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Operational Efficiency: Where to Look First
By Jason Wade
If your team feels busy but the results aren’t improving, chances are your operations need a tune-up. Operational efficiency isn’t about working harder — it’s about working smarter. Here’s where to start identifying waste, unlocking capacity, and driving meaningful improvements.
Map the Work Before You Fix It
You can’t improve what you can’t see. Start by mapping your key workflows — sales, service delivery, invoicing, onboarding, etc. Who does what? When? Using what tools? You’ll likely discover bottlenecks, double-handling, and grey areas no one owns. These inefficiencies often hide in plain sight — disguised as “the way we’ve always done it.” Involving your team in the mapping process not only gives you better visibility, but also surfaces ideas for quick wins. Use this baseline to identify steps that can be eliminated, automated, or streamlined. Even small tweaks can create big time savings. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s clarity. And clarity is the first step to smarter operations.
Prioritise the Gaps That Cost the Most
Not all inefficiencies are created equal. Some cost time, others cost revenue or customer trust. Look for pain points where delays, errors, or manual work create the biggest drag. That could be a disconnected CRM, a manual quote-to-cash process, or a reporting workflow stitched together with spreadsheets. Focus first on high-frequency, high-impact processes — the ones that touch your customers or slow down your cash flow. These are the areas where operational improvements can unlock measurable ROI quickly. Don’t get distracted by shiny process improvements that won’t move the needle. A Fractional COO or operations advisor can help prioritise your efforts so you don’t waste time solving the wrong problems.
Build Efficiency Into Culture, Not Just Processes
Operational efficiency isn’t a project — it’s a mindset. Once you’ve made some initial improvements, embed the thinking into how your business operates day to day. Encourage teams to identify inefficiencies, raise improvement ideas, and challenge old assumptions. Celebrate process wins the same way you celebrate sales wins. Review workflows regularly and update SOPs as you grow. Give managers the tools and autonomy to optimise within their functions. Most importantly, align incentives with outcomes — when staff are rewarded for delivering value, not just ticking boxes, continuous improvement becomes a habit. Efficiency isn’t about squeezing your team harder — it’s about empowering them to do their best work with less friction.
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