Now you have the team performing and they are delivering at a high level, with a stabilized distribution process, it’s time to systematize the management of the Business and leverage technology to move your business further The third part of this four-part series will focus on systematizing your organization and using tech to make it easier to implement.
Processes and procedures are part of a larger system, and if you don’t have the steps memorialized and reinforced throughout your business, the systems will break down. If your systems are missing critical input and lack comprehensive review, the very foundation of your organization is on shaky ground. If all the measure, steps and knowledge is locked in your mind alone and isn’t spread throughout your team, they wouldn’t be able to run the systems that ultimately delivery at a high level to your customers. That means all the work you did to ensure you have the right team and everything you did to ensure your delivery and distribution are improved will be wasted.
To begin, you must narrow the field. Start by asking a few questions.
Once you have an idea of what your processes and key tasks are, then you do the same exercise with everyone on your team. This is where we start the process of getting the business to work without the owner. By systematizing each section of how the business runs from how the phone is answered by the first point of contact, to how the management team performs planning and strategy, look for ways to simplify and systematize the business to enable constancy and predictability.
“Systematize the routine humanize the exception”
In this stage document all the systems and procedures within the business. Starting from the bottom up the owner gets team members to document how they complete routine tasks start with Daily/Weekly/Monthly task from the bottom of the organization first. Most large companies already have processes, structures, and systems in place. The challenge becomes improving these things, as well as adapting them to new market realities and demands.
When documenting these procedures and when looking for ways to eliminate redundancy, simplify steps and improve execution there are more questions that must be addressed.
Here are a few ways to document your input on systems.
What systems should you dissect, retool or refine? All of them. Start with each of these areas.
Daily office operation systems
Product development systems
Manufacturing and inventory systems
Order processing and tracking systems
Order tracking systems
Customer Service Systems
Accounts Payable Systems
Sales and Marketing Systems
Technology can help systematize and simply your process. Investigate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems to manage data; Quick Books and like software to help you with financial reporting and automated marketing deployment tools like Hootsuite to assist you with reducing time and save your organization money. If computers and phone systems are old and lack capacity to meet your needs, consider upgrading. Investing in the short-term can lead to big returns in the long-term.
If it seems like a huge project. You aren’t wrong. It is. But with the help of a professional business coach you can breakdown the project in rational and logical steps. A business coach wouldn’t give you a laundry list of ills, they will work with you and your staff to make meaningful and last change to your organization. Their objective eye will help you see what you may have missed or have avoiding seeing for a long time.
ActionCOACH® has been helping businesses for more than 25 years and focuses clients on implementing logical and easy to apply systems and processes to grow their enterprises. Unlike pricey consultants that hand you a list of what you are doing wrong, an ActionCOACH will help you make real change in your business that is lasting and transformational. We have more than 1,000 globally and in nearly 70 countries. To learn more about ActionCOACH or to schedule a complimentary Coach Session click here.