It’s said that less than 25% of SME’s in the Uk have a business plan! And I suppose there could be many reasons good and bad, and many alternative arrangements that people put into place to get things working for them.
If the figure is any where near the truth, it’s probably safe to also assume that planning everyday activities is also something that can be significantly improved in business?
Business plan or not there has to be a way for you to make sure that everyone is doing the right “stuff” at the right time every day, because if you don’t then its likely that you won’t achieve what you set out to do in the first place.
Have you ever been in a situation where people have decided to do things their own way instead of working to the routine or process that should be in place?
It can happen easily, become part of the routine and even go un-noticed.
And at worst the result will be that it will cost you more to get the job done and your profits will be severely affected. The key is, getting everyone to do what they’re supposed to be doing at the right time and in the right place.
The best processes are simple – the more complex the processes becomes – then in general terms – the more complex it is to manage them.
So simple is best.
Even a new business can quickly become embroiled and get carried away with the complexities of making sure everything gets done. If you break down every single job that has to be completed to make your business work, you’ll probably find that nothing is insurmountable. In fact as the leader/ owner you will more than likely have a better understanding of every component part of your business than anyone else, and if you don’t – it wouldn’t take long for you to do so.
By understanding this you will be able to see that the issue is not within the tasks that need to be completed but within the volume of work that you have to deal with.
There is a really easy way of removing some of the jobs that have little or no affect at all on your results:
Take a piece of paper and write 3 headings across the top:
What do we need to stop doing?
What do we need to keep doing?
What do we need to start doing?
Be brutally honest as you go through the exercise and make sure you take ACTION by stopping unnecessary work with immediate effect.
You’ll be amazed at the results you can start achieving.
- Best Regards
- Martin
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