How Consistency Improves Productivity

Everyone starts with the same 24-hour day every day all year round. You can’t make more time, but you can steal time from tasks that demand less of it. In fact, you could free up time when productivity improves. This means that the better you are with execution, you are able to achieve the same or better results with less time.the better you are with execution, you are able to achieve the same or better results with less time. Share on X

Consistency is a secret sauce to productivity improvement. Here are 5 ways to apply the consistency principle and turbo-charge productivity:

1. Rules require special handling. The time and effort required to handle rules vary with the complexity of the rule. By making the rules consistent across the business, you minimize the need for special processing, maintaining multiple training and support materials. This applies to customer-facing and internal operating rules.
2. Processes drive the speed of execution. Inconsistent processes deployed to accomplish the same outcome create confusion. The variation hampers your ability to leverage economies of scale. From the customer’s perspective, it is a sign of poor management. For the employees, it is a recipe for unnecessary conflicts. Take a look from the outside in to identify areas where you need to tackle first.
3. Use of technology in an inconsistent fashion leads to two problems. First, the incongruous, and likely, incomplete data poses a reliability challenge leading to the constant need for reconciliation. Second, users might end up spending time to search for the information they need for their work. This is particularly prevalent with inconsistent use of software applications.
4. Different job scopes for the same role might seem to be accommodating at the team level. However, it is a problem at the business unit or corporate level. From the management perspective, there is less flexibility with staff movement for coverage. At the same time, it is onerous to plan for change.
5. Results reporting using different data sources and applying varying assumptions are bound to reach potentially conflicting conclusions. Instead of wasting time to debate about the validity of the data source and the analytic conclusions, it is more productive to gain alignment right off the back on what data would be used and how the analysis would be interpreted. Reporting is a mean to draw intelligence from past performance, you can distil meaningful insights by using consistent data and approach to how you compile and analyze the information.

Consistency helps to simplify how you operate and eliminate unnecessary overhead attributable to duplication, delays and rework. It is a cornerstone for building a scalable framework for your business. Where could you apply the consistency principle in your business to boost productivity?