In this essay, I will discuss a business situation in which I saw room for improvement in both time management and decreased monthly costs. I will explain why the decision was good, including what the definition of good is, Along with how the use of critical thinking made me a valuable asset within my transportation company. The Situation As a former administrative assistant within a growing company, it was often my responsibility to find cost-effective and viable solutions for process improvement and cost-saving measures, which in return led to a happy administration. The company was made up of a CEO, Co CEO, Administrative Assistant, and Office Administrator. Each individual had multiple job descriptions.
The company also had to hire outside employees to come in an assist with other activities such a filing, when there was a work overload. In addition to being an administrative assistant, I was also responsible for dispatching drivers and obtaining the necessary paper to bill customers once merchandise had been delivered. As you may be able to imagine, we had a great deal of paper and filing, which essentially took up a great deal of space, causing chaos to those who needed access to documentation such as driver qualification files, billing, drug and alcohol files, and various other files. After rummaging around and preparing the company for a DOT audit, I finally had a solution that would make everyone happy while also improving workflow and proving to be cost-effective. I proposed that 🙁 Premise 1) electronically storing documents would reduce the offices’ monthly supply bill. (Premise 2) Through the utilization of electronic storage, the document flow process would improve across the business. (Premise 3) The transition to electronic storage not only satisfies DOT record-keeping guidelines but all guidelines set forth by the state. To properly present the argument to those over me, I had to begin researching the cost.
I begin with our order of cases of paper and filing folders and materials within the last six months and the cost that was associated with it. Furthermore, I believed that I needed to research what the company needed in order to comply with DOT regulations so that their documentation requirements would be brought to the attention of management as well, considering that I found we were missing the required documentation from some of the files. Finally, I contacted a programmer, which allowed me to gain a time frame in which the inside components could be set up, along with associated costs over a six-month period. After all information had been complied with, I placed it into a short form report on cost and productivity measures along with DOT guidelines and regulations and presented it to the CEO. (Conclusion 1) After a review of the office supply budget, it was determined that switching to electronic data storage would result in savings of over 3,000 every six months.
(Conclusion 2) As a result of the switch, the workflow process would allow for easy and quick retrieval of documents relating to billing, qualification, audit, etc., within moments instead of hours, thus increasing productivity and time management. (Conclusion 3) Through the implementation of electronic storage, the company would only maintain documents with original signatures per DOC guidelines. Why the Decision was Good for Business The decision to switch to electronic data storage was approved because it proved to be a simplified and well-delivered research which showed the company exactly what it wanted to see in its simplest form. The company managed to improve the workflow process by almost 55 per cent and the reduction of filing by 85%. Not only did the company utilize electronic data storage, they also decided to use other cost efficient electronic mechanisms as well. The company saved money while acquiring little extra cost or working with this simplified process.
For this essay, the “good” can be defined as the “thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. When trying to make a good decision, a person must weigh the positives and negatives of each option and consider all the alternatives. For effective decision making, a person must be able to forecast the outcome of each option as well, and based on all these items, determine which option is the best for that particular situation (Business Dictionary”, n.d).” Inductive vs Deductive Decisions There were several factors that had to be considered with this business decision. The least of which was our filing requirements per DOT, but also with the continuous auditing of our company. Beginning with inductive reasoning, knowing that there was a process in which the filing and file retrieval of documentation was out there, I reached the conclusion that the statements were true. Upon coming to the process of the usage stage, I determined that evidence that supported my premise existed.
After inductive reasoning had been shown to be true, I proceeded to deductive reasoning, which is used by managers who share cost-related projects and maintain budgets. I commenced with the idea that utilizing electronic paperless storage could ease the workflow and decrease storage demands by providing more space and being cost-efficient. The business premise was found to be true through research with the business units and DOC. Furthermore, clear and concise facts were presented. In return, I found favour in changing a company process by simply utilizing daily equipment. Conclusion Often, the roles of an assistant do not hold the same weight as if they had come from someone with a more powerful job title. I was able to break through this barrier with the use of effective research, open communication and clear, articulate, quick delivery of information that was presented in order to allow for consideration of an identified problem. Having the ability to think critically and the ability to deliver a message effectively plays an important role in success in business. I found favour in this case by thinking thoroughly through the process from commencement to completion. Since the use of electronic storage was put into place, the company has now begun to try to switch over to electronically logging their drivers, which is cost and time-efficient.
I know that this is not a huge groundbreaking idea, but it has been said that some of the best ideas are the ones that are right in front of us that we just are not able to see. A great idea can come from anywhere.
References
Business Dictionary. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/decision-making.html
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