10 Simple Process Improvements That Return Hours to Your Week

When I work with clients to simplify their processes, I focus on specific categories: flow, touches, approvals, decision points, and systems. This is true for every client and every workflow. It doesn’t matter whether we’re examining mail, client billing, contract execution, or post-grant management—these are the areas where simplification opportunities consistently emerge.

I’ve distilled 10 process improvement tips that have proven effective across organizations of all sizes.

Process Flow & Touches

The flow of a process is critical. If the path from A to Z isn’t direct—if there are switchbacks, multiple handoffs, or unnecessary detours—you’re missing an opportunity to remove friction and increase bandwidth for mission-centered work. This applies to both workflow (how tasks move between people and systems) and physical flow (how items move through your workspace).

1. Touch Audit – Document how many times one person handles the same document/request/item throughout a procedure. For example, an accounts payable clerk might touch a vendor invoice six times: when it arrives in the mail, routing it for sign-off, entering it into the system, preparing the check run, routing for check signature, and filing. Every touch costs time and money. May you eliminate a touch by reordering or consolidating steps?

2. Handoff Audit – Identify where tasks get passed from one person or department to another to advance through the operation. For example, one clerk collects approvals while another handles data entry and processing. Each handoff creates delay and loses context. Is it possible to consolidate steps with one person or department?

Approval Bottlenecks

Approvals are often a bottleneck in most organizations. Work stops while waiting for physical or digital permission to advance. Approvers are often spread thin with limited availability and frequently don’t work in the same systems where clearance is required. Defining what, when, why, and who should approve improves workflow, capacity management, and recordkeeping.

3. Multiple Approval Touchpoints – Does the same approver review at multiple stages instead of at the most appropriate point in the process? Often this happens as an overcorrection when mistakes occur—extra approval steps get added but never removed once the issue is resolved and trust is reestablished. Instead of adding more review points, consider documenting the procedure and adding quality assurance checkpoints to prevent errors from happening in the first place.

4. Approval Authority – Not everything requires executive sign-off. Set clear dollar thresholds where lower-level approval suffices. For example, purchases under $500 may be approved by department managers, while amounts above $5,000 require executive authorization. This empowers your team to move responsibilities forward without unnecessary delays.

5. Decision Authority Matrix – Publish who can decide what based on risk level and organizational role. For example, new contracts or contract renewals with increases over 3% require executive authorization, while renewals with standard increases can be approved by department directors. Map out decision authority across different scenarios—procurement, vendor changes, policy exceptions—so your team knows exactly where to go without “permission hunting

6. Auto-Advance Approvals – For items within established thresholds, consider whether requests may auto-advance if an approver doesn’t respond within a set timeframe (48-72 hours)—with notification sent to both the approver and the requester so nothing falls through the cracks. Auto-advance requires agreement in advance on what qualifies based on your published dollar/risk thresholds; this should be stated upfront in the approval request as a disclaimer (note: if this is a new feature, include the auto-approval expiration/trigger timeline). Routine requests that fall within these parameters are ideal candidates.

7. Default Decisions – What decisions get made the same way 90% of the time? Documenting these defaults respects everyone’s effort and returns bandwidth to more valuable activities. Document the default criteria and qualifications, then only review exceptions.

Paper vs. Digital

Paper is still prevalent in many industries, but it’s inherently inefficient. Physical copies may be lost and are expensive to maintain—internal handling, paper/printer/copier maintenance, shredding, and storage all add up. The shift to cloud storage is no longer new; it’s simply a better option. Digital records are more accessible, more organized, easier to purge, and include built-in redundancies like automatic backups.

The Real Cost of Paper

1-3%

of revenue spent on paper

10,000

sheets per worker yearly

Hidden Process Costs

Printing + Filing + Searching + Shredding

$31

for every $1 spent on paper

Potential Annual Savings

$48,000

by going paperless and eliminating operational costs of paper documentation

Sources: Gartner | EPA | IDC | PwC

8. Rethink Printing – Consider whether you’re printing files that arrived digitally or should stay digital. Ask vendors to send invoices by email, and avoid printing items that don’t need physical signatures or filing.

9. Digital Signatures – Do you rely on wet signatures for approvals? The sequencing and delays caused by physical signatures—or even digital signatures inserted manually rather than through electronic signing tools—can add days to simple processes. Tools like DocuSign, Adobe Sign, or built-in PDF signing eliminate these delays and provide version control, time stamps, automatic record-keeping, and distribution of executed documents to all parties.

Automation Opportunities

Automation has been a buzzword for decades. Originally coined by Ford VP of Manufacturing Delmar S. Harder in the 1940s, it’s become synonymous with technology, machine learning, AI, and digital modernization. What we often forget—or get intimidated by—is that automation simply means executing recurring, rules-based tasks or workflows with minimal human intervention. Small organizations and nonprofits often don’t have dedicated IT staff—that shouldn’t prohibit you from replacing manual, repetitive actions with tools and systems you already pay for.

10. Email Templates – Save emails you send frequently—weekly updates, monthly reports, standard requests. Both Outlook and Gmail support this feature, making it easy to maintain consistency while saving effort. For example, if you send a monthly board update or quarterly donor acknowledgment, creating a template ensures you never start from scratch. Templates also work well for FAQs and common responses.

💡How to save templates in Gmail and Outlook

How to Create a Template in Gmail

How to Create a Template in New Outlook

Open a New Email: Click the New Mail button in the top left.
Open My Templates: In the top toolbar (the Ribbon), click the Insert tab, then click the three dots (…) on the far right of that toolbar.
Select “My Templates”: A panel will slide open on the right side of your screen.
Add New: Click the + Template button at the top of that side panel.
Save it: Give it a title, type your message in the body, and hit Save.

Would you like me to walk you through how to set up an Automated Signature that acts like a template for your contact info?

These small changes compound over time. Start with one or two improvements that address your biggest frustrations, reflect on the impact, then tackle the next. You’ll be surprised how much bandwidth you may reclaim for the work that matters.

CROW CONSULTING