I’m sure you’ve heard the adage “Work smarter, not harder!” Here’s a real-world story of working smarter to improve efficiency:
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late seventies, I started working as a Time Study Analyst for Hamilton Industries, a manufacturing company located in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. At the time, Hamilton was a major regional employer, employing several thousand people. They were a division of American Hospital Supply Corporation, which was eventually bought out by Baxter Travenol Laboratories in 1984. During my employment, Hamilton’s manufacturing facilities consisted of a wood shop, a metal fabrication plant and a plastic injection molding facility.
When a new job order came in, I would grab my stopwatch and clipboard and head over to the production floor. My job was to observe a skilled laborer performing a new task and then analyze the sub-tasks required to complete the entire job. Combining the timed results with pre-established standards and factoring in my observations, I would calculate the entire amount of time required to perform the job from start to finish. At the time I didn’t realize it but working as a Time Study Analyst served me well over the years!
When I began my tech job at Community Alternatives Unlimited in 1987, the agency owned three personal computers. They ran word processing programs like WordStar and WordPerfect, which were just beginning to supplant typewriters in the work place. Relational databases like dBase III, Clipper, FoxPro and DataEase also ran on personal computers and were beginning to eat into a market that had been dominated by mainframe programs for many years.
Although our budget was meager, my supervisor and I realized the potential value that personal computers could provide to a small agency like ours. We strived to buy enough computers so that, eventually , each employee would have their own. In retrospect that just seems quaint but back then it was a lofty goal, which we ultimately accomplished. (By the time I left the agency in 2015 after 28 years of employment, my IT department was responsible for managing over two hundred desktop and notebook computers and ten servers.)
Issues
With help from a consultant, we began to develop relational databases that allowed us to capture client information, record client service and output billing data. We used our database applications to export billing files, which we regularly transmitted to our funders via modem. This saved us an incredible amount of time and cut out many of the billing errors, illegibility issues and typos that were inevitable byproducts of the paper-based systems our peers used. Through the years we experimented with different data-collection methodologies, starting with paper-based forms and a dedicated data-entry staff (me), advancing to bubble forms and a scanner with a sheet feeder, to ultimately allowing staff to directly input client service into database applications.
Over time, as electronic forms became more commonplace, we realized the potential inefficiencies these forms presented. Although our funders loved Adobe fillable forms because they were legible and could be quickly emailed and easily archived, often times staff needed to sign the forms. As a workaround, staff would key the required data into these forms, print them, sign them and then scan them back into a digital format so they could email, fax or store them. The process was slow and cumbersome and not a smart use of their time! Occasionally, typos or wrong information would get keyed into these forms. This was particularly frustrating because we worked diligently to ensure the information in our database applications was accurate and up to date.
Solution
Here’s how we addressed these issues:
1) We asked, “Why re-invent the wheel?” Most of the forms asked for data that was already stored in our databases. Spending time searching databases for information and then keying it into the forms was terribly inefficient! We worked with our database developer who created export procedures to pre-populate forms with data we had already captured. I adapted the forms to allow them to accept input from these exports. As a result, we cut down on data-entry errors and saved staff time by not having to key in client names, identifiers, addresses, etc. All staff needed to do was to select a client from their caseload, choose a form and press a button, which would render their form.
2) Pre-populating electronic forms with data that already existed in our database apps was a great start! Unfortunately, after staff finished filling out a form they would print and sign it and then get up from their desk and walk over to a copier/scanner and scan the form back into digital format. After that convoluted process, they would finally fax or email the form. Still hugely inefficient! We then asked, “What other technology is out there that could help clean up this process and won’t cost an arm and a leg?” We then invested in inexpensive Topaz Signature Pads. After a bit of training, staff learned how to apply their digital signature to the forms they created from the databases. They no longer needed to print forms and sign them with wet ink and re-scan them, resulting in a quicker, more streamlined workflow.
Summary
We realized that even though we were using great technology, the disparate pieces didn’t always work well together. By analyzing the entire challenge and breaking it down into its component parts, we integrated different hardware and apps and were able to streamline inefficient processes without spending a great deal of money. There’s value in studying and analyzing your work processes and there are potential gains to be made by combining new technologies, new software and new hardware. Work smarter!