Trend Data - Implement and Record Essential Business Systems

Start today and implement this important management procedure.
A business is nothing but a series of systems that produce a service or product in return for money. Are your systems defined? Are tasks performed in reasonably consistent ways so that the work and people are somewhat interchangeable?

For instance, a large contractor had a 7 person estimating department. As work was performed it was always personally reviewed by a senior staff member who carefully critiqued the format and the accuracy of the work. This way junior staff learned how to perform the work so that anyone could pick up any file and understand what needed to be done to complete the file, what assumptions were made to find a price, and in the end a summary of bids showing the lowest price.

For a small business the written record of the systems can be fairly brief and augmented by some cross training and oversight. As the business grows more comprehensive manuals are needed to ensure consistency of work product, treatment of staff, and other matters.

A related problem is when all paths lead to the owner. Many owners delegate the grunt work, such as the estimating above, but never give authority to anyone to make a decision. For instance the owner may not allow even small contracts to be awarded in his absence. Develop a quality management team that effectively implements your systems and test them by taking a long vacation. If your business cannot run without you expect to spend considerable amount of time after closing doing the training you should have done beforehand.