The final step in having and using effective systems in your business is to make them (almost) invisible. You will, of course, need to manage your systems as you move ahead, reviewing them to make sure that they keep up with new people, new tools, new materials, new… etc.
By making your systems invisible, your whole focus will be on delivering the products and services that provide your business with income. This means having your systems so closely integrated into your business that they don’t get in the way – they provide “the one best way” of doing everything that your business does.
Making your systems invisible means making them so good that they don’t get in the way. And this means that your team must be “on-side”: properly inducted, trained and supported.
This means having your systems so closely integrated into your business that they don’t get in the way – they provide ‘the one best way’ of doing everything that your business does.
Putting this together gives us the key elements of successful, effective systems that will be used by everyone on your team. To do this:
1. Test your systems. Once a business process has been created, test it to make sure it does what its supposed to do. Make sure it manages the risks you’ve identified and achieves the benefits.
2. Base your training on the systems you’ve created. This makes them real.
3. Enrol a “systems champion”, a teammember who will be accountablefor supporting the system thatmanages your business systems.
4. Establish a review cycle for eachprocess. This ensures that your systems keep up with your business.
5. Don’t allow exceptions. If theprocess isn’t working, change theprocess. This applies to you too, as the business owner. You needto follow your own systems.
6. Make it easy for everyone to accessthe systems. Use laminated processcharts, on-screen video, audio, printed copies, posters, signs, etc.
7. Use your systems for induction, quality control, team training, marketing, quoting and tendering, and – in short – run your business through systems
So how do we benefit from the investment in developing effective systems?
Induct new starters: As your processes are fully documented, induction is made easy for you and your new starters, as you are able to use simple tools to select those processes a new employee must know and understand for their role – a faster, simpler, clearer induction.
Manage bottlenecks: Having identified “performers” for each process step, you’re able to see any bottlenecks in your systems, for example, a team member with too much to do at certain points in time and is therefore causing delays. This information allows you to do something about it – reassign and reallocate to further streamline your systems.
Train your Team: Train your team: When areas of consistency are identified amongst your team you are able to perform team training simply, as the why, what and how are fully documented. This makes it easy to get everyone on the “same page”.
Test and Measure: It’s so much easier to test and measure actual performance against expected performance in your business as you have “joined the dots” in everything that is done. This provides a great foundation for decisions and allows you to create a culture of continuous improvement.
Now your invisible systems will be ready to help you get the best return from your investment in time, dollars, and your most valuable asset: your team! Are your systems invisible?
Need help? Contact us! Call Elke on 0410 819 783 or email hello@miebs.com.au