| | JUNE 20208CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONMAPPING, STRATEGIZING, AND IMPLEMENTING STREAMLINED WORKFLOWSBy Beth Schmidt, Director, Technology, Markel [NYSE: MKL]Workflow can be defined as a sequence of tasks through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion. A workflow can be visualized in a diagram or a checklist which helps ensure consistency. Once a workflow has been defined, it's wise to look for opportunities to optimize the process to eliminate waste or create efficiencies. Only after optimization has occurred should you consider automating steps in your workflow. There is an abundance of tools on the market to help with automation, although some steps may always require human intervention. With the emergence of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and similar technological advancements, members of the business community can create workflow automation without the assistance of their IT teams. Identifying the tasks and their order to achieve completion of a workflow is the first step in ensuring consistency. There are often many ways in which to complete work. Investing in an exercise that brings together key personnel to lay out the possible paths to completion is well worth the time and money. With the rise in popularity of applying the concepts of Lean Manufacturing to business, it's become much easier to find experts in Lean Process Improvement to run such an exercise. After the steps have been mapped out, team should identify waste in the process. For example, handoffs or waiting introduce waste. Sometimes overcoming waste requires changes to jobs descriptions or roles. Other times, a simple change in the order of tasks can create workflow efficiencies. This is why it's important to involve the right people in the exercise, to generate ideas and buy-in to a new process. I've seen the results of such exercises and the improvements are sometimes drastic, shaving hours or even days off of the flow from start to finish. Beth Schmidt
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