Growth is the key to business success, but what happens when a company is not set up for scaling?
The short answer is: inefficiency.
When your business grows without systems, scaling can occur haphazardly, with big leaps forward in some areas but stagnation and confusion in others. This leads to setbacks, poor customer experiences, and potential liabilities. In other words, not implementing systems can cause your business to shrink rather than grow.
No one knows this better than David Pollard, co-founder of LivCo and a recent guest on the Systems Simplified podcast. Adi Klevit and David discussed how he used systems to help his business grow by five times in a short period. It was hard work, but documenting and implementing systems ensured seamless growth without the setbacks you commonly hear about.
This article lays out the strategies Adi and David discussed during their conversation. Keep reading to learn how to scale your business by integrating processes into your teams and technology.
How to Build and Maintain Effective Processes for Scaling
Systematizing operations through well-structured processes is essential for business owners looking to enhance their company's performance. Here are steps you can follow to build, implement, and maintain processes that drive success:
1. Identify Your Core Business Processes
Every company operates through a set of fundamental processes. These include sales, customer service, production, and onboarding. Begin systemizing your business by identifying the most critical areas.
Ask yourself:
- What areas would benefit most from structured workflows?
- Which areas do I often have to step into because they are "on fire?"
- Are there departments that I am hoping to automate?
- Where does the customer experience most commonly break down?
- Where do inefficiencies often arise?
Prioritizing the department(s) with the biggest impact on efficiency and customer satisfaction is a great starting point.
2. Document Existing Processes
Once you've identified key processes, the next step is to document the existing systems.
That might sound like a big ask, but it's not something you need to accomplish alone! You can and should work with your team to document critical processes and iron out inconsistencies.
Process documentation should include:
- A clear objective: Why does this process exist, and what outcome does it achieve?
- Step-by-step instructions: Clearly define each action in a logical sequence.
- Roles and responsibilities: Who is responsible for each step?
- Tools and resources required: What software, templates, or documents are needed, and where can one find them?
- Performance metrics: How will success be measured?
All documented processes should be accessible to the team. So, make sure to keep all of the checklists, video walkthroughs, flowcharts, and more in one central location. At Business Success Consulting Group, we use software to keep processes accessible to the whole team.
3. Involve Your Team in Process Development
As noted above, you should not be documenting processes all by yourself. The people using these processes will have the best insights into what works and what doesn't. Engaging your employees will have multiple benefits.
- You will not be building processes in a silo but instead documenting and improving on existing systems.
- Engaging your employees will help them take ownership of the processes and make building them that much easier.
- Involving your team from the beginning will ensure you hear their feedback, good or bad. This will help you share how process building will benefit them. Advantages might include uninterrupted vacation days or the ability to automate some of their workflows so they can step into a higher-level role. Ensure they understand how the hard work of documentation will pay off for them.
When employees have a say in process development, they are more likely to adopt and follow the guidelines, reducing resistance to change.
4. Complete a Process Review to Ensure Clarity and Simplicity
The best processes are those that are easy to understand and execute. However, when documenting a process, you may discover that different employees have different ways of doing things, which can lead to overcomplication. The solution is a process review.
Once your team has documented a process, ask:
- Can this process be simplified without losing its effectiveness?
- Are there redundant steps?
- Can any aspect of this process be automated?
After you and your team have established a streamlined process, do an additional run-through to ensure the process works and that it wasn't oversimplified.
5. Train Your Team on Process Adherence
A process is only effective if employees follow it. Training is crucial to ensure everyone understands their role within a process and the importance of adhering to it.
Ways to reinforce process adoption include:
- Conducting hands-on training sessions.
- Creating easy-to-access reference guides.
- Providing ongoing support and the opportunity for refresher courses.
- Recognizing and rewarding employees who follow best practices.
Training should be an ongoing effort rather than a one-time event. Regularly revisiting processes ensures they remain relevant and employees stay aligned with best practices.
6. Measure Process Effectiveness
Once a process is implemented, it's vital to track its performance. Monitoring allows you to identify inefficiencies, pinpoint areas for improvement, and ensure the process achieves its intended goals.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) will vary depending on the process but may include:
- Time taken to complete a task.
- Error rates and quality metrics.
- Customer satisfaction scores.
- Employee compliance and feedback.
Regularly reviewing process performance ensures that workflows remain practical and relevant as your business needs evolve.
7. Keep Improving
Your business is dynamic, so your processes must evolve to keep up. Regularly reviewing and updating processes ensures they continue to align with company goals and industry standards.
Keep improving your processes by:
- Assigning responsibility for process improvement/maintenance to a specific employee.
- Scheduling process audits in your calendar. An audit should be completed at least every six months, preferably every quarter.
- Testing new strategies before company-wide implementation.
- Keeping up-to-date with industry standards.
Business success isn't just about working hard or working long hours. The key to success is the intelligent application of your limited time and effort. Implementing well-thought-out processes allows teams to focus on strategic initiatives, enhances customer satisfaction, and ultimately drives long-term success.
Find out how you can document and implement processes that support strategic scaling. Schedule your free initial evaluation from the process experts at Business Success Consulting Group today.
