| You should prioritize creating S.Y.S.T.E.M.S
I was recently listening to a podcast and became quite intrigued when the guest speaker said, ‘If I could pick one thing that helped me with growing my business and staying sane, it would be systems.’ He then proceeded to break it down by introducing the concept of S.Y.S.T.E.M.S, which stands for ‘Saving YourSelf Time, Energy, Money, and Stress.’ Who could say no to that, right? While the needs and stages of each business are unique, I’m going to highlight a few areas where implementing systems can effectively help you Save YourSelf Time, Energy, Money, and Stress.
There are 9 steps below to help systemize your business. Each of the steps below will set the foundation for what comes next so I suggest following them in the order they are presented.
1- Draft your vision
The process of establishing systems for your business should start with defining a long-term vision for the business you intend to create. This initial step helps in the design and implementation of systems that align with your ultimate goals. Document this vision and communicate it with your team. In our office, we maintain a sizable whiteboard where it’s our vision statement remains written as a constant reminder for our team.
2- Solidify the mission
Your mission statement acts as the roadmap for reaching your ultimate vision. It outlines your identity, your business’s purpose, your customer base, and what makes your business unique compared to others.
It doesn’t just clarify what you do for you, your employees, and your customers, but also how you approach it.
3- Formulate your culture
Creating a culture statement establishes your values. What you believe in, the way you approach work, and your business conduct. A strong culture statement covers what matters to you, your employees, and your customers.
4- Get SMART
Goals are checkpoints on the way to realizing your vision. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Setting SMART goals is a tried-and-true method that adds clarity, focus, and motivation to the process of setting goals.
5- Map out your organizational structure
Creating an organizational chart will give you a clear view of your envisioned business from a structural perspective. Defining roles, and responsibilities, with each role assigned to a box.
In the early days, you may have your name appear in all of these boxes but as you grow and hire help, you will be able to use this system to start delegating.
6- Define duties
Once your organizational chart is complete, you will be able to create job descriptions and contracts for various positions. As you hire, these will help clarify responsibilities, and duties in each role.
7- Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Setting evaluation and expectation standards for each role will help in measuring progress. With your organizational chart and responsibilities defined, you can now focus on determining how success will be measured for each role.
8- Document how-tos
Creating efficient, and simple systems will help training your team easier and provide better outcomes for your clients. In straightforward terms, your instructional systems will precisely outline how you expect every employee to carry out the tasks connected to their role. In straightforward terms, your instructional systems will precisely outline how you expect every employee to carry out the tasks connected to their role. At CTS, we employ worksheets (checklists) connected to how-to articles, ensuring each team member consistently delivers a flawless resolution without skipping any steps.
9- Create operational systems
The ultimate objective of systematizing your business is to build an organization that operates smoothly even in your absence. Implementing management systems to handle the daily operations of your business forms the last crucial part of the puzzle.
It’s never too late to get started with working on your business not just in it. Please share what systems you have in place and how much difference they have made for you.
See you next week,
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
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