Loughborough

Systems and Procedures

I often talk to business owners who tell me that holidays are impossible as nothing gets done properly in their absence. In other businesses, everything works to a slick routine and everybody knows exactly what they are doing. When somebody calls in sick, everybody knows where to find important information and how to keep the business running. The main difference between the two types of businesses is in their approach to procedures.

Challenges

For bigger businesses – we all know how frustrating it is when we contact a company with whom we have established a solid working relationship, only to be told:

• The person you usually deal with is on holiday. Can you call back in 2 weeks time?
• My boss is the only person who knows how to use the widget authorisation system and she will not be back until Tuesday. Can it wait until then?

For the one-person business:

• How can you remember every last detail of every thing you need to complete in order for your business to excel?
• How do you make sure that you always follow up on sales opportunities?

For the business using suppliers or sub-contractors:

• How do you ensure that everything happens as it should – especially when time is short or when priorities are changed at short notice?

Delegation

Good quality delegation (up and sideways as well as down) can help you to make sure that no single person can stop the business by their absence. Good quality delegation relies on good management and on having procedures and check-lists for tasks that people do not cover every day.

Check Lists

• Use these as memory joggers for infrequent processes if you work alone.
• Use them as the basis for good quality delegation if you have a larger business.
• These make really simple “Who does what” tools when you work with sub-contractors – just add columns for names and dates.

Process Flow Diagrams

A useful tool in establishing how the current process works and who is involved.
An essential tool for designing a new process – especially one that will involve more than one person or multiple companies.

• For existing processes, help you to understand the current process
• Provides the basis for common understanding
• Essential tool in getting buy-in from all concerned
• Gives an overview of the activities involved so that duplication and bottlenecks can be scrutinised and eliminated
• Vital component in process improvement

Benefits

Consistency	Minimise errors, especially on infrequent tasks
Business resilience	Makes it easier for new or substitute people to be trained at short notice or in anticipation of an absence
Measures	Helps with the introduction of measures and metrics at key stages in an activity.
Improvement	Once you know what you do and how efficient you are today, it is much easier to work on the incremental improvements that lead to simplification and greater efficiency.

# 6 – 22nd October 2007

Paul Fileman MIET CEng MCIM
Chartered Marketer
paul.fileman@talktosps.com
Tel:  01509 854447
Mob: 07969 188820
www.talktosps.com