Starting with SYSTEMS – Always Share Your Desired OUTCOMES & SYSTEMS with your “A Team”
Many business owners and managers play the “Guessing Game” – They let their team members try to “Guess” what they really want to achieve.
ALWAYS Know and share your desired Outcomes to Build Better Systems – especially your Vision, Mission and Values
Business Plans of many small businesses are either old or non-existent. Targets and KPIs are unclear or scarce. Help your team achieve more by clearly communicating your desired Outcomes and Business Direction.
Don’t Keep it a SECRET! Give us a HINT!
ANY document that can help CLARIFY the desired outcomes & direction of the business is really USEFUL to boost team engagement and results.
Let’s start by getting everybody on the same 1st page of Business Systems 101.
Here is a Useful Checklist of some helpful documents to achieve better Organisational Clarity and Results.
AN “ABOUT OUR COMPANY” DOCUMENT
- Our PURPOSE – Why we do it / our WHY
- Our PHILOSOPHY – What we believe
- Our PEOPLE – Who we are
- Our PLAN – What we do
- Our PROCESSES – How we do it
- Our POSSIBILITIES – Opportunities
- Our PROBLEMS – Issues and Concerns
- Our PERFORMANCE – KPI expectations
- Out PAYOFF – Benefits and Bonuses
CLEAR DIRECTION DOCUMENTS
- VALUES STATEMENT – What’s really important to us?
- VISION STATEMENT & MISSION STATEMENT
- S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
- STAKEHOLDERS – Clear Identification of all STAKEHOLDERS involved in the business
- COMPETITOR ANALYSIS – Who are our competitors (By Segment)
- TARGET MARKET & IDEAL BUYER PERSONAS – Who are our buyers? in detail.
- CORE STRENGTHS (Niches) – The Hedgehog Principle – What ONE thing do we do well?
- UPDATED BUSINESS PLAN – Business Strategies are Clear (create a Liveplan or One Page Plan)
- FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES – Budget, Actuals, CPC Comparisons
HUMAN RESOURCES HR DOCS
- OUR ORGANISATIONAL CHART – names and pictures
- OUR ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES – Individual Position & Ideal Person Descriptions
- OUR CULTURE STATEMENT – Our Philosophy
- A COURTESY SYSTEM in place
- PRODUCTIVITY & EFFICIENCY – meetings are meaningful, motivational and minute-wise (See the 25 minute meeting by Donna McGeorge)
- HOUSE RULES – clear set of basic HR Policies & Procedures
- RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES & REMUNERATION PLANS
- INDUCTION AND ONBOARDING PROGRAM
STAFF INDUCTION DOCS
- ONBOARDING CHECKLIST – Admin, Financial, Show Around, Meet People
- VISIT & READ OUR COMPANY WEBSITE
- CLEAR EXPECTATIONS & PROCESSES – Checklists
- STYLE GUIDE / BRAND GUIDE – Logos, Colours, Pics, Videos, Examples of past work
- TEAM COMMUNICATION TOOLS – coaching, feedback and samples
- FAQs & FADQs lists – Frequently Asked Questions (made public) and Difficult Questions (keep private)
COUNTING & MEASURING BUSINESS OUTCOMES
- KEY METRICS have been established – Which things to measure regularly
- KPIs & KRAs OKRs – MEASUREMENT & FEEDBACK SYSTEMS in place – Key performance indicators and Key Results Areas
- FINANCIAL REPORTING RHYTHM – Regular Meetings on P&L or A&L
ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS OUTCOMES
- P.E.S.T. ANALYSIS Completed (Political, Environmental, Social, Technological)
- WORKING ENVIRONMENT – WHS/OHS issues, Built Environment audits
- EQUIPMENT & TOOLS – Technology & Software up to date
- COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT – New Competitors/Threats regularly assessed
OUTSOURCED STAFF CHECKLIST
- SURROUNDINGS & SUPPORT – Risk Analysis – Security – power, pics, helpers, Family
- OFFICE SET UP – Connection, Mobile phones, computer, other equipment
- TOOLS – Preferred Software programs
- REFERENCES – Past work, Past employers
- SCENARIO PLANNING – Robbery, Theft, Backup, Disaster (hurricane, flood, fire)
RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON CREATING SYSTEMS
- Michael Gerber’s Book – The E-Myth Revisited
- Sam Carpenter’s Book – Work the System (free E-Book)
- Systemology by David Jenyns
- Traction – Get a Grip on your Business by Gino Wickman
