Part 2 of my series on creating success in your business is creating systems. (Click here for the original post and Part 1.)
The definition of systems is a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole. Now think of systems for your business. Your business is the complex whole. All of the things to make your business run are the interacting/interrelated elements. Doesn’t it make sense that the complex whole can function at its absolute best (create real value for its customers, generate revenue, generate profit) when those interrelated elements are comprised of best practices?
Since many of us are working on the day-to-day, how do we step back and look at our business this way in order to create systems? Here are some tips:
- Break down your areas of business into major chunks. Determine which chunks or elements provide the most value to your business or are the most broken. Start with those.
- For each chunk, define at a high level how customers find out about you all the way through your delivery process. Get a whiteboard or large post-it note paper and just start drawing. Don’t worry about forgetting things – they can always be added later. Get input from your whole team as everyone sees processes differently and if you don’t include the whole team you may be missing crucial elements.
- Look for gaps. Seeing your processes visually help team members to identify areas that aren’t working well. Make notes of those and brainstorm ideas to improve.
- Look for areas where you can create tools such as checklists or bring in technology to simplify. A friend of mine used to say, “Half of any job is having the right tool.” When there are breakdowns in processes many times a tool such as a checklist or agenda can help. Employees often develop their own tools. Compile these and create new tools that can complete the job most effectively and easily.
- Document your systems so that new employees know how to complete tasks and existing employees use best practices. Once you have determined and worked through gaps and created tools, don’t lose that institutional or “tribal” knowledge! Document it and keep it accessible.
- Get someone from the outside to look at your processes. One of the most valuable parts of the service we offer at VisionBridge is the ability to come into your business as a virtual “blank slate.” Because we are not privvy to previous problems, we can offer a new perspective that your team may not see because you are so ingrained in the every day. Whether you bring in a company like ours or another business consultant, having that outside viewpoint is vital.
- Implement. Don’t implement all at once. Slowly incorporate the changes so that employees aren’t overwhelmed and the changes stick.
- Regularly monitor. Don’t spend time and money working on your processes and then put them on a shelf never to be looked at again. Schedule regular time to review such as bi-annually or annually and keep them up-to-date.
Good luck! If you need more tips and ideas, let us know!
Remember the commercial when we were younger, “It’s 10pm, do you know where your children are?” At this time of year when many of us take family vacations, the same question should be asked of our businesses. What happens when we are away? Even if you plan for a 1 week vacation, what if you were like some travelers earlier this year who were stranded in Europe for weeks due to the volcano? It’s worth asking and being prepared.