Productivity is everything in business. Without it, you can have the best business idea in the world, but no one is going to have any chance of knowing about it. You’re not going to be able to function as a company if you are struggling to get to the output you need to generate revenue. Without productivity – to be blunt – you don’t really have a business.

This is why it’s so important to evaluate your company’s output on a regular basis. Don’t assume that because things seem okay at a glance, that they really are okay. There might be deeper problems that you have to truly undertake deep evaluation to identify.

There are four primary causes of a loss of productivity, so a good idea would be to start by looking into these areas and see if they might be the cause of your business concern.

#1 – Staff Absenteeism

When your staff are not available to work – either due to annual leave or ill health – then it can disrupt the way that your business functions. It’s akin to a machine with one of the cogs suddenly not turning; the rest of the business is going to be impacted as a result.

There is relatively little you can do about staff absences due to ill health; colds, the flu, and stomach bugs spread like wildfire through the majority of offices. People are going to get sick; there’s very little you can do about that. What you should examine, however, is holiday time. Holiday time should be booked far in advance; request your employees give at least two weeks notice unless it’s an emergency. This gives each department time to ensure they’re going to be able to cover for the absence of that person.

#2 – A Lagging Department

If 90% of your business is performing well but 10% isn’t, then the whole business performance is going to be brought down as a result. It’s imperative that you find the weak department that might be hindering everyone else.

Of course, this is easier said than done. There are solutions to consider, meaning you’ll spend your time pondering dilemmas such as NetSuite vs SAP Business One software to identify glitches, or wondering if you should be going analogue and trying to spot problems for yourself. The latter option will rarely work, but it’s worth trying both to see whether tech or human interaction is able to identify issues best for you.

#3 – Supply Chain Hitches

If you’re waiting for items from a supplier, then it’s not outside the bounds of supposition to suggest that your entire business could grind to a halt. This isn’t your fault; it’s the supplier’s, but if you stay with the same supplier and they’re perpetually late with orders… well, that might be a little more your fault. Fool me once, and all that.

Every supplier will make mistakes, but it’s up to you to change suppliers if those occasional mistakes are threatening to become chronic issues.

By investigating these three departments, you’re going to be best placed to identify any productivity issues in your business.