Process Optimization: Find Repeat Work and Delete It

Written by: David Carneal – Digital Efficiency Consulting Group – DECG

Read Time: 3 min

Process optimization sounds fancy until you translate it: stop making people repeat work. The fastest operations aren’t “busy.” They’re clean. Work moves forward once, with fewer detours and fewer “wait, who has this now?” moments.

A helpful lens is value-added vs non-value-added. Value-added changes the product or service in a way the customer cares about. Everything else is overhead. Some overhead is necessary. A lot of it is historical baggage.

Map the Work in 30 Minutes

You don’t need a software suite to see the waste. You need a single page and honesty.

1. Pick one workflow (order entry, returns, invoice approvals, service dispatch, etc.).
2. Write the steps from start to finish. Use verbs: receive, verify, enter, approve, ship.
3. Mark every handoff (person-to-person or system-to-system).
4. Circle any step that exists only because the prior step wasn’t done cleanly.
5. Choose one circle to fix first.

Where Waste Loves to Hide

Waste hides in patterns that feel “normal” because everyone got used to them. Common hiding spots:

• Duplicate entry
  • Same data typed into multiple systems, spreadsheets, or emails.
  • Symptoms: mismatched records, “which version is right?” debates.
• Waiting and chasing
  • Approvals stuck, missing information, status requested manually.
  • Symptoms: follow-up emails, Slack pings, “just checking in…” threads.
• Rework loops
  • Fixing preventable errors after the fact.
  • Symptoms: returns, credits, customer callbacks, internal fire drills.
• Overprocessing
  • Extra steps that don’t reduce risk or improve quality.
  • Symptoms: forms nobody reads, meetings with no decisions, approvals for low-risk items.

A Quick Time Study (15 Minutes)

If you want instant clarity, time a single transaction. One order. One invoice. One service ticket. Track:

• Active work time (hands on keyboard).
• Waiting time (stuck in someone else’s queue).
• Handoff count (how many times ownership changes).
• Rework touches (how many times you fix or re-enter something).

Quick Win Menu

Low-drama fixes that often unlock momentum:

• Standardize the “minimum required info” at intake so work stops bouncing back.
• Combine two approvals into one when the risk is low.
• Create one shared status view so people stop asking for updates.
• Remove a handoff by letting the closest role complete the step.
• Create a simple checklist for common errors (so the same fix isn’t reinvented daily).

Clean processes make automation easier later. If you optimize first, the tech does less work and everyone has fewer surprises.

A Before/After Example (Tiny, but Real)

Before: a customer email arrives, someone copies details into a spreadsheet, then retypes them into a system, then pings another person for a missing field. After: a standard intake form captures required fields up front, feeds one system, and automatically notifies the next role. The work didn’t get “harder.” It got cleaner.

Questions That Expose Repeat Work Fast

• Where do we wait the longest, and why?
• Which step do we “always have to fix later”?
• What information do we request more than once?
• Which handoff causes the most confusion about ownership?

CTA: Do a “one-process walk” tomorrow: pick one workflow, map it in 30 minutes, and label the top three repeat-work steps. Then fix just the first one before you touch anything else.