5 Signs Your Workflow Needs Optimization

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” might work for machines—but not for workflows.

In fast-paced manufacturing and service operations, the cost of inefficiency often hides in plain sight. A slow approval here, an unclear handoff there—these friction points rarely seem urgent. But over time, they chip away at output, morale, and your bottom line.

At Hayes Efficiency, we’ve worked with dozens of companies that thought their workflow was “fine”—until we showed them what they were really losing. Here are five common signs your current process needs a serious upgrade:

1. The same bottlenecks keep happening

If your team already knows where things are going to slow down, that’s a red flag. Whether it’s a delay in production, a backup in shipping, or constant hold-ups in approvals, recurring issues usually point to a structural workflow problem—not a people problem.

2. Your staff is constantly creating workarounds

Workarounds may seem like smart, scrappy solutions—but when your team is constantly inventing new ways to “make things work,” it’s a sign the system itself isn’t working. Over time, these quick fixes lead to inconsistency, confusion, and costly mistakes.

3. Information gets lost, miscommunicated, or delayed

When updates aren’t clear, communication happens too late, or no one knows who’s responsible for what, your workflow is causing friction. This leads to duplicated work, errors, and missed deadlines—all avoidable with a streamlined process.

4. The operation depends too heavily on a few key people

If a supervisor, planner, or coordinator takes a day off and the whole process slows down, that’s a dangerous dependency. Efficient workflows are built on systems—not superheroes.

5. Inconsistency in output or quality

If some days run smoothly and others are chaos, or quality varies depending on who’s on shift, the process isn’t standardized enough. Consistency is the byproduct of good systems, not luck.

The truth is, most businesses don’t know their workflows are underperforming until they see the numbers—or the fallout.

If any of these signs feel familiar, it might be time to step back and take a hard look at the systems behind the scenes. That’s where we come in.

If you’re seeing even one of these signs, it might be time for an audit.

Let’s uncover what’s slowing you down—and fix it.