Working better with fewer resources: where to start

The team is smaller and the budget is tighter, but the workload has not changed. A few people still carry much of the important work, and each person may have developed their own way of doing it.

If this sounds familiar, start with one process and one manageable change. When a small team is already keeping daily work moving, any improvement also takes time from the people doing that work. The first change should therefore focus on an area where it can give the team meaningful time back. To find it, look at one process across six areas, then use five questions to decide where to begin.

Why does choosing the starting point matter?

The people who would make a change are often the same people responsible for keeping daily work on track. Every hour spent improving a process has to fit around their existing responsibilities. If the first change addresses a minor issue, the team may spend valuable time on it without easing the pressure it faces.

A budget tells you how much money is available. To understand how much work a team can realistically take on, look at how its time is used: where work waits, which people are overloaded and where one task cannot move forward until someone else has finished.

When a team is already stretched, the order of improvements matters. And if a new way of working never becomes part of the daily routine, people may return to the old approach and the effort invested in the change will have little lasting effect.

Reducing costs is a separate decision. We explore that in “Cut costs or rethink how work gets done?” This article focuses on what to do once you have decided to improve the way work is carried out.

Which six areas should you review?

Choose one process and look at it through six areas: workload, roles, steps, decisions, information and technology. Time is often lost in one or two of these areas. The process itself, and the people who do the work, will help you identify which ones matter most.

1. Workload. Work is not always distributed according to the time people have available. Some people may be overloaded while others wait for them before they can continue. In a typical week, who waits for whom, and how often?
2. Roles. When responsibility for a step is unclear, it may be missed or completed twice. Ask the people involved who is responsible for each step. Different answers are a sign that responsibilities may need to be clarified.
3. Steps. Ask the people who do the work which steps add little or no value. Some remain simply because they have always been part of the process. Others are necessary but take too long when work moves from one team to another.
4. Decisions. When too many decisions depend on a small number of people, work can sit idle while waiting for approval. Identify the decision that, if made more quickly or by the right person, would help the most work move forward.
5. Information. When the same information is kept in several files or systems, people spend time checking which version is correct before they can act. Look at where information is recorded, who can access it and whether the team trusts it.
6. Technology. Technology comes last for a reason. A tool that does not fit the work can add steps, while a tool nobody uses brings little value. Ask the team which tools they avoid and what they use instead. If the answer is a spreadsheet or personal notes, understand the work around the tool before deciding to replace it.

What is a common mistake?

Trying to change everything at once. A programme that affects every team at the same time can demand more attention than a small team can spare.

Another common mistake is buying a new tool before understanding the work it is meant to support. Technology can be part of the answer, but it is most useful when the process, responsibilities and information needs are already clear.

How do you decide where to start?

Use these five questions to review the process you selected. Each answer may point to one or more of the six areas. The area that appears most often is a useful starting point. Keep the first change small enough to manage alongside daily responsibilities.

1. Where does work wait the longest?
2. Which task is repeated, or continues only because it has always been done that way?
3. Which unclear decision or responsibility holds up the most work?
4. Where does a mistake take the most time or money to correct?
5. What could you change with the people and tools you already have?

The first two questions often point to steps, information or workload. The third points to decisions or roles, while the fourth may point to information or technology. The fifth helps you assess whether you can act without waiting for a new budget.

Count each area no more than once per question. If two areas come out equally, start with the one the people doing the work identify as the biggest everyday problem. An area that requires a significant purchase may still be worth addressing later.

Once you have chosen an area, agree on one change with the people who do the work and test it in real conditions. Before moving on, check two things: is the team using the change in its daily work, and is someone clearly responsible for it? If either answer is no, give the change more attention before starting another one.

What can a manager do this week?

1. Choose one process that the people responsible for it describe as slow, frustrating or unnecessarily complicated.
2. Review the six areas with them and note where time is being lost.
3. Answer the five questions and choose one change that can be made with the resources already available.
4. Assign someone to take responsibility for the change and schedule a date to check whether it is being used.

How does Viaworks approach this?

Viaworks works with companies to understand what is getting in the way of their work and to design practical improvements. We are a business design and transformation company.

Our work follows three steps. First, we understand how the work actually happens and identify where to begin (ViaLabs). Then, we design and build the change with your team. It might involve a clearer step, a better-defined role, a decision rule or software, if software is genuinely needed (ViaBuild). Finally, we help make the new approach part of daily work and support the team as it puts the change into practice (ViaShift).

If you are deciding where to start, we would be happy to talk. You can contact us through viaworks.co and learn more about our approach on the “How we work” page.

Frequently asked questions

How can a company do more with fewer resources?

Start by identifying time the team loses to waiting, repeated tasks or unclear responsibilities. Choose the process where the loss matters most, make one change with the people who do the work and check that the change becomes part of their daily routine.

Where should we start if our team is smaller than before?

Choose one process where work regularly takes longer than it should. Review workload, roles, steps, decisions, information and technology, then use the five questions in this article to identify a practical starting point.

Do we need new software to work with fewer resources?

Not necessarily. Clearer responsibilities or faster decisions may save time without adding a new tool. Consider software once you understand the work it needs to support.

How do we know whether the first change has worked?

Check whether people use the new approach in their daily work and whether someone is responsible for keeping it in place. If the team returns to the old way, find out why before starting another change.