When, where, what, how ...?

"When, where, what, how ..." - when should the task be completed?
"When, where, what, how ..." - what should be done to complete the task? 
"When, where, what, how ..." - where to finish the task?
"When, where, what, how ..." - how do we check the status of tasks?

"What is the point of scanning?
It slows down the paper on its way to the bin".

We've all had the experience of one member of staff working on a case in an Excel spreadsheet while another is waiting. But they may not even find the spreadsheet because the previous colleague has moved it to another library. You have probably had such Houdini files in your organisation. 

It is not uncommon for email inboxes to be prioritised with red and yellow flags. Maybe incoming mail envelopes wander aimlessly around the organisation and end up on a forgotten shelf.

What about Postit? Surely your employees really love the Postit labels they use to decorate their hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of monitors? Of course they think they have all their tasks in one place. 

It may seem like a sideline, but how much can it hurt that they have missed a deadline and even had to pay compensation due to the length of time it takes to process a case? 

Wouldn't it be better to see the clock ticking? 

Why do we spend so much time on this? 

As a manager, you don't have to be afraid of assigning and measuring tasks. It is also possible to work effectively by introducing new digital systems and using them to achieve quick results in a short time. Imagine: the mail arrives, it's scanned, your new system files it, delivers it and it's in the bloodstream. More people can work on a case at the same time, even with digital signatures.  

What would you say to a system that would allow you to pay administrative staff on a performance basis?  

We plan to write about a number of exciting topics in our series of articles. Our next article will look at the problems of email-based corporate governance.