Building and implementing business systems is key to scalability. If you have followed the Business Success Consulting Group blog, newsletter, or podcast for any length of time, you know that documenting processes and procedures creates a firm foundation for company growth.
However, constructing business systems is only one part of the project. Your team must also use the processes and procedures to achieve consistent success.
Unfortunately, some company owners will build excellent systems that never get implemented. This article discusses one of the reasons why staff don’t use existing processes - and shares the steps you can take to solve this problem.
Many Systems Are Not Implemented
Let’s say you have built a system or systems. You’ve told your staff to study it and use it. It is well-documented in a place where your team can access it.
Now, what do you do, sit back and hope it’s being implemented?
The answer here is “no.” It may be that your team will go ahead and implement the system on their own. They may make a coordinated effort to do so.
However, that’s not very likely. Your team is busy, and they don’t know if this system works. It is more likely to be implemented haphazardly or not at all if you do not perform the final steps below.
The Final Step You Must Do With Every Business System You Build
Make sure your system works!
Don’t leave implementation and utilization to chance. Do a trial run of your system(s) with the people who will be using them. This gives you a chance to find any bugs - and shows the team how to use the system in real-time.
Here is what to do:
Step 1. Trial Run
Take your new system or systems on a trial run. This can be done by
a) Scheduling free time on everyone who will be involved’s calendar.
b) Using the first ten to fifteen minutes of that time to ensure everyone studies the system.
c) Assigning a “customer,” using a dummy invoice, etc. to simulate the real person or item being run through the system.
d) Running through the system with all the staff necessary to implement it.
e) Taking notes along the way. For example, did the customer get delayed in a particular department? Was that due to an error in the system or untrained staff? How will we solve this issue in the future?
Your team can take notes as well.
Step 2. Testing Integrations with Other Systems
Most business systems intersect with other processes and procedures. For example, a customer buying a service will have to transition from sales to accounting to the delivery department. Test how your new systems integrate with other systems, and take notes along the way. Again, your team can take notes, too.
Step 3. Modification
Get together at the end of the trial run and review the notes taken. What common barriers were encountered - and how should you all go about fixing them?
This is a simple step, yet it is what turns your system from something nice to do on paper to a real, implemented business process or procedure.
Step 4. New Trial Run
Once the system is modified, run it through again. Does it work now? Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as needed to get the system just right.
Step 5. Implementation
Now that you and your team know that the system works talk to them about implementing it in the everyday. What would that look like? How would they go about implementing it? Are there particular circumstances during which it wouldn’t work? Perhaps new processes and procedures need to be activated in those circumstances.
Many businesses already have great systems documented, but they are only occasionally used. Try the above five steps with processes and procedures that have already been documented - as well as new ones - and watch as your staff becomes more organized and consistent.
Let the team at Business Success Consulting Group know if you need assistance building and implementing business systems. It’s what we do. Contact us here.
