productivity

I keep hearing about the need to raise productivity on the radio – well, here in the UK we have a new government and raising productivity is one of their big themes. So I sat down with my pencil and paper and put a few ideas together which I thought I’d share.

It is actually quite difficult to pull out a stand alone “do this and you will be more productive” type thing. As many have said before: there are no Silver Bullets – or at least very few. Still, there are things you can do and there are people, like me, who are more than happy to help.

Before I get stuck in it is important to say is: measuring productivity by output can often mislead. More output isn’t necessarily more or better outcomes. Outcomes can be complicated things to pin down. While we can’t put a financial value on everything examining the money can be a short-cut. To complicate matters, sometimes doing less, even producing or doing nothing can raise value. Think of all the features Apple leaves out of its products which increase their value, or think of software bugs you don’t write. Fixing bugs can increase your output, and therefore your apparent productivity, but not having them in the first place give the customer a better outcome.

Now some thoughts…

1. New technology demands new ways of working

Sometimes you can buy a new machine which increases productivity – like the handheld food processor in my kitchen. This saves me a lot of time cutting up onions. But more often than not to get the full benefit of new technology you need to also update the way you work, the processes and practices.

While a machine may increase productivity there are almost always more benefits, more productivity, to be had if you change the way you work. This is true everywhere, and its why I’m having more conversations about how non-technology companies, often small companies, can benefit from adopting modern “agile” management ideas.

2. Do less to produce more

I feel like a broken record but again and again I see companies which would produce more if they tried to do less. In other words: Reduce work in progress.

The mantra is: Start one thing, do one thing, do it to the end. Then, only then, start another.

Time and time again I see companies, teams, and people which are simply trying to do too much at anyone time. The trick is to sequence them. If this describes you than please watch the Featureban video I released a few week ago.

3. Visualise, understand then improve your work

There are few single shot improvements to be had but if you spend time understanding your work, tracking it with a visual management system, collecting some statistics and analysing where the time goes there are always things you can do to improve it. Chances are time (and therefore productivity) is not lost because one step or person is slow, rather there is an impediment in the flow which needs fixing.

If you don’t already have one then create a visual board to see your work. I’m a big fan of physical boards but I accept most teams today want something online so I recommend KanbanZone.

Now I could talk and talk about how to set up such a board and I will happily do so if get in contact – but if nothing else create one and get everyone’s views on how to use it.

4. Separate work by variability and duration

Once you start to understand your work you will most likely find that there are different kinds of work take different amounts of time (answering one e-mail is quick, writing a blog takes time) and variability (most e-mails are quick, but occasionally one takes hours). Using this understanding you can separate the work into different streams and plan your time around the streams. This will increase productivity.

5. Sacrifice one person

In some cases it makes sense to “sacrifice one person” to do the seemingly random, late breaking, small pieces of work which so often arise. The rest of the team can then focus on the bigger, time consuming, stuff. Of course, make sure you rotate the sacrifice every week or two.

6. Daily reprioritisation

I start each day by rewriting my priorities. With clients I sometimes have team leaders review all team priorities at the start of the day (just before the stand-up meeting if you have one.) That might not mean you produce more but it should ensure the most valuable things get done which will increase productivity.

Now I could write a long list on Monday and work with that. But actually, taking a few minutes each day to go over priorities – even if they haven’t changed – is more productive.

Overall…

I’m sorry to say, these options might require investment and time. Chances are the most obvious productivity enhancing options have probably already been used up. So some time, and perhaps money, need to be invested. The good news is that your accountant should be able to capitalise expenditures so your net value increase.

Of course, the sooner you start the sooner you get the benefits. This is where I might be able to help so let me sell myself for a moment. I’ve helped many companies over the years improve the way they work so please get in touch.