Operations · Starter guide
Why growth can make a good business harder to run.
Five warning signs that your operating system has not kept pace with the company.
Recognize the pattern.
Watch for recurring rework, missed delivery promises, unclear hand-offs, dependence on a few individuals and constant expediting. When these become normal, the process may no longer fit the scale of the business.
Follow one customer commitment through the business.
Trace a job or order from the initial promise to delivery and payment. Mark delays, duplicate entry, unclear ownership and exceptions. Ask the people doing the work what repeatedly prevents a smooth hand-off.
Fix and measure one recurring failure.
Select a repeated problem with a visible business consequence. Assign an owner, change the process and measure the effect on quality, time or customer delivery. Confirm that the improvement lasts before moving on.
Questions for your next management discussion
- Where does work most often wait?
- Which exceptions happen so often that they are no longer exceptions?
- What recurring problem would free the most capacity if eliminated?
15 minutes. Owner to operator.
Start with the problem.
If this sounds familiar, tell me what is happening in your business. We can start with a short conversation.
Erich Stolz, CTP
832-372-5419
CFO@1CFOcenter.com