Work is often a series of multi-stage processes. Sometimes a certain stage in the process may take longer or may encounter more problems than others. This can cause a queue behind it resulting in a ‘bottleneck’.

Bottlenecks can affect the entire workflow, often resulting in a stall in production. As the work queues up, it can become a frantic race to catch up and meet deadlines, causing work to get rushed. By getting rid of this bottleneck, you can help to maintain a manageable flow and ensure that work is done in a timely manner. Here are just several ways in which you can beat the bottleneck.

Bring in extra staff

Those dealing with the bottleneck may require a helping hand in order to keep on top of the demand. Consider whether you need to hire extra staff for this stage of the process if bottlenecks are frequent, or whether you can redistribute certain staff members when required.

Improve your tools

You may be able to improve your tools in order to speed up production during the bottleneck stage. For instance, if you run a law firm and often find that retrieving client records causes a bottleneck, you could consider looking into software such as https://www.recordrs.com/. Another example could be a manufacturing company introducing a machine to handle packaging instead of doing it manually.

Complete work in batches

Once bottlenecks become possible to predict, you may find that you’re able to complete work in batches to help keep up with the demand. For instance, if you run a restaurant and a certain dish is popular on a certain day, you may be able to prepare by cooking up large amounts in advance. There may be similar ways in which you can do this with manufacturing and paperwork.  

Maintain quality controls

When a bottleneck occurs, the temptation is often to rush work in order to catch up with the queue of orders. This can sometimes negatively impact the quality – make sure that you’re still putting quality controls in place so that you’re delivering a sub-par product or service. This is particularly important if you feel that you’re going to miss the deadline agreed with your client – if you end up delivering the product late, you should at least make sure that it is still done to a high quality.

Adjust deadlines ahead

When it comes to taking on new clients and agreeing to deadlines, consider the current queue and whether this is likely to delay work. By setting yourself longer deadlines for new clients, you can slow down the flow at the beginning of the process, taking pressure off of the bottleneck. It’s easier to adjust deadlines for new customers than it is for existing customers who may have already been promised a specific date or time. This guide at https://www.quickbase.com offers more information on setting realistic deadlines.