Where to Start: Spotting Waste Before You Start Digitalising
This is one we get all the time – “Where do I even start with digitalisation?” or “I’m not sure we can digitalise what we do“ …it’s usually because the problem they have is hard to identify, even though they feel it.
That’s the thing about waste in a business — its often hard to root out, hides in plain sight or worse, hides behind “but this is how we’ve always done it”. You might not notice it until you take the time to look closely at how time, effort, and resources are actually being spent.
Digitalisation works best when it’s focused on eliminating waste — not just physical waste, but also time delays, repeated admin, communication gaps, and process bottlenecks.
We’ve put together a few practical exercises we do with clients to hone in on opportunities within their business.
1. Keep a Diary of Your Week
I know what you’re thinking, cheesy at best, and I don’t mean your outlook calendar, I mean Keep a diary of what you actually do this week. Not what you think you do — what you really spend time on. This is one of the best approaches to finding time sinks in your week.
Jot down the small stuff: chasing down updates, typing out the same email, rechecking figures, double-entering data, searching through emails for that PO you’re sure you saw!
By Friday, you’ll likely be surprised at how much time goes to things that don’t move the needle.
Then ask yourself:
- Is this adding value?
- Is it just habit?
- Could this be simplified or automated?
Sometimes the best way to find digital opportunities is just to pay attention.
2. Notice What You’re Typing Again (and Again)
If you’re retyping the same stuff — names, orders, delivery times — across different systems or forms, you’re not alone.
Most teams get used to this kind of double-work without realising how much time it eats up. That’s the kind of task that screams for a smarter process and centralised system — whether that’s a form that feeds into your spreadsheet or a tool that auto-generates your documents.
Ask yourself:
“Why am I typing this again?”
3. Follow the Paper Trail
If something needs to be printed, passed around, signed, scanned, and emailed… chances are it’s not the smoothest process.
One company we spoke with had a delivery form that travelled through multiple people before anyone actually acted on it — just because “that’s how it’s always been.”
Take a minute to map it out:
How far does this piece of paper or email travel before something gets done?
Then ask:
Could this be one click instead of five steps?
4. Watch Where the Work Stops
Have you ever asked for an update on something, only to hear,
“Oh, I’m still waiting on …” (I call it active waiting and it is one of my biggest pet peeves)
Waiting — for approvals, for missing info, for someone to “get back to you” — is one of the biggest hidden wastes in any business.
Digitalisation can’t fix everything, but a shared tracker or automated nudge can go a long way in keeping things moving.
Ask your team:
“What are you usually waiting on?” – That’s where the delays start.
5. Ask the People Who Actually Do the Job
This one’s simple: go talk to the person doing the task, not just the person managing it.
They’ll usually tell you — what’s clunky, frustrating, or just plain unnecessary.
We’ve heard things like:
“I don’t know why we fill this out — no one checks it.”
Chances are, your best improvement ideas are already sitting with the team — you just have to ask.
6. Take a Second Look at Your Tools
A lot of businesses are sitting on tools they barely use — maybe you’re paying for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or a job system you only half understand.
Before investing in anything new, ask:
“Could we get more out of what we’ve already got?”
Sometimes the fix is just better structure, not more software.
And if you’re juggling multiple tools that don’t talk to each other — that’s your signal to simplify.
7. Pay Attention to Rework
If you’re regularly redoing jobs, fixing the same errors, or chasing updates that slipped through the cracks, that’s a sign something upstream isn’t working.
In one business, they had to remake labels for nearly every third order. The cause? A miscommunication between sales and production — and a form that let people skip key info.
These kinds of patterns aren’t just annoying — they cost time, money, and trust.
Ask:
“Where are we repeating work… and why?”
Final Thought: Improvement Before Automation
Digitalisation doesn’t start with technology. It starts with awareness.
Starting out, the most useful tool isn’t a software platform, an API, IOT sensors or a data warehouse — it’s a notepad.
Start by writing down what you and your team actually do each week.Then start asking questions:
- Is it necessary?
- Is it consistent?
- Could it be better supported?
Once you have the answers, then it makes sense to look at tools that can streamline, support, or automate those improved processes.
Digitalisation isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing what adds value — and letting the systems take care of the rest.
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Enabled Insights helps Irish businesses simplify how they work through practical digital solutions. We specialise in process digitalisation, data capture, and visualisation — all designed to reduce admin and improve performance.
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