Addressing Administrative Waste

Reporting

The act of generating reports consumes time. In most cases, more reports are generated than are needed. These problems are most effectively addressed by building both the reporting and the operational systems into a single database that automatically updates dashboards each time data is edited.

Searching

Most workflows require reviewing supporting documentation somewhere within the process (e.g., verification). Time spent searching for supporting documents in nested folder structures with weak version controls is waste. Tower’s database stores both data and supporting files with an inherent relationship. In other words, a person reviewing expense data has direct visibility to the connected receipts without opening a different system or browser or typing anything in a search bar.

Notification

“Hey, I just sent you an email about that file…”

Alerting an employee that they have a new task to do, or notifying a supervisor that a task has been completed is a sign of an opaque system design. These are extra steps that require monitoring in separate systems. Tower builds workspaces that naturally surface pending tasks and status changes so that notifications become redundant. We simply make necessary information visible inside the system so there is no need to notify or ask.

Filtering

Paired with notification, filtering is the act of sifting through extraneous notifications to determine whether or not they are applicable to you. Reading through email chains with multiple CC’s is a time drain. Tower attacks this problem in two ways. The first is an overall reduction in the volume of notifications transmitted. By making the system more transparent (while retaining precise permissions) we reduce the need to email. Secondly, email notifications are tied to a person. Tower ties notifications to a task or an individual row of data which is more precise. By linking the notification directly to the item of interest, only those associated with the item receive it. In other words, there is no need to bother the entire accounting team with a group email about a specific line item (e.g., “Who can tell me about expense #123?”). We let you post a comment to the item, and only the responsible party or parties receive it.

Data re-entry

Retyping data that has already been collected takes time and introduces the possibility for error. It is typically the result of disparate systems that need to remain synchronized (e.g., operating system vs reporting system). There is usually a human in between disparate systems performing administrative tasks to try to keep separate versions of the truth in sync. It is a constant battle that can never be won. Tower attacks the root cause. Separate systems become unnecessary if the database allows you to store all required data. Tower builds a custom database for your use case, mitigating the need for separate systems. For instance, if you have a web of spreadsheets that surround your main system (e.g., ERP, CRM, etc.), we will extend your database to include the data currently being stored in a separate spreadsheet, and you can wave goodbye to trackers.

Rework

Rework is the most visible type of administrative waste. It can typically be traced to weak controls or validations on data entry. For instance, if an employee can type a free text response for “county,” you’ll end up with multiple spellings of the same county. These types of missteps have a way of slipping through cracks until reaching a reporting system. And then they have to be tracked down and fixed, which can have negative consequences for a customer (e.g., “Why wasn’t my payment processed last week?”). Tower applies best practices in data entry, enabling web forms with flexible data validations both to create new data (i.e., add a new row of data) and to update existing data. Forms are built to require completeness prior to submission and constrain answers to only a valid set of selections where applicable.

Underutilized skills

The cumulative effect of the types of waste listed above is underutilization of skills. Having highly trained, highly skilled specialists spend their time on administrative tasks is a misappropriation of resources. By minimizing administrative burden, we maximize the amount of time that specialists spend on high value activities for which they are specifically trained. We want our foreman watching the job site, not filling out trackers.