Improving Efficiency

With efficient processes, work flows smoothly, materials and labor are scheduled and managed effectively, and project and deliveries meet their deadlines.

As companies grow and change, however, systems of workflow typically don’t adapt adequately. A domino effect takes hold throughout the organization—lack of purchasing controls leads to lost items or insufficient supply, poor scheduling means delivery dates get missed, inadequate or inaccurate information systems lead to poor management decisions, lack of employee oversight brings a reduction in quality, and overall efficiency begins to fall – or improves too slowly to keep pace with the competition.

When workflow processes are adapted to the changes of the company, capacity is increased without a significant change in fixed costs, reducing cost per unit. Additionally, proper scheduling allows the company to utilize its total resources—equipment, labor, material, etc—for maximum throughput closest to capacity, a well-established inventory monitoring system minimizes the drain on available cash, and supervisory skills developed among lead personnel gives leaders the ability to leverage their time through others and increase productivity.

The end result: an efficient, effective, profitable organization.

What we sometimes hear…

  • I spend a lot of time fixing the mistakes my people make.
  • My competitors are undercutting my price.
  • I’m never sure a job can be done on time.
  • My paperwork is always getting lost.
  • I don’t know how much inventory is on hand.
  • I’m not sure what my sales/service/production costs are.
  • My sales/service/production costs are too high.
  • I’m the only one who can do estimating/pricing.
  • We’ve had to do too much re-work this year.

We help companies establish systems that…

  • Monitor employees’ work to reduce errors.
  • Control and minimize inventory.
  • Improve pricing and estimating accuracy.
  • Identify and calculate the right measures.
  • Establish accountability for performance against measures.
  • Train others to do estimates.
  • Manage and reduce bottlenecks.
  • Calculate accurate completion dates and times.
  • Control customer order processing and deliveries.
  • Forecast workloads to keep your people productive.

If you sense your systems could be more efficient, perhaps it’s time to consider benchmarking. To set up an Initial Assessment meeting with a Regional Manager in your area, please contact us at benchmarking@mrsiconsulting.com.