Designing digital workflows people can use

When digitizing work, organizations often think first about software. A better first step is to observe the work itself: who needs which information, where it is created, and which handoffs tend to cause delays.

The team can then choose a manageable scope. Rather than changing every process at once, select a frequent workflow, agree on how information is recorded, and identify who is responsible for keeping it current.

After launch, listen to users and track exceptions. Their feedback helps adapt the workflow to real work instead of asking people to follow a model detached from it.