process-optimization
npx machina-cli add skill anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/process-optimization --openclawProcess Optimization
Analyze existing processes and recommend improvements.
Analysis Framework
1. Map Current State
- Document every step, decision point, and handoff
- Identify who does what and how long each step takes
- Note manual steps, approvals, and waiting times
2. Identify Waste
- Waiting: Time spent in queues or waiting for approvals
- Rework: Steps that fail and need to be redone
- Handoffs: Each handoff is a potential point of failure or delay
- Over-processing: Steps that add no value
- Manual work: Tasks that could be automated
3. Design Future State
- Eliminate unnecessary steps
- Automate where possible
- Reduce handoffs
- Parallelize independent steps
- Add checkpoints (not gates)
4. Measure Impact
- Time saved per cycle
- Error rate reduction
- Cost savings
- Employee satisfaction improvement
Output
Produce a before/after process comparison with specific improvement recommendations, estimated impact, and an implementation plan.
Source
git clone https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/blob/main/operations/skills/process-optimization/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
Process Optimization analyzes existing processes to identify bottlenecks and waste, then suggests practical improvements. It follows an analysis framework: map the current state, identify waste, design a faster future state, and measure impact.
How This Skill Works
It starts by mapping every step, decision point, and handoff, including who does what and how long it takes. It then identifies waste such as waiting, rework, handoffs, over-processing, and manual work, designs a future state with fewer steps and automation, and finally measures impact like time saved, error reductions, and cost savings.
When to Use It
- this process is slow
- how can we improve
- streamline this workflow
- too many steps
- bottleneck
Quick Start
- Step 1: Map the current state by documenting every step, decision point, ownership, and duration
- Step 2: Identify waste (waiting, rework, handoffs, over-processing, manual work) and design a faster future state
- Step 3: Implement improvements and measure impact (time saved, errors reduced, costs saved)
Best Practices
- Map the current state with steps, owners, and durations
- Identify waste categories: waiting, rework, handoffs, over-processing, manual work
- Design the future state by eliminating steps and automating where possible
- Reduce handoffs and parallelize independent steps
- Define and track impact metrics: time saved, error reductions, cost savings, employee satisfaction
Example Use Cases
- HR onboarding: mapping steps and automating document collection reduced cycle time from 14 days to 6 days
- Accounts payable: removed unnecessary approvals and parallelized checks, cutting cycle time by 40%
- Customer support: redesigned ticket routing reduced handoffs and improved first-contact resolution
- Expense approvals: rule-based routing eliminated manual data entry and sped up reimbursements
- Weekly reporting: added checkpoints and parallel data gathering, cutting prep time by 50%
