3 Ways to Manage Small Business Operations
In every business, there are day-to-day tasks that contribute to the overall success of the organization as a whole—we’ll refer to the sum of these tasks as business operations. Typical business operations could include purchasing and organizing resources, creating products, providing services, keeping track of accounts, and general office management. Proper management of operations within a small business is essential in establishing best practices and achieving optimal workflow—both of which ultimately contribute to financial gain.
For any small business owner looking to achieve optimal efficiency in business operations, he or she must first take a step back and analyze the current status of operations. How effective is your current system of operations? How well does your business utilize its staff, resources, and technology? Is your business growing? Once you have completely assessed the strengths and weaknesses of your small business’s operations, you can begin to implement the following three steps: planning, organization, and monitoring.
Planning
Everyone sets goals in one way or another, but sometimes we forget that there is a very specific process we must follow in order to see our goals actualized. In order for any small business to succeed, business operations must be carefully planned—from the way products are handled and produced to the way issues are dealt with and resolved. As leadership, business owners must develop strategies that will allow their small business to meet objectives on both a short-term and long-term basis.
This is where business owners need to review company data on a regular basis and ask questions regarding the productivity of the resources they currently have, so that they can identify the areas that could use some help. Once the issues are identified, employers will then have specific issues to create step-by-step plans around in order to improve workplace operations. The most important part of the planning process would come next. Include your plans in your business’s operations manual and distribute it to your employees and offer training. Ensure that everyone knows both the goals and the steps you desire be taken to reach those goals.
Organization
As much as employers want to see their employees working in the most efficient and productive manner, that cannot happen until there is a certain amount of organization in the workplace. This applies to the physical space—reducing clutter and junk and ensuring there is a properly labeled spot for everything—and to the procedures that team members should follow. Your staff needs to have a very clear understanding of their personal responsibilities as well as how they fit into the grand scheme of things in the small business.
If you planned the designation of assignments to team members well in the previous step, this is where you would begin to see the fruit of your labor, as each member of your staff would be able to follow the guide you set out without confusing their responsibilities with any other staff member. Though it may not always seem this way, your team wants and even needs to be told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Using great resources like project management software can be a valuable method of keeping everyone organized.
Monitoring
As important as planning and organization are in creating smooth business operations, one of the most essential aspects in small business operations management is monitoring progress and ensuring that what you have set in place actually works. Monitoring operations requires management to be very hands on within the small business in terms of observing employees in action, giving and receiving feedback from both employees and customers, as well as continually analyzing collected data. One of the best ways to collect data for monitoring purposes is to use a customer retention management (CRM) software that can offer leadership a closer look at workplace operations.
As employers observe their plans in action, it is important to take note of any areas of weakness within the plan or the employees’ execution of the plan. You should also offer training to employees on a regular basis in order to reinforce best practices and to make new protocols habit. Managing small business operations is a process that never ends. Plans should always be revised and edited to provide your team with the best way forward for whatever season your small business may be experiencing. But as long as you are committed to implementing strategies that will help your team work together well, you are already on the right track towards achieving successful business operations.
Tuxedo Impressions LLC™ aims to help small businesses operate with maximum efficiency. If you would like assistance in any or all of the three steps mentioned in this article, contact us today.
~ Jamara Wilson, Team Tuxedo Impressions LLC™
