NPT

INFORMATION AS A SOURCE FOR OFFICE NPT

Information moves in many and seemingly mysterious ways around the modern office. It moves verbally, non-verbally, electronically, and hard copy, and it seems as though a new tool is created every day to help manage the process. Information, however, is like water; it seeks its own level and flows through the cracks. Sometimes it flows in ways that are not productive to the organization, creating inefficiency and Office NPT.

Effective communication is an essential ingredient for any business. This is especially true when it comes to the day-to-day processes that every business uses to manage its work. One person becomes an expert, passes it along to a second person, and so on down the line. But those experts leave and oftentimes, when instructions are passed along, little bits get lost to the point that the process often changes and not for the better.

Even when procedures and processes are documented they are stored in random locations, and little attention is paid to how employees find those locations and use the information stored there. All too often, someone will have a copy of a document that was stored after a past search. A conversation will reveal that a friend is looking for the same information. The document will be sent via email. Neither party will be aware that a new version of the document has been prepared and uploaded. It all leads to errors and non-productive work.