If you feel like you’re squeezing blood from a stone to eek out any new efficiencies, try this.

So you’ve flowcharted your processes to spot inefficiencies, “electrified” wherever possible — is there really any other way you can tighten up?

No company can afford to stop trying to improve. But when you feel like you’re struggling to come up with new ideas, shake things up.

Think about pairing up seemingly random staffers together. Yes, you can have a rookie and a veteran review your invoice approval process to see places to improve. That can spark some new ideas.

But what about some more unexpected combinations, like:

• Pairing an A/P clerk with an A/R clerk to see things from the other side of the fence.
• Inviting an admin in to share his or her organizational know-how.
• A detailed-oriented staffer with someone who’s always fast, but not always neat.
• A loud staffer with a very quiet one, who may do more observing than speaking.

Tags: A/P, A/R, Efficiencies, Flowchart, Streamlining ideas