How to Identify Tasks You Can Delete and Outsource

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• Audit Your Current Workload
  
• Identify Low-Value and Time-Consuming Tasks
• Assess the Impact of Deleting or Outsourcing
• Create an Outsourcing Plan
• Continually Reevaluate and Adjust

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced business world, efficiency is key to staying ahead of the competition. As a business owner or manager, you often juggle multiple tasks, many of which could be streamlined or outsourced to free up valuable time and resources. But how do you determine which tasks to eliminate and which to outsource? In this blog, we'll walk you through a step-by-step process to help you make these critical decisions, supported by insights from our Co-founder and CEO, Tom Farrugia.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Workload

The first step in identifying tasks to delete or outsource is to conduct a thorough audit of your current workload. Start by listing all the tasks that you and your team perform daily, weekly, and monthly. Break these tasks down into categories such as:

• Core Business Activities: Tasks directly related to your business's primary function, like product development, sales, and customer relations.
• Support Functions: Tasks that support your core activities, such as admin, HR, and IT support.
• Low-Value Tasks: Repetitive, time-consuming tasks that don’t directly contribute to your business goals, like data entry or basic customer inquiries.

By categorizing tasks, you can better understand where your time is being spent and which activities are essential to your business’s success.

Step 2: Identify Low-Value and Time-Consuming Tasks

Next, take a close look at the low-value and time-consuming tasks. These are prime candidates for either deletion or outsourcing. Ask yourself:

• Is this task necessary? If not, it may be time to delete it entirely.
• Can this task be automated? If a task is repetitive, consider using automation tools to streamline the process.
• Is this task essential to my team’s expertise? If not, it could be more efficiently handled by an external partner.

For example, tasks like managing routine customer inquiries, processing invoices, or scheduling meetings can often be outsourced to specialized service providers, freeing up your team to focus on higher-value activities.

Step 3: Assess the Impact of Deleting or Outsourcing

Before you make any changes, it’s crucial to assess the impact of deleting or outsourcing tasks. Consider the following:

• Quality Control: Will outsourcing affect the quality of the task? Ensure you partner with a reliable provider who can maintain or even improve the quality of the work.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Compare the cost of outsourcing to the value it brings. Often, outsourcing can save money in the long run by reducing overhead and allowing your team to focus on revenue-generating activities.
• Time Savings: Consider how much time you’ll save by deleting or outsourcing a task. Time is a valuable resource that can be redirected to strategic initiatives.

Step 4: Create an Outsourcing Plan

Once you’ve identified the tasks to outsource, it’s time to create a detailed plan. This should include:

• Choosing the Right Partner: Look for outsourcing providers that specialize in the tasks you need help with. At OS Team, we offer a range of services, including call center operations, software development, and back office support, designed to help businesses like yours thrive.
• Defining Clear Objectives: Set clear goals and expectations for the outsourced tasks, including deadlines, quality standards, and communication protocols.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Regularly review the performance of the outsourced tasks to ensure they meet your standards and contribute to your business’s success.

Step 5: Continually Reevaluate and Adjust

Outsourcing is not a one-time decision. As your business evolves, so will your needs. Continually reevaluate the tasks you’ve outsourced to ensure they remain aligned with your business goals. Don’t hesitate to make adjustments as necessary, whether that means outsourcing additional tasks, bringing some tasks back in-house, or deleting tasks that are no longer relevant.

Conclusion: By systematically identifying and outsourcing low-value, time-consuming tasks, you can free up your team to focus on what truly matters—growing your business. Our Co-founder and CEO, Tom Farrugia, dives deeper into this process in the accompanying video, providing real-world examples and actionable insights to help you make the best decisions for your business.