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Change is challenging, but if you could make more money and have more fun with less stress and less time, wouldn’t you do it?
Well, systems are one of the best ways to take your business to new heights. “System” is even an acronym for “saving your-self time, energy, and money”. But when we think about implementing new systems, it can be difficult to know where to start. So let’s break it down into the basic steps!
- Identify Your Needs
Before you can start something new in your business, it’s important to understand what you plan to achieve with this change. With your new system in mind, what is the goal? Is it to automate your marketing? Is it to have a consistent hiring process? Perhaps there in a chance to build structure with the culture of your business. Maybe it would be helpful to record certain results in your business to test and measure. Whatever the need, every process must have an established purpose.
- Draft the Systems and Implementation Plan
Once you’ve identified the objective for your new process, now you must take a step back and draft out each step of the new system. What do you know must be done in order to get where you want to go? What tasks must be done repeatedly? Who must be involved? Are certain tasks dependent on others?
One way to help you think about this is the user experience. From beginning to end, what steps do you take in order to achieve this goal. And when we say from beginning to end, we mean every single step. Your process should be so thorough and clearly written that a perfect stranger could walk into your business, pick up the system, and execute it without questions. With such a defined system, your business will be able to grow, withstand change, and continue to succeed without your hand tied into every move.
After drafting the system itself step by step, how will you execute this plan? It is equally important to think through what needs to be done relative to another tasks, who needs to manage what action item, and how all these pieces fit together. By creating a step-by-step system AND thinking through how it will occur in your business, you can prepare for the necessary conversations to implement your new plan.
- Take Action
Now you’ve finished the ideating, planning, and developing, the last step is to implement your work! This is the moment to test out your new system. As you prepare to execute, remember who needs to be involved in the conversation as things are changing and moving around in your company. The more information and preparation you can offer, the smoother your implementation can go. Be sure to share charts, displays, updates, and other key points of information to your team and necessary parties (suppliers, customers, board of directors, etc.) Another thing to share is the purpose of the change. This can help remind people of the intention behind the new system and will keep them aware to make sure that purpose is being met.
Keep in Mind:
Change takes time. Things may not unfold perfectly the first time, but be patient and diligent with your work. And as you implement and practice your systems, be sure to listen and observe like a hawk. Take note of what works well and what needs to be changed, and encourage your team to do the same. As you identify areas that don’t go as planned or that hold back the whole system, take the time to revised your system in order to create a smooth and functional process for your whole team. Over time, the system will become second nature and an expectation from your company, helping you stand out in the market. So what are you waiting for?
Author: Kyleigh Mazer, Business Coach in Southern Indiana
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