It is becoming more apparent that technology is a two-edged sword, helping in some ways and hampering productivity in others. Have you ever worked with someone whose desktop looks like they have every application available open multiple times? I am constantly amazed that someone can keep track of what they are doing and don’t get lost with multiple spreadsheets, emails, enterprise applications, and documents open, or do they? Are multitaskers really faster, better, and more productive?
Peter Bregman , CEO of
Bregman Partners, Inc., a global management consulting firm, and the author of
Point B: A Short Guide To Leading a Big Change posted an interested
blog article about multitasking and how it measurably affects your ability to work efficiently and effectively.
Multitasking seems to have the effect of dropping your IQ by 10 points, roughly equivalent to losing an entire night of sleep. Studies show that your productivity can drop by 40% when you multitask with the heavier multitaskers doing worse than lighter multitaskers.
So with all the software packages and applications, are they making work easier or contributing to the productivity loss? Do you have applications that capture similar data or require people to constantly move back and forth between them to accomplish their tasks?
Business Process Management solutions have long promoted the benefit of reducing the need for multitasking at the business process level by providing solutions that:
1. Validate Data – Real time data validation means no rework, no looking for validation lists, and business rule enforcement on data requirements. Some firms continue to have business rules in Excel sheets, printed out tacked on walls, or not even documented at all.
2. Minimize Data Entry – Multiple data repositories can be updated from the same data input so the data is consistent, clean (from item 1), and distributed correctly without switching systems.
3. Provide priority, notifications, reminders, and deadline/escalations – The system communicates with users about the work required and doesn’t require user intervention to provide updates to new users outside the process. It will hunt you down.
4. Aggregating data from disparate systems – Decision makers are given data they need in one place without having to toggle to other systems to get a complete picture. It is all available on demand from the process itself.
5. Flexibility – Changes in the business operating environment such as new applications or tasks can be easily incorporated into the process. Upgrades to other applications can be accommodated easily so as new applications become available, users don’t necessarily have to step outside the process to leverage that information.
Organizations need to understand that BPM Solutions can dramatically affect productivity, reduce costs, and drive performance. How would your organization like to see a 10%, 15% or even 20% increase in productivity for the same work? I know most organizations would jump at the chance but is yours?
