Many organizations have intake processes that may be overly complex, contain bottlenecks and slow down the flow of work to delivery teams. Fortunately, updating those processes and incorporating automation can lead to big improvements in throughput. Here are some common indicators of an inefficient intake process.
Multiple intake and demand management processes
Requests get bogged down waiting to be processed
Teams have to wait for their work to be assigned
Simplify + Automate
I've seen first hand how streamlining the intake process and utilizing automation results in smooth and efficient operations. By simplifying the process to remove unnecessary activities and automating key steps, bottlenecks are removed and requests are quickly routed to teams for delivery. Here are some key areas where I recommend clients begin:
Streamline Processes - Consolidate and simplify intake into a single process that provides speed, flexibility and control. Eliminate unnecessary steps that slow down the flow of work. This sets the stage for the self service and automation opportunities that result in a streamlined and efficient intake system.
Self Service Requests - Enable customers to take ownership of their requests and provide the tools to efficiently and accurately receive new items. Requests that enter a well designed self service intake process require fewer people to be involved in the submission process, have higher quality and require less rework.
Automated Approvals - Establish rules for how approval requests are routed and the conditions that require manual approval. Configure approval requests to be intuitive so that the process is simple for the approver. This reduces the time spent waiting for requests to be approved and requires less time from approvers.
Automated Work Assignments - Many requests can be handled by a single team. Once routing rules are in place, these requests can immediately be assigned to the proper team and/or team member without manual intervention. This results in work getting to the delivery teams faster, improves productivity and throughput and ultimately delivers more value.
Leverage the Now Platform
Moving from manual processing with outdated tools to efficient, automation driven workflows can be challenging and overwhelming. On this type of engagement, I prefer using ServiceNow because it has capabilities that enable organizations to automate key process steps and get work to delivery teams quickly using digital workflows. For example, Flow Designer is a powerful automation tool that can make the desired changes a reality and drive major improvements in speed and efficiency.
Engage an Experienced Partner
By choosing a partner who can provide expert advice and proven best practices, the journey to efficient, automation driven workflows does not have to be costly and time consuming. My 20 years of expertise, including a full ServiceNow ITBM implementation in 100 days at a Fortune 500 company, can help you overcome the challenges of moving away from an inefficient intake process and transform the way work flows to your delivery teams.
Schedule your free consultation now or send a message and let me know how I can help you.
About Craig Powell, Workplan Wiz Founder
For the last 20 years, I've been dedicated to empowering technology leaders to transform the way organizations work by leveraging strategic thinking, agile methods and lean portfolio management best practices. In 2019, I was invited to speak about "Transforming your Business with ServiceNow ITBM in 100 Days" at both the Gartner Program & Portfolio Management Summit and the ServiceNow Knowledge Conference.
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