Operations & Systems
Everything works because a few people remember how
Then one of them leaves, or goes on holiday, and the business discovers what was only in their head. This session covers what is genuinely worth writing down, how to write it so somebody follows it, and how to avoid the paperwork nobody reads.
Explore this page6 sections
You do not need a process manual. You need the six things that break when somebody is away.
Many small businesses go straight from nothing written down to an over-engineered document nobody opens. Both fail. What works is a short list of the things that go wrong repeatedly, or that only one person can do.
The test for whether a process is worth writing is simple: has this gone wrong more than twice, or does it stop entirely when one particular person is absent?
How to do it
30 topics across 6 areas. Six things.
What Is Worth Writing DownFar less than people assume.5 topics
- Anything that has gone wrong more than twice
- Anything only one person can do
- Anything a new joiner needs in week one
- Anything with a legal or safety consequence
- Anything a customer sees
If it happens once a year and one person handles it well, leave it alone.
Writing One Somebody Will FollowShort, specific and where the work happens.5 topics
A page. Steps in order. What good looks like. What to do when it goes wrong. Kept where the person doing the job actually is, not in a folder on a laptop.
- The outcome, stated first
- The steps, in order
- What good looks like
- The common exceptions
- Who to ask when it is not covered
Getting It UsedWhere most attempts die.5 topics
- Written with the person who does the job, not for them
- Tested by somebody who has not done it before
- Reviewed after the first few uses
- Updated when it is wrong
- Referenced when training somebody new
Quality and ConsistencyWhat the process is actually for.5 topics
- What is checked, and by whom
- What happens when a check fails
- How rework is recorded
- What repeat problems tell you
- Fixing the cause rather than the instance
Vendors and SupplyWhere consistency usually breaks first.5 topics
- What was agreed, in writing
- What is checked on receipt
- What happens when they are late
- How dependent you are on one supplier
- What your fallback is
When Growth Outruns OperationsThe good problem that damages reputations.5 topics
The businesses that survive a growth spurt are the ones that slowed sales for a quarter rather than failing delivery for a year.
- What breaks first when volume doubles
- Which promises you are already failing
- Whether to slow selling or fix delivery
- What to fix in what order
- What you will refuse to take on
Start with these six
- How an order is taken and confirmed
- How work is scheduled
- What is checked before it goes out
- How a complaint is handled
- How a new person is inducted in week one
- What happens when the key person is away
Signs you need them now
- The same mistake has happened three times
- One person's absence stops work
- New joiners take months to become useful
- Customers get different answers from different people
- You are personally checking things you should not need to
- Quality varies and nobody can say why
How the session runs
Participants list what goes wrong repeatedly in their own business and what stops when a particular person is away — which produces the real list. One process is then written properly in the room, on a single page, and tested by somebody else in the group reading it cold.
What your students leave with
- A short, honest list of what is worth documenting
- One process written properly on a single page
- A test for whether anybody will actually follow it
- Quality checks with somebody named against them
- A view of their dependence on single suppliers and single people
- A plan for what breaks first if volume doubles
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Start a conversation
Ask for this session
Tell us who you are and what you have in mind. A person reads it and writes back, usually within two working days.
- Tell us what you need
A topic or a question is enough to start.
- A person replies
Usually within two working days.
- Agree the next step
We work out the details together.
You need the six things that break when somebody is away.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.