ARTICLES

CREATING A SYSTEM THAT WORKS!

Can your Business run itself?
Do you want your life to be easier - with less stress, fewer working hours and greater outcomes? Then you may need to change the way your business operates… to systemise the way things are done so that you are not ‘reinventing the wheel’ each time you do something.

You, like other business owners, may at some point recognise that you need to create a system for your business – fantastic news, and a step in the right direction. But then something happens. You suddenly realise that you don’t know where to start. After all, what is a ‘system’? And how do you create a system that works? Does this sound familiar?

Just the thought of creating a system conjures all sorts of images in some people’s minds –hard work, lots of analytical, boring and time-consuming work which is daunting, fearful, and perhaps impossible, and the list goes on… Finally, it usually gets put in the ‘too-hard’ basket, when the reality can be quite simple and effective, with minimal time and money – and will certainly help you achieve your goals of feeling better and less stressed.

So what is a ‘System’?
The Australian Collins English Dictionary describes a system as being “a group of things or parts working together or connected in some way so as to form a whole”.

However in the real world of your own business, a system is:

1. ‘how you do it here’
2. ‘how you recruit, hire and train people to do it here'
3. ‘how we manage here’
4. ‘how we change it here’

A system sets out procedures for your business so that you and your staff have clarity about who is to do the work, what to do, how to do it, when to do it and why.

However, this is where many people get stuck! Because they suddenly realise that they may have to ‘change the way they work’ and work according to a new system. Whereas before, they had a choice about how they worked and did it ‘their way’. Now they will have to fit in with a system of policies and procedures outlining how the business operates. Often it is this ‘unwillingness to change’ by an individual, that prevents the system from working.

Creating a system that works ensures that activities can be replicated many times over by everyone. This frees up resources and makes operations run more smoothly, which ultimately enhances the professional image of your business and improves the effectiveness of operations.

How to Create a System that Works
If you have made the choice that you do want to develop a system that will help you and your business, then you will first need to identify your vision and purpose, and the benefits you and your business will achieve by developing this system. After all, if you don't know what you want to achieve, how will you know when you get there?

Before you dive right on in, ask yourself a few pertinent questions:

• What is the result you want to achieve from your system?
• How much money do you think you are wasting because you don’t currently have a system?
• Will you be able to measure if the system is beneficial for your business?
• Has the system been designed to make complex repetitive activity, simple, easy and user-friendly?
• What systems are other similar businesses using?
• Are your staff willing to change and be part of the process to help the business succeed?
• Do you already have the resources to create a system, or do you need expert external assistance?
• Or are you resistant to change ‘because that is they it has always been done here!’

Know what you want to achieve, but don’t know where to start? The first step is to create one part of the system at a time, then build on those steps and improve over time. If you try and do everything at once, you may feel overwhelmed by the process – and throw the idea of creating a system in the too hard basket!

Don’t forget that a ‘system’ is not set in stone. If, over time, you develop better ways to operate your business, make sure that these improvements are integrated into the system, so that everyone can do things a better way, not just you. Good systems give staff the information and methods they require to do their work effectively.

Taking the time to create a system that works helps to achieve results through other people, as it is about systems, not about people and personalities. Systems allow your business to operate and function independently of you, as you can’t build a business if it depends on you.

Remember, systems are about Clarity, Control and Freedom.

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