Workflow management is a crucial aspect of any organization's success, as it involves the processes and tasks required to produce desired products or services. However, in today's era of the connected workforce, managing and executing workflows manually can lead to delays and mistakes, which can be costly for businesses.
This is where digital workflow management comes in. By digitizing workflows, businesses can design, execute, and monitor them centrally, which helps to automate manual and repetitive tasks, track progress, and assign tasks to team members more efficiently. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of digitizing workflows and how smartphones and wearables can help to achieve this goal.
Challenges with manual workflows
Before we delve into the benefits of digital workflow management, let's first discuss the challenges of manual workflows. Traditional paper-based workflows can be time-consuming, prone to human error, and cumbersome. Imagine operators walking around with 100 pages of work instructions! Moreover, tracking and deploying changes to these workflows can be difficult, and there is a lack of traceability and feedback loops, making it hard to identify areas of improvement and bottlenecks. Additionally, paper-based workflows are susceptible to security risks and breaches, which can be disastrous for businesses.
Implementing digital workflows
Digital workflow management is the process of designing, executing, and monitoring workflows digitally. This involves automating various manual and repetitive tasks, assigning tasks to team members, and tracking progress. Digital workflows can take different forms such as instructions, inspections, forms, or checklists, and can be customized according to users' expertise.
By digitizing workflows, businesses can reap several benefits, including:
Benefits of digital workflow management |
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QualityWith the right knowledge at the right moment, businesses can achieve "doing the first time right" and reduce errors, thus improving the quality of production. |
ProductivityDigital workflows can provide bite-sized instructions that can be broken down into manageable tasks, improving efficiency, and increasing productivity. |
ReliabilityDigital workflows can provide real-time visibility of tasks and processes, enabling businesses to identify bottlenecks and areas of improvement. |
AccessibilityDigital workflows are easily accessible, as they can be executed on a range of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses.
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EfficiencyAutomation of tasks eliminates manual steps and enables the completion of tasks faster, increasing efficiency.
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CollaborationAssigning tasks to the right people at the right time helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page, improving collaboration. |
Digitizing workflows with smartphones & wearables
Digitizing workflows with smartphones and wearables is easy and efficient. All workflows and instructions can be installed and executed on smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses, which permit employees to access information and complete tasks from anywhere. Step-by-step instructions or procedures can be shown on the display of the device, and with smart glasses, employees can have their hands free. With features like voice commands and aR-call capabilities, employees can even call an expert for immediate guidance through a workflow or supervision of its execution.
Partnering with the right team
In conclusion, replacing paper-based with digital workflows allows for real-time visibility, improves collaboration, and enables users to identify areas of improvement and bottlenecks. Ultimately, digital workflow management helps organizations achieve quality work, reduce errors, and improve productivity.
If you are looking to kick off your pilot project to digitize your workflows, it is important to partner with the right team that can guide you through the process and provide you with the right solutions to meet your needs. At AMA, we specialize in helping organizations transition from paper-based to digital workflows. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you streamline your processes and take your business to the next level.
Interested in digitizing your workflows?