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.
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How to Grow Your Business Without Spiraling Out of Control
Growth is a BIG topic for today’s business leaders in organizations of all sizes, industries. If you’re already on a fast trajectory or in expansion mode, you’ve probably experienced some of the operational challenges in scaling an organization. Here’s what your C-level peers are telling us: “We still operate off tribal knowledge.” “There’s no standardization. READ MORE
How to Modernize Your Policy and Procedure Communication
Is your organization wasting time and money developing policies and procedures that no one uses? Organizations that integrate clear policy and procedure communication into everyday life realize improved quality, reduced training / turnover costs, and a more empowered workforce. (Results like: 75% error reduction, 50% reduction in employee onboarding time are NOT uncommon) So, the potential value is there, but READ MORE
Insider’s View: The importance of Policies and Procedures in CFPB audits
Guest blogger, Shelly Snapp shares first hand experience of why well-written policies and procedures are a life-saver in navigating Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) audits in particular. A vast majority of industries today find themselves challenged not just to keep up with the demands of the consumer’s every changing need, but also the changes within READ MORE
Zavanta Software Principles Highlighted in New Book “Secrets of Success with Procedures”
In his new book Secrets of Success With Procedures, Jack Nicholas, Jr., BS, MBA, P.E., CMRP, CRL, internationally recognized expert in business operations and maintenance reliability and a decorated US Navy veteran and naval engineer, shares his experiences on the importance of written procedures to operations success. Jack describes and discusses many management attributes centered READ MORE
Client Success Story: Bluegrass Community Family Practice
“Having all our standard operating procedures (SOPs) accessible at our fingertips is better for our patients and better for our staff. Zavanta has saved us time, improved accuracy and confidence, and reduced stress,” -Dr. Brian Sosnin In a recent interview, staff at Bluegrass Community Family Practice shared how Zavanta SOP software from COMPROSE Inc has READ MORE
Best Practice vs Better Practice – Testing and Refining SOPs
There are layers of gems in this recent Forbes article, which focuses on how to affect change in a “slow-to-change” arena such as government. The article by Eliza Berman was originally published in the Daily Muse. We love this view of best practice vs. better practice. “…the idea that something is the best implies that READ MORE
Want your New Hires to Stick Around? Train them
A great, quick read from INC magazine by Abigail Tracy highlighting a recent study that argues that new hires are less interested in perks and more interested in trainings. Employees want to be set up for success. Interested? Read More Here Onboarding new hires don’t care about perks The benefit of investing in your employees READ MORE
The Propagation of “Busy” is Dangerous Trend
“Do you rush through the morning paper, barely skimming the headlines while answering emails and making kids’ lunches? Do you compete with coworkers over how late you stay at the office each night?” Lisa Evan’s recent piece in Fast Company provides a brief overview of the culture of busy. It is a topic that is READ MORE
Share Your SOPS How You Need To, When You Need To
One of the key elements to making policies and standard operating procedures actually useful is to share your SOPs with your employees. While this sounds obvious, a lot of organizations create old-fashioned SOP documents and employee handbooks only to store them in a binder somewhere that lives in a file drawer with the extra pens READ MORE
5 Ways to Finally Get Your Procedure Manuals Done
We’re amazed at the number of people who really want to develop better standard operating procedures for their organization, who clearly understand the benefits of standardized procedures and who even have management mandates and funded projects to develop or update their policies and procedure manuals. But–despite all that–never manage to actually do anything about it. READ MORE