What do you think the most common time-wasters are in IT? You’d be surprised: it’s not always your printer fleet or most recently-written piece of script. Instead, the areas that most commonly create inefficiency in your department are related to your internal processes and procedures. Luckily, these are also some of the easiest to fix.
On Tuesday, we introduced you to three areas where inefficiencies may be hiding in your IT department. Today, we’re going to dive deeper into some of the underlying issues that cause inefficiency on a department-wide basis. Two are related to management and team communication, while one is a sneaky issue hiding within your devices. Take a look:
No Shared Language
When your IT department lacks an internal vocabulary for what you do, you waste precious time having to communicate and re-communicate messages—leading to department-wide confusion and frustration.
Instead, get everyone in your department on the same page by adopting and defining a common terminology that encapsulates your business policies, values, processes, and procedures.
Once these have been defined, hold department-wide training to review definitions of key phrases and get feedback. Your whole team will be in a much better place the next time a project needs to come together quickly.
Poorly Set Expectations
When you don’t have goals and expectations for your department, you can’t expect its members to work efficiently: they don’t know what they’re working toward! In order to motivate and mobilize your team to work harder, communicate clear, department-wide goals.
In order for this to work, however, your goals need to be realistic, strategy-driven, quantifiable, and clearly communicated. Everyone on the team should be able to buy into your plans; what’s more, they should understand their role in making your goal a reality. Take the time to talk to employees about why they’re doing what they’re doing and how it helps. Once they understanding the underlying logic, they’ll have more reason to do their jobs more efficiently.
Align Your Devices
Sometimes, your processes just work. You may be doing everything you can to ensure your department is at the top of its game, but something still isn’t working. What’s the most common “something” that isn’t pulling its weight? Your device fleet.
When you have a fleet of devices—whether they’re printers, copiers, servers or phones—that don’t communicate well, your department must constantly monitor these connections and fix problems as they occur. This takes significant time away from “proactive” IT and reduces your efficiency. If you think this may be a problem for your IT department, it’s a surprisingly easy, yet honestly pricey, fix.
You need to invest in a new device fleet.
When you invest in a new fleet of devices that work together naturally, as opposed to a Frankensteined-together fleet created over time—you set your department up for long-term efficiency and success. When your devices work the way they’re supposed to, it frees up your team to concentrate on your strategic goals and objectives.
With a streamlined fleet and impeccible communication, more than your machines will be working better than ever. Your entire team from IT to HR will effeciently flow creating the most productive workplace you’ve ever had.
And if you’re looking for an partner to support you in getting there, we’d love to help! The imageOne team has worked with organizations of all sizes from many industries in building a smart print environment. Set up a short, no-obligation phone consultation today.
Do you know how much you’re spending on print? It may be more than you think. Download our eBook, 10 Steps to Finding Your True Printing Costs, to uncover the truth.
