Digitalisation and automation to eliminate manual tasks
Levers 1 to 4: Automate what can be automated
Lever 1: Digitise document management – Replace paper archives with a cloud-based DMS (Document Management System). An SME with 15 employees saves an average of 8 hours per week searching for documents.
Lever 2: Automate accounting data entry – Use OCR (optical character recognition) to automatically extract data from supplier invoices. Manual entry of 200 invoices per month is reduced from 20 hours to 4 hours.
Lever 3: Implement automated workflows – Create automatic approval workflows for expense claims, leave requests and purchases. Elimination of 60% of follow-up emails and approval times reduced from 48 hours to 4 hours.
Lever 4: Deploy collaborative tools – Replace internal emails with Slack/Teams and centralise projects on Monday/Asana. 30% reduction in email volume and improved project tracking.
Case study: Sophie automates her architecture firm
Sophie, an architect with 8 employees, was losing 15 hours per week on administrative tasks: searching for plans in filing cabinets, manual time entry, paper-based leave approvals. After digitising her archives (DMS), automating time tracking (integrated software) and implementing Teams for collaboration, her team now saves a total of 25 hours per week. This is equivalent to recovering 0.6 FTE for higher value-added tasks. Investment: €2,500 per year in software. ROI: 3 months.
Organisation and process clarification
Levers 5 to 7: Structure to gain efficiency
Lever 5: Clarify roles and responsibilities – Create a RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) for each key process. Elimination of 80% of duplicated tasks and oversights.
Lever 6: Document critical procedures – Write operating procedures for the 20 most frequent tasks. 70% reduction in recurring questions and increased team autonomy.
Lever 7: Standardise deliverables – Create templates for all recurring documents (quotes, reports, presentations). 40% time savings in document production.
Case study: Marc eliminates chaos in his marketing agency
Marc ran a 12-person agency where everyone did “a bit of everything”, leading to confusion and delays. After clarifying roles (who does exactly what), documenting the 15 main procedures (creation process, client validation, invoicing) and standardising all client deliverables, delivery times were cut in half and the error rate dropped from 30% to 5%. Time invested: 40 hours over 2 months. Result: +35% production capacity without hiring.
Eliminating waste and continuous improvement
Levers 8 to 10: Remove what does not create value
Lever 8: Reduce unproductive meetings – Apply the rule: every meeting must have an agenda, a facilitator and written minutes with action items. 40% reduction in time spent in meetings.
Lever 9: Eliminate non-value-added tasks – Map your processes and identify unnecessary steps (redundant reporting, multiple approvals, legacy tasks that have become obsolete). Average gain: 15% of total working time.
Lever 10: Implement performance indicators – Track 3 to 5 critical KPIs per week (output, quality, lead times) to detect issues in real time. Continuous improvement of 2 to 3% per month.
Case study: Claire transforms her logistics company
Claire, CEO of a 20-employee logistics SME, mapped the entire order-processing workflow: 18 steps, of which 7 were completely unnecessary (manual double checks already performed by the IT system, three levels of approval for standard orders, daily reports that were never read). After eliminating this waste, reducing weekly meetings from 5 hours to 2 hours with a strict agenda, and implementing 4 KPIs monitored daily on a screen, productivity jumped by 32% in 4 months. Processing capacity increased from 850 to 1,120 orders per month with the same headcount.
Fast, measurable gains
The 10 levers presented – document digitisation, automated data entry, automated workflows, collaborative tools, role clarification, procedure documentation, deliverable standardisation, meeting optimisation, elimination of unnecessary tasks, and KPI-driven management – require neither recruitment nor heavy investment. Their implementation delivers measurable results within a few weeks.
The key to success: start small and iterate. Do not try to implement all 10 levers at once. Select the 2 or 3 levers with the highest potential impact in your specific context, deploy them over 6 to 8 weeks, measure the gains, then move on to the next levers.
At PCG, we support Luxembourg SMEs in their operational optimisation using a proven methodology: an initial audit identifying the three main productivity opportunities, a prioritised 6-month action plan, hands-on support for implementing quick wins, training your teams on new tools and processes, and performance monitoring through KPIs. Our clients achieve an average productivity gain of 28% within 6 months. Contact us for a free assessment of your optimisation potential.
