The Streamlined Business Blog is all about getting—and keeping—Operations Under Control by implementing good business systems, processes, and standard operating procedures. Our staff experts blog regularly on a range of topics including: Operations Mapping approaches, systems-based management, standardizing operations, calculating costs and ROI for systems improvements and a whole lot more.
Standardizing Operations
Standard Operating Procedures: Straight jacket or Lifeline?
You can divide most people into two categories when it comes to standard operating procedures: those who see them as a lifeline for effective operations and those who see them as a negative force, a straight jacket constraining creativity and innovation. How do you achieve the positive results SOPs provide and turn around the negative […] READ MORE
SOPs for Process Improvement? Absolutely!
Recently an Executive coach we’ve been working with commented about how our Operations Mapping method – linking processes to detailed standard operating procedures, work instructions and policies — is a perfect fit for improving organizational performance, process improvement and re-engineering applications. We agree. Our clients do too. Yet, some people resist this idea. The resistance […] READ MORE
The Importance of Execution: Why Don’t Companies “Get This”?
It’s the foundation of our business at COMPROSE from Operations Mapping to Zavanta software. We write about it. We preach it. We’re passionate about it. We help our clients do it. It’s the underlying theme in some of the most popular business books on the market today – executing your mission. The really great companies […] READ MORE
Think “Systemizing” is Boring and Low Value? Think Again!
Many people resist “systems-thinking” and standardizing operations or think its boring mumbo jumbo. For those of you nodding your head in agreement right now, consider this: $360,000 saved in one work group (direct mail services group) Achieved ISO9000 in half the normal time (manufacturer) 65% reduction in defects (manufacturer) Standardized operations across 160 branch locations […] READ MORE
Lighten the Load: Decluttering Your Business Systems
Part of clearing the decks for the New Year involves clearing desks—weeding out all the old files, old projects, and miscellaneous odds and ends that take up physical and mental space and block progress. Decluttering frees up space, energy, and restores focus so you can get more done. You probably declutter your workspace when it […] READ MORE
How to Make Your Organization “Bulletproof”
In a prescient article “Contingency Plan Key to Surviving Economic Downturns,” Jayme Broudy makes a compelling case about the importance of standardizing operations and streamlining business processes as a means to survive economic downturns. He talks about the importance of “investing” in long-term survival and asks: “So what does ‘invest to insure long-term survival’ really […] READ MORE
Do “Unwritten Rules” Undermine Your Business?
Whether you have an official Operations Manual or not, the people in your organization apply policies and procedures everyday to guide decisions and complete their work. You might ask, Why bother to write down standard operating procedures and policies and make them “official”? Many organizations don’t. They operate by “unwritten rules,” informal policies and procedures […] READ MORE
Standardize Best Practices
When you have developed a winning system that’s getting great results, it’s time to clone it and multiply your success. That’s just what COMPROSE’s Zavanta software recently helped The University of Miami’s nationally recognized entrepreneurial resource center, The Launch Pad, achieve. Zavanta played an integral role in The Launch Pad’s successful initiative to clone and […] READ MORE
Are Your “Core Systems” and “Key Processes” a Joke?
We had to laugh out loud at the June 3rd “Dilbert” comic strip. As usual, Scott Adams put his finger on how often strategic management processes like “core systems”– that sound so good in the board room–can misfire and become punchlines around the water cooler. Are you actually encouraging your employees and colleagues to act […] READ MORE
Doing the right things — consistently
That’s a core principle of Sam Silverstein’s methodology and book: “No More Excuses – The Five Accountabilities for Personal and Organizational Growth.” “We are accountable to do the right things consistently.” Sam goes on to explain: “The problem is many managers are great at the strategic level but don’t define the right things that need […] READ MORE
