A business owners dream come true – a business that produces reliable results every time without them having to be there! How does that happen? It occurs when systems and workflow management processes are in place, and staff has bought into the system.
Sounds impossible to most business owners I speak with until we talk through ways to make this happen. Business owners are not by nature systems experts though they do know how they want things done, the outcomes they need and the experience they want their customers to have. These are the basis for every system.
Before systems can be designed, the company vision, company values, and brand promise must be clearly defined and known to everyone.
• Vision – What is the vision for this business? Where is it headed?
• Company Values – What are the guidelines for how we all work together to achieve this vision?
• Brand Promise – What is the experience we want every customer to have when they interact with our products, services and us?
• Brand Differentiation – How are we different from others that do what we do and define our brand even further?
With these foundational documents in place and supported by staff then systems can be designed that create these results.
What system does your business needs and why? Prioritize them because the list is likely to be quite long for most companies. Most importantly define the result you want each system to produce, an outcome that will support your vision and your brand. Just getting work done more efficiently is an important goal but it is not enough. Does that efficiency produce a better experience for your customer? Does it move you in the direction of your vision or is it a distraction? Taking time to dig deeper into the result the system will be designed to produce is time well spent.
Consider the impact or interaction with other aspects, systems or departments in your business. Systems most often are interactive or interdependent so assessing the impact will prevent problems down the line. Create a systems strategy with collaboration rather than only designing one system at a time based on a problem or urgent need. Look at the bigger picture, a systems approach, to reveal system conflicts before time and money are spent in design.
Be committed to a process of design, implementation, quantifying the results, monitoring and improving systems on a regular basis. If you do not have the expertise in your business to create a systems design, then get help. The only thing that works is a well-designed system.
Once systems are in place, running smoothly, producing results, relief ids felt by everyone and especially the owner. A dream come true!