5 signs it’s time to change your business process
In the medical industry, organizations are constantly seeking ways to increase efficiency, improve quality and reduce costs. However, it can be difficult to know where to start. I have had the good fortune to work with many organizations and found that rethinking your business management processes & procedures can make a surprising difference in the efficiency of your operations. From my experience, it's time to make a change when:
1. You depend upon paper forms that are copied
and placed in numerous locations, approved by multiple
individuals, and audited manually.
The cost of manual processes to organizations can be significant in both inefficiencies and the added cost of resources to organize them. Your team
may never complain about the time they spend locating and updating paper forms, replacing outdated information, manually replicating and filing the documents, and tracking lost documents. Why don't they
complain? Because that is what you hired them for and unless they know of a better alternative, they will do the best job they can with the resources they have.
2. You supplement IT systems with desk
procedures and spreadsheets.
Your core business applications may have supported your operations when they were first installed. However, your business requirements don't stand still
and frequently the applications can't keep up. Rather than incur additional IT expenses, you have adapted to change by adding desk procedures and spreadsheets into your process. Spreadsheets can be flexible
and sophisticated, but they are not always the right solution. Are you managing your critical business processes from manual spreadsheets? How do you explain and remedy "multiple versions of
the truth"?
3. You invest considerable effort into
manually consolidating data to complete tasks or make
management decisions.
Sometimes it takes a lot of data to make the right decisions. But if that data is scattered across multiple systems, databases, and spreadsheets it can take
significant time to pull the data together. Does your decision-making and management process rely on complex data consolidation by experienced staff? Is this the most effective use of their time; are you
prepared for the day they take a different job?
4. You use personal technology to be more
effective at your job.
With technology so affordable, your staff may bring their own devices to work; use public cloud storage or other technology that is out of your control.
This is a sign your technology is seriously out of date. Where is your critical business data being accessed from and stored? Is your data secure and compliant with regulatory requirements?
5. You work in a highly regulated industry
requiring detailed auditing and tracking capabilities.
The sheer amount of paperwork and detailed tracking required for regulatory compliance can be daunting. Managing this on paper
and spreadsheets is an exposure waiting to happen. Does regulatory compliance keep you up at night?
If these signs sound familiar, it's probably time you start looking for a change. Automated and optimized business processes can deliver cost and quality improvements while easing minds, facilitating audits, and making better use of your valuable staff.
Learn how VACAVA can help you. Contact me today.
About VACAVA Inc.
VACAVA's mission is to deliver high-quality, affordable custom applications that allow companies to reengineer their existing processes and operate more efficiently and effectively.
VACAVA's solutions are tailored exactly to the needs of the organization, allowing it to work with companies of all sizes, from fledgling ventures to Fortune 500 companies.