In order to keep pace with the explosive digital era of technology, keeping your tech skills fresh and up to date is the best way to be more efficient and increase productivity. There is no longer room for outdated processes or complicated workflows.

When it comes to Program Management, streamlining all phases of the program management process relies on a well-thought out organization of tasks.

1. Collecting the submissions

Nowadays it is unimaginable to organize the submission process manually. Online applications provide the necessary automated gathering of submissions in one central location. By utilizing preset submission forms and clear instructions, all submissions are timely collected and organized into special award groups. There is no need to waste time filtering out your inbox and forwarding each application into its respective category. An award management application can do this job for you and notify the applicants that their submission has been successfully received. Not only does it save you the effort, but it also lets your applicants know that you value their time and that they have your support.

2. Validating the submissions

This stage should be handled as quickly as possible, as the next stage will require more time. Go over the applications and have the basic criteria prepared - if the submissions fulfills them, it moves the qualified ones down the funnel. If not, the submission is unsubmitted or declined right away. Leave some room for the special group of submissions – those that do not fit into any of the previously mentioned categories. It is helpful to have someone on standby to consult about such submissions.

3. Evaluating the submissions

Luckily, this part of the process relies on reviewers’ assistance. By customizing the messages and setting optional periodic alerts for reviewers straight from within the platform enables you to control this time sensitive phase.

Through well-thought out scoring systems designed to give user-friendly levels of clarity to the reviewers, volumes of data are evaluated at a faster rate.

4. Making decisions

With all other aspects of the process completed successfully, organization of relevant data for easy retrieval is of the utmost importance when it comes to decision making. When the criteria are adequately set and all the data is compiled, a click on the decision and customized notification prepared in advance is all you need.

Finally, productivity in the long run by all means includes reviewing your program management process each year. All the common theme mistakes made by users indisputably alert you to optimize the process and address those requirements that cause the greatest misconceptions. Running award programs with an understanding of how to make the user’s journey simple and seamless, from submission to the final decision, will result in more quality applicants and a more efficient program overall.