These tips will help you guide your team through a collaborative brainstorming session to map out workflows, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for automation.
Set clear objectives
Begin the session by clearly defining the purpose of the workflow mapping exercise. Ensure everyone understands the goal is to identify pain points and explore automation opportunities.
Gather the right people
Include team members who are directly involved in the processes being mapped. Their firsthand insights are invaluable for accurately identifying challenges and inefficiencies.
Create a safe space
Foster an open environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their experiences and suggestions. Encourage honesty about current pain points and challenges without fear of blame.
Map the current workflow
Use a whiteboard or digital tool to visually map out each step of the process. Encourage team members to contribute by adding tasks, decision points, and communication flows to the map.
Identify pain points
As a team, discuss each step in the workflow to identify where bottlenecks, delays, or frequent errors occur. Use prompts like "Where do we see the most frustration?" to guide the discussion.
Highlight time-savers
Encourage the team to think about which tasks are repetitive or time-consuming and could benefit from automation. Discuss potential tools or technologies that could be implemented.
Prioritise key areas for improvement
Once pain points and time-savers are identified, work together to prioritize them based on their impact on efficiency and potential for improvement through automation.
Document insights
Assign a team member to document the insights and ideas from the session. This record will be invaluable for planning next steps and implementing changes.
Plan follow-up actions
Develop an action plan to address the identified pain points. Assign responsibilities and set timelines for exploring automation solutions or making process improvements.
Encourage ongoing feedback
Establish a process for continuous feedback and improvement after the session concludes. Encourage team members to share new pain points or suggest further enhancements as they arise.
