Not having a plan is like flying an aircraft without navigation equipment.
An administrative plan is similar to an operations plan, but for your business admin – your unique combination of technology, tools, systems and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that make the business run smoothly.
Businesses usually have a set of existing set of tools and systems. But there are multiple ways to streamline processes and create productivity and accuracy improvements.
Fixing those leaky pipes
Using a plumbing analogy – if you have a leaking water pipe, it seems minor, but slowly adds up in both money and resources lost over the course of a year. The sooner you get the plumber in to fix it, the less your business will be leaking time and cost.
When you begin to function with effective time-saving systems, you can grow your business in the way you want to. And you can stop wearing so many different hats and truly focus where the business needs you.
Three steps to a better business
I build administration plans using my three-step ‘Freedom Framework’ – a pathway that creates more freedom in your life and business, enabling you to reach your business goals faster and with more enjoyment.
The framework and process are broken down into three simple steps: 1) Analyse, 2) Discover, 3) Implement.
Analyse: what’s working and what’s not?
A lot of the time, business owners don’t necessarily know what isn’t working within their business. This is why it’s great to lay everything out on the table and delve into all aspects – work, life and family – some of which you may not have even considered.
This gives you a deeper perspective and clarity to focus on the things you can improve. Ask yourself:
- How many hours a day do you spend at work?
- Which tasks take the most time?
- How much time are you spending on business development each week?
- What technology are you using?
- What are your pain points and challenges in the business?
- If your business was operating smoothly, what would that look like for you?
- What are your three top priorities?
The importance of these questions is to gather information and determine exactly where help is needed most. Then you can address the areas that need attention to get results quickly.
It’s also important to understand what success looks like. To understand that, be clear on what’s not working, so you can measure the success of any new systems and processes.
Discover:
Once you know what isn’t working and the goals you want to reach, then delve further into the problem to understand the processes, strategies and tools currently implemented or missing. Ask yourself:
- Is your company held up by slow manual processes?
- Are you or your staff resistant to change?
- How much technology are you using?
- Is the technology appropriate to the task? Is it missing essential features?
- Are the right people carrying out those tasks? And do they have the right skill-set?
- What communication systems do you use and does everyone know what’s expected?
Sometimes you just need to let go of the reins a little, so you can create a more efficient working environment and create space to work on the business instead of working in it.
This step will:
- Uncover deeper areas you may not have thought of during the Analysis phase.
- Give you a greater understanding of the mechanics of your business.
- Provide any missing pieces of the puzzle to ensure any changes made in your business are actually worthwhile.
Implement: streamline and automate
The final step, to get your business and life working smoothly alongside each other, is the implementation stage. Here, you know the things that are not working, so you can start to fix them.
You’ll need to ensure solutions are positive and fit for purpose. To some extent, you are trying to future-proof your business, so your systems and processes last as long as possible before needing a review or update.
The Implement stage is the easy stage because we’ve put in the groundwork during the Analysis and Discovery stages.
So this final step includes tasks such as automating and creating workflows to save you time and money and creating harmony in your working environment so both your business and life can thrive.
If you need help creating an admin plan, get in touch, we can help.
