Why implementing great systems requires focus and continuous iteration

If you want to grow a small business then you need great systems in place to do it quickly and effectively. Whether it’s:

• Turning prospects into clients
• Processing payments and administration
• Service or product delivery
• Warehousing and stock control
• Dealing with customer complaints
• Customer service
• Post-purchase programs…Etc

All of these are simply processes — a series of steps between input and output. The best place to start is to map the flow of what happens to complete the process. Include both tasks and who is responsible to completing those tasks. However, once you’ve got the plan, what’s the best way to execute?

One-off, big change is less effective

You might think you can attack systems in one big hit and then expect it to all just ‘work’ after that. Unfortunately, it rarely goes down that way. Systems typically don’t ‘work’ — you need to work them. If you map every single process and expect it to just filter through your company and team members effortlessly then you’re in for a shock.

Small changes accumulate

You know that saying, ‘From little things, big things grow’? Well implementing great systems in your business works exactly the same way. Small changes add up to have a big and lasting impact on your business. In fact, its really the only way you can get your team to buy in to the process. Trying to accurately map a process before you actually complete it is extremely difficult. In reality, as your team executes, there are many nuances you simply can’t foresee. If you were to try and find the one, perfect system before you attempt to bring it into reality then you will be searching for a long time and never actually reap the rewards from implementation. Even when you do finally implement, its as certain as night follows day that you will still find flaws in your plan. Ground-breaking technologies and discoveries happen, more often than not, through trial and error.

Back it up with frequent team re-calibration

You need to re-callibrate with your team on a regular basis. In the process of implementation, challenges, obstacles, sticking points and bottlenecks will come up. These slow-down throughput in the system and slow growth. The quicker you can identify and address these, the faster you will grow. Like the small, frequent changes in the implementation of the system in the business, you need to make small, frequent re-callibrations with the people who are implementing to get the most juice from the process.

It requires leadership

Any change requires great leadership to be effective. If you are leading the change then stand up to account and fully lean in to the process. Don’t brush aside the significance of keeping to the plan or let the day-to-day get in the way. Your team needs your leadership to ensure they own it. Its their ownership that drives the change, but it is your leadership that creates the buy-in. Without the buy-in from the team then nothing will really change or at the very best, take much, much longer to implement (Mistakes are repeated and complacency corrupts objectives). Inspire excellence in everything that your team does — especially when it comes to implementing great systems — without them your business can never live up to its true potential.