workscan

Workscan is a term used to describe systems or methods that collect, process, and analyze data about work activities to understand how tasks are performed and how resources are allocated. In practice, a workscan entails gathering data from timesheets, task logs, project plans, issue trackers, and, in some cases, sensor data, then mapping tasks to individual workers, teams, or machines. The goal is to measure workload, cycle times, utilization, throughput, and bottlenecks, and to surface recommendations for balancing work, streamlining processes, and mitigating overload.

Origin and usage: The term is not standardized and may be used by different vendors or teams to describe similar analytics of work processes. It is commonly associated with operations management, workforce analytics, and process mining.

Methodology: Workscan typically combines data integration, process discovery, and analytics. Techniques may include workflow mining, time-and-motion analysis, capacity planning, and machine learning forecasts for demand. Output is often a dashboard with metrics, trend lines, and alerts highlighting imbalances or risk.

Applications: Staffing optimization, project portfolio management, manufacturing line balancing, service delivery optimization, and remote or hybrid work monitoring.

Limitations: Data quality and privacy concerns, potential misinterpretation of data, and the need for contextual understanding of tasks.

See also: process mining, workload analysis, workforce analytics, resource planning, time study.