DEVELOP SYSTEMS

Here are 4 simple steps to follow to develop systems in your business


Before you offer your product or service to the world ensure you have all your systems in place.  The time for ensuring everything is going to run smoothly is before you launch your business.


Step #1: Look at your current business processes

In developing your business systems, you should first look at the key tasks and processes your company performs on a daily basis.

For example, if you operate a laundry business, your business processes will include cleaning the laundry machines, managing customer drop-off orders, sweeping the floors, paying the bills, ordering supplies, etc.

Next, assess each of these processes to figure out which ones to focus on systematizing first. For example, figure out which processes, if improved, could most improve customer satisfaction, revenues and/or profits.


Step #2: Develop your business systems

Once you've identified the initial process(es) to improve, it's time to develop your business systems. In developing your systems, start with the outcome, that is, how should the task or process look at the end when it is completed flawlessly.

Then work backwards to figure out the best steps to achieve that outcome. When doing that, and comparing this to your current processes, try to look for the most efficient steps and eliminate any unnecessary ones.

Importantly, in doing this, you must write down the system on a sheet of paper. Yes, it's as simple as "Step 1, do this" and "Step 2, do that." The key is to make it easy and foolproof so any of your employees could follow it.


Step #3: Test and redesign your system

When I develop a new system, I like to complete it myself a few times in order to test it.

Importantly, when doing this, I look at the most challenging and/or time consuming parts of the system and then brainstorm ways to improve it. Consider this: if you create a process that allows a task to be completed in 9 minutes instead of 11 minutes, and that task is done twice a day by two employees, that improvement will save your company 49 hours of labor each year.

Also look for routine things that can be automated, such as the payment processing. For instance, manually writing customer receipts might take a minute while an automated register could create a receipt in seconds.


Step #4: Test-run with the team

Once you're done with redesigning your first business system, now is the time to implement it. To make teaching others faster, it helps to prepare as much as you can, and to actually demonstrate or allow them to see a demonstration of how the work is to be done.

If you're there in person, show them or have them watch someone in action to model going through the system. If it's work that is done on a computer, create a screen recording so others can watch to learn it.

The best way to train employees is by having them perform the process on a real-life order or project. Then the work that needs to get done is completed, and you get to see their performance and give feedback.

Then, over time, encourage your employees to try to improve your existing processes and systems. Have your checklists and flow charts readily available so they can follow them and propose new ways of doing things. Because as more and more of your business' processes become systematised, and your systems become better and better, your revenues and profits will soar and your business will be the envy of your market.