Rob Buecker Consulting

What are the things that you do on a recurring basis? The benefits and uses of having a task inventory can be profound. Including but not limited to: process improvement, workflow optimization, task reassignment, team coverage, continuity, training, quality assurance, and disaster recovery to specifically name a few.

• When was the last time the database was backed up?
• When was the last time the backups were tested to make sure they work and the administrators know how and where to restore them?
• How do you get the job done when the power is out? The internet is down?
• When the person that solves all the problems everyday suddenly quits?
• How do you train their replacement?
• Is there a better/faster/cheaper/higher quality way to produce the product?
• Are you paying employees too much for tasks that can easily and accurately be resolved at lower levels closer to the end user?

In a way, this all falls under knowledge management. Strategic planning to ensure the employees have the skills and knowledge they need when they need it to perform at their optimum.

It all starts with knowing what tasks you are doing. Some times just seeing the list in written form allows you to see the low hanging fruit of what can simply be cut, delegated or outsourced.
Tasks can be documented. Asking questions like:

• What skills are required to perform this task?
• What knowledge is needed to successfully accomplish this task?
• Where is this task most efficiently and effectively assigned?

Documented tasks can be stored in a central location where employees have access. This can be especially important for infrequent tasks where the details can easily be forgotten or turnover requires employees to figure out how it is done every time. Another benefit of documenting the steps involved completing tasks is that improvements naturally come out of the process. Simply thinking and seeing the steps involved can highlight bottlenecks that can be improved upon.

Tasks can start to be organized and grouped into positions. In small businesses, the same person often has numerous positions assigned to them. I.e. customer service, sales, warehouse, IT support, finance, etc. From there, strategic staffing decisions can be made both from a growth and scaling back sides.

The inventory could be used to make decisions on hiring a new employee or training an existing employee, either in the task or the skill(s) required to perform the task.
In my opinion, employees that want to learn and take on new responsibilities will not stay in their current position, either through promotion or finding a position elsewhere.

In the end, yes, this has a cost and needs to be balanced with a cost benefit analysis.
Is after disaster strikes really the time to make that decision?