How to Reduce Company Costs by Improving Workflow and Current Business Processes
We have developed process improvement and automation options that significantly reduce the quantity of internal documents and simplify signing procedures, accordingly, reducing the burden on company staff, freeing them up to work on other things.
Optimisation: how does it happen?
The first stage involves analysing current internal HR management, procurement and supply documents to determine whether the volume of statutory documents can be reduced. One options for doing this, if possible and justified, is to incorporate their content in other internal documents. An analysis, generally speaking and given best global corporate work flow practices, allows us to exclude several documents.
No less important is analysing current corporate business processes. Best business practices show that the number of business processes can be reduced significantly by removing any surplus documents and after a detailed study of hard copy storage and archiving requirements for each document.
How can cutting document volume help reduce company costs?
Company costs fall as the number of people previously needed for various internal signing procedures diminishes. For example, an HR member would previously be responsible solely for agreeing vacations, overtime, weekend and public holiday work, and other similar processes. After optimisation, he or she receives an already approved document only if it has to be printed out or stored in hard copy. In other cases, the HR official is only involved when required by law or based on workflow best practices.
Are optimisation-related corruption risk analyses viable in the implementation of anti-corruption compliance systems and one to protect personal data?
Given recent statutory requirements to implement anti-corruption compliance, and in light of the applicability of General Data Protection Regulations to company activities, we recommend performing a simultaneous workflow and business process analysis for compliance with anti-corruption standards and personal data protection requirements, an important part of which would be to look at:
- controls over the relevant business processes
- current internal company policies, including codes of ethics
- internal documents defining the authority and duties of officials and interested parties to eliminate/reduce corruption risks and protect personal data
- current risk response instructions
The above analysis would be used to provide recommendations on how to update document volume and content, business processes, their controls, internal documents and others. Employee training can be organised, if needed.
Conclusion
Optimising workflow, business processes and their controls in good time will help reduce company costs; standardise internal processes and improve transparency. It will also help companies make further strategic decisions on promoting and scaling their businesses both in Kazakhstan, in the CIS and overseas.
