Eric's airport runway
A further thought about the working system at Winning Brands – we use a work flow system I have developed called “To Organize – Determine Objectives”, or “To-Do” for short.
The working files box that you see is actually an extension of the in-box, but contents are placed on their edge upright and categorized into the 8 primary areas of management that all issues fall into. At any point in time, I am managing approximately 100 open issues. Because associated documents are placed on their edge upright, it is not necessary to scavenge through a haphazard stack of things or folders. Instead, everything is within reach instantly and grouped logically. The operational advantage of all items being placed automatically into one of the 8 categories of business management is that the CEO can either work on all related (category) items in sequence or on individual items from different categories depending upon priority. Since all items appear on an electronic index, the work flow can be shared with Executive Assistant(s) in an exchange-server environment and is available through remote desktop when travelling.
This means that the conventional or old fashioned “in-box” is far more effective as a place for a new issue to be placed by others, because new items can be prioritized immediately and gotten on their way, rather than be lost, forgotten or missed.
This is a contemporary approach to workflow management because it permits integration of issues that arise through electronic communication (which is more often than on paper), and permits the embedding of interactive electronic files (jpg, mp3 etc) into the dynamic “To-Do Index”.
What therefore looks like an empty desk is actually an airport runway that is clear for arrivals and departures, with an associated terminal for the passengers (issues in the To-Do box) to be looked after properly based on their importance and the current circumstances.
Cheers,
Eric Lehner, CEO
WinningBrands.ca
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