In the last post, “How to Take Charge of Your Business’ Productivity and Profitability,” I talked about the increases in profitability you can achieve by incorporating processes and systems into your office-workers’ jobs in the same way manufacturing companies integrate them into their assembly lines.

While most managers jump in and try to fix issues that arise, you need to go one step further--stop the problems from rearing their ugly heads in the first place. That means being proactive--building processes and systems that generate work output. Then you can watch over your business’ engine rather than becoming one of the cogs in the machine.

Advanced Systems Are Now Affordable

There is no longer any excuse not to systematize office work.

That’s because there’s a quiet wave of change that’s now affecting employees from cubicles to corner offices. You can catch this wave, or be buried by it.

It’s cloud computing . Because it makes it possible for small businesses to use shared hardware and software over the Internet, systematizing your operations is more affordable than ever before. The cloud has leveled the playing field between thousands of smaller companies and Fortune 500 competitors.

These inexpensive systems are to office workers what the tools of the industrial revolution were to laborers. In the industrial revolution tools made precise, mass reproduction possible, creating efficiencies that substantially cut costs. The approach was so effective that manufacturing was never the same again. The same is now true for professionals.

Since conducting business is nothing more than executing hundreds of small tasks in a consistent effective manner, you need to identify the repetitive work patterns of your professional associates. Then you can encapsulate these procedures in systems that work like clockwork.

When you deal with business processes proactively, associates are freed up to spend most of their time exercising their brain power, judgment, and creativity to move your business forward.

Where do you Start Building Your Company Machine?

You don’t have to start with big sweeping changes--you can bite off a small piece at a time. Over the long run, a series of small changes can add up to substantial increases in productivity and employee engagement.

• Small Bites Give You a Taste

  So get your feet wet with some quick wins. For example, you can put a process and system in place to assure the petty cash doesn’t run out. It warns you when cash is low and assures you replenish it at the same time as you’re depositing a check at the bank. After all, why run out of money? And why go to the bank twice when you can go once?

• Purge the Pain

  Or you can tackle the issues that cause the greatest pain. For example, do you run into stumbling blocks when you hire employees because you lack a systematic on-boarding and orientation program? When employees are not given the guidance and tools they need, they feel lost and are held back from being productive.

  A series of tasks have to be completed to make sure new associates can hit the road running. For instance, they need a telephone, an office, a computer, a user account, an e-mail account, employee training, a first assignment and more. When different people are responsible for each of the on-boarding tasks, it’s likely that someone will drop the ball. But if you systemize the process, you’ll assure your new hires are acting like seasoned pros as soon as possible.

In our next post I’ll talk about how using processes and systems can help you build your competitive advantage.

Call us at 484-892-5713 or Contact Us now to schedule your free consultation, and discover how AllianceTek can help you leverage information technology for your business’ prosperity.