Think about how to increase efficiency in any of an organization fundamental areas, and consider what could be done to improve the process.

Prior to beginning work on this assignment,

Read the weekly lecture.
Read Chapter 2 in Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant in a Fast-Changing World.
Read What is Innovation: Why Almost Everyone Defines It WrongLinks to an external site..

Think about how to increase efficiency in any of an organization fundamental areas, and consider what could be done to improve the process. You may use your own company as an example. Identify a fundamental area in your organization in which there is an inefficiency. You may use the same one as you described in the discussion forum or chose another example area from the Business Drivers or Business Operations examples below:

Business Drivers

Capital Management
Customer Strategy (Marketing)
Customer Relationships
Employee Development
Employee Satisfaction
Quality, Process Improvement, Change Management
Financial Analysis and Reporting

Business Operations

Logistics Management
Customer Acquisition (Sales)
Produce or Service Delivery
Product Development
Supply Chain Management
Accounting Management
Technology Management

Example possibilities for alternative approaches might include the following:

Combining reports

Would one report be better than two or three? Why?

Mobile apps

Are there possible efficiencies here? How?

Desktop notifications

Is it important to get immediate feedback? Why?

Team environment or collaboration tools

Could this eliminate wasted time or lost documents? How?

Automate manual processes

Examples include opening mail, sorting, or delivery. Could these be automated? How?

Consider the possible ways to streamline things in areas by asking “why” a particular process is done that way. Think in terms of what makes the work easier for employees to accomplish. Don’t think about what technology is available, or what products are used, or what they cost. Think only about what would make the job, or the task, or the process easier or more efficient. The point here is to be innovative. Let your creativity go wild and avoid getting locked into a path or solution before exploring ideas and possibilities.
Remember, your goal is to increase efficiency in the area of your choice. Ask yourself “What if we could . . .  [your idea]?”
Your assignment is to explain an approach different from the one you explained in the discussion forum. Outline the problem or inefficiency with details about how the process is impacting the organization effectiveness. Use graphical aids where possible to demonstrate the issue(s) and the possibilities for improvements.
In your paper,

Describe the context of the problem or inefficiency you’ve identified.

Provide enough details for your reader to understand why what is happening is currently inefficient or ineffective.

Explain the current process providing appropriate supporting details.
Explain the processes of the new approach that would be more efficient for getting the task, job, or work done in your organization.
Provide a detailed evaluation describing how the accuracy and/or the efficiency would be improved by the alternative approach or process.

The What If We Could…? paper

Must be at least three pages double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center APA Formatting for Microsoft Word Links to an external site.resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper
Student name
Course name and number
Instructor name
Date submitted

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.

For assistance on writing Introductions