If production numbers at your business are sagging, it’s time to take a look at how you’re operating. Ask yourself these questions to see if you can boost your company’s efficiency.

Do Your Tools Work?

No matter what industry you’re in, you need high-quality tools that don’t waste your employees’ time. If you use carts to move materials throughout your warehouse, their phenolic caster wheels need to turn smoothly. If you print examples of your work before meetings with clients, your printer must distribute the ink evenly and communicate quickly with your computer. When your tools cause headaches, delays, or low-quality products, repair or replace them to increase your efficiency.

Do You Have Enough Employees?

If demand has gone up but you haven’t hired more employees to compensate for the increased production, it’s easy for your current team to get behind on orders. Similarly, if you haven’t replaced employees who quit, your team probably struggles to pick up the slack. Run an audit of how many hours your employees are working versus how many hours it takes to keep up with production. If necessary, work with your human resources department to put out a call for new workers.

Is Your Workplace Organized Efficiently?

If you’ve expanded your business by adding new production lines or cubicles throughout the years, your workplace might not have the most efficient setup. Talk to your employees about the areas they use to complete their jobs. If they’re running from one end of your building to the next throughout the day, work with a design expert to create a more efficient workspace. You may even find that you’re paying for more space than you need.

Do You Have Reasonable Goals?

Most people work best when they’re trying to achieve a goal, whether it’s to produce a certain number of products or to consistently receive high quality check scores. Make sure that your goals for yourself and your employees are reasonable based on the resources and time you have. If you’re asking too much of your team, it’s easy to get burnt out, so don’t be afraid to scale back your targets for this quarter or fiscal year.

When you have problems with efficiency, there are many possible culprits, from employee burnout to inefficient workplace design. Ask yourself these questions to identify what’s causing problems at your workplace, and then work with your team to address them.