In any organisation, there are endless steps in the flow of operations which have to be successfully completed to achieve the desired outcome. Many business owners are at the peak of discussions as to what would be the most optimum way to achieve complete surveillance of any project in hand. After many case studies, what came to light as an acceptable solution is the emergence of the concept of granularity, otherwise also referred to as micro productivity.
Defining Granularity/ Granular Breakdown
How do we define granular breakdown in simple terms? Granularity is the breaking down of a large, complex block of work into smaller manageable tasks which are then allocated to chosen employees. These tasks are strictly monitored till completion to get the desired results. The entire project gets completed once each set of tasks has been finished in a specific order under complete supervision to get the optimum outcome.
The time and cost estimation of the total project is done only after the Granular breakdown report is evaluated. A project schedule is prepared following the details of granularity which in turn determines the cost and time required to achieve the desired outcome.
“Breaking tasks down helps us to see large tasks as more approachable and doable, and reduces our propensity to procrastinate or defer tasks because we simply don’t know where to begin,” explains Melissa Gratias, Ph.D., a workplace productivity coach and speaker.
The Motive Behind Granular Breakdown
The motive underlying the concept of granularity is to build a solid system of micro-steps that encompasses detailed surveillance of all the projects at hand. The aim is to have optimum utilization of resources so that the desired outcome is achieved with maximum efficiency.
Employers need to analyze their progress right down to the granular level to get an account of the hidden pockets of business opportunities. The growth of a company does not only depend on how large its market share is. More importantly, we can say that the various criteria to assess the true growth and potential of an organization lie in uncovering each market segment.
The granularity of business processes into the smallest components is essential for the optimization of business strategies. Only then will it be possible to identify potential opportunities for the expansion or diversification of a business. Granular level observation is the chief key in making strategic decisions that help build a rigid organizational structure.
Steps That Help Achieve Granular Break Down
Many business establishments follow a set of guidelines that help them implement granular breakdown as a flow of operations. The main steps involved in breaking down a large task are enlisted here:
- Identification of complex projects and desired outcomes.
- Breaking down a large project into sub-projects or milestones to be achieved
- Creation of action steps for every sub-project involved
- The disintegration of multi-level action steps into specific single level action steps
- Conversion of single-level steps in time-boxed tasks with a specific outcome
Why Granular Breakdown Is A Popularly Accepted Practice
Many organizations are now putting into practice the concept of micro productivity. When analyzing the result-oriented performance of these organizations, it has been found that Granular breakdown is highly popular due to the following factors.
- Comprehensive and detailed checklists of each task enable the detection of gaps in the work process.
- Employees have a more driven sense of purpose while performing roles with specific goals.
- Acknowledgment of each minute task achievement leads to a boost in employee morale.
- Employees are not overwhelmed at the enormity of the project, rather they stay calm and focussed when it is broken down into attainable micro pockets of tasks.
- Timely feedback on employee performance leads to improvement of skillsets by identifying flaws early.
How Granularity Benefits Your Business
Granularity brings out the visibility and transparency behind a course of action. Being able to visualize the end goal of each task is important, particularly to employees. As a result, they get a sense of direction and a better understanding of what they are doing. Business outcomes are the result of the efficient completion of smaller tasks.
Handing over or delegating the large project as small-sized tasks makes projects more doable and also gives the employees a sense of responsibility. While the benefits of granular breakdown are numerous, let’s take a look at the major advantages here.
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Enables optimal channelization of funds
Granular breakdown enables the measurement and evaluation of individual task performance. This enables intra-task comparison by which Top managements can channel funds to areas that maximize optimum results.
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Significant reduction in errors
Better focus and minute detailing results in downsizing the percentage of errors. Employees are less likely to stray from a particular course of action when the task at hand is simple and smaller. Detailed schedules and specificity of tasks eliminates distractions and reduces the chances of errors occurring.
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Increased attention span
The idea of handling an enormous task that comes with strict deadlines is more likely to cause panic in employees. Granularity helps them focus on micro tasks and this has been shown to increase their attention span. It is much easier to concentrate on the microtask, one at a time, rather than stay perplexed with so many complexities of a large task.
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Better communication between teams
A business is as successful as its levels of communication within the organization. Clear-cut communication is the principle behind the effective flow of knowledge sharing. Granularity or micro-tasking makes possible specificity and transparency in communication. There are lesser risks of miscommunication when smaller tasks with set goals are in place.
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Instills a sense of responsibility and value in Employees
The disintegration of large projects into measurable tasks also means that each employee will be held accountable for the task allocated to him/her. This leads to enhanced awareness and meticulous self-discipline in the employees. On the positive side, they also feel valued when handed direct responsibilities.
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Higher Retention of customers
In the customer service department, Granular breakdown equates to intense customer focus and study of customer preferences. This helps retain customers as they feel appreciated. Moreover, it is seen that organizations can beat their competition any day by adopting this technique.
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Enhanced brand engagement
Micro productivity enhances strategic brand engagement as the consumer market is evaluated to the core. Concerns regarding the brand reputation, how to build the brand, how to expand the existing opportunities and so much more comes into the open when micromanagement is implemented. Business owners bring out high levels of creativity in their marketing campaigns to promote brand awareness among consumers.
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Higher rate of conversion
A high rate of conversion is essential to the successful attainment of organizational goals. Envisioning the smaller tasks is easier and employees feel less inclined to procrastinate on projects at hand. Breaking down larger projects provides more exposure to possible outcomes and effective ways of conversion rate can be discovered.
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Effective fraud management
Close inspection at an impression level is all that it takes to identify possible threats in the system. Fraudulent activities are spotted early if work processes are drilled down into pieces. This reduces the impact of fraud and prevents fraudulent placements in the long run.
Wrapping It Up
To summarise what we have discussed, Granular breakdown enables testing the waters with strategy-driven doable tasks instead of plunging unarmed and tackling a huge project with no sense of direction whatsoever. The insights of granularity help form precise decisions that are favorable to long-term business outcomes.
Smaller wins lead to greater levels of satisfaction and this applies to any business transaction as well. Let’s wind up our discussion with an outstanding quote from the Renowned Author of “The Power of Habit,” Charles Duhigg. He rightly concludes that a “huge body of research has shown that small wins have enormous power, an influence disproportionate to the accomplishments of the victories themselves.”
