher-level view.

• Identify further improvements: As you gather data and feedback, look for additional opportunities to refine the workflow. Continuous improvement is an important part of workflow analysis. 

• Be adaptable to change: Business processes don’t exist in a vacuum. They need to adapt to changing business environments, technologies, and market demands. Be ready to adjust your workflows as necessary. 

• Document adjustments: Keep a record of any changes. This will be a valuable resource for understanding the evolution of your processes.

• Share successes and learnings: Share the results of your workflow analysis and any subsequent changes with the broader organization. This not only recognizes the work done so far, but also helps in fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Features to look for in workflow analysis tools

Workflow analysis is an ongoing journey, and continuous monitoring and adaptation are key to staying on top of your game. This is where project management software comes in. 

When selecting a workflow analysis tool, consider your unique needs, budget, and scalability to ensure you choose the right solution for your organization’s growth and success.

• User-friendly interface: A user-friendly interface makes it easier for team members to adapt to change and hit the ground running.  

• Customization options: Look out for a wide range of templates, dashboard configurations, and integrations. 

• Integration capabilities: Speaking of integrations — the tool should be able to integrate seamlessly with your core software stack. Integration boosts efficiency and provides a centralized hub for all your information. 

• Real-time analytics: Real-time data and analytics capabilities are crucial for monitoring workflows and making timely decisions. Look for tools that give up-to-date insights.

• Collaboration features: Workflow analysis often involves multiple stakeholders. Tools that facilitate collaboration, such as shared views and comment functions, can make the process more efficient and inclusive.

• Scalability: As your business grows, your workflow analysis needs might change. A scalable tool can grow with your business, providing long-term value.

• Support and training: Good vendor support and training resources can make a big difference in how effectively you can use the tool. Consider the level of support and training offered by the tool provider.

• Security: make sure the tool you choose has robust security features to protect your data and comply with any relevant regulations. 

• Cost-effectiveness: Finally, consider the cost of the tool in relation to the features it offers and the value it provides. The most expensive tool isn’t always the best choice; look for something that offers good value for money.

With Backlog, our own PM tool, you can automate, track, and assign tasks with the click of a button. Capture every detail, then visualize the data so you can spot bottlenecks, dependencies, and inefficiencies at a glance. With the right tools, your workflow becomes a well-oiled machine, helping your team bring their A-game to every project.