One of the tools that we use during our Introduction to Scaling class is a Systems Assessment. The assessment covers seven areas of a business and the systems critical to scale a business. Most people who take it find that they are missing a number of systems or processes to scale their business.
If you implement systems properly, you’ll notice how momentum begins to build and the pieces come together. Like the ripples on the pond, each ripple begins to incorporate into one another and, at the same time, the blending is harmonious. You start to build momentum and get noticed for your unique lineup of products and services naturally and spontaneously.
However, taking a Systems Approach is not about just implementing random systems to gain momentum for your business. The trick is to think through how one change impacts your entire business system so that you create that effortless blending. That’s where most business owners get stuck and why implementation of a solution gets sidetracked.
The next time you want to implement various systems or solutions, like any systems thinker, stop and ask yourself:
1. What is the cost of doing nothing?
Consider the cost of not implementing a new system or process beyond financial. The cost of brand reputation, perception, customer service/convenience, employee attraction or retention.
2. What is the scope of the new system implementation and how will it impact your resources?
Consider how the implementation may impact human resources, product delivery, customer service, IT support, and expenses.
Evaluate if your business can support another project. While it’s easy to see a solution and want to immediately implement it, consider if adding a new project to the workload is feasible. Trying to implement too many projects can overload your resources, causing you to slow down implementing every project.
3. How will the solution affect other parts of your company?
Work through how each solution interrelates and affects the other parts of your business. One small business client had considered new accounting software. They had also just implemented a new online shopping cart. When I asked if the shopping cart and accounting systems talked to one another, the owner paused. Later, the owner discovered that the two systems did, indeed, integrate. Because the systems integrated seamlessly, they were able to streamline the process, reducing additional data entry and staffing. Once a customer purchased an item online, the transaction was automatically transmitted to their accounting system.
In this case, the investment was a good one; however, it illustrates the need to think about how each system links and communicates with the other systems.
Just like stones thrown in a river, one action creates ripples in other areas of your business. When you stop to develop your strategy and how these new systems or processes will impact the whole business, you can create synergy and effortless momentum.
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