At MBS, we regularly work with scaling small businesses and non-profits and we’ve noticed a few patterns when it comes to the problems they need to solve.
All of them come down to knowing how they’re going to spend their operational and organizational budget for the next quarter or even year. Where do they need to allocate resources first? How can they spend it in an efficient way?
So I’m going to break down the three places I recommend starting depending on the situation your business or organization finds itself in.
Each of the 3 is based on the MBS framework of processes, tech, and people which you can read more about in this article!
Core problem 1: You’re running from fire to fire
If you’re feeling like you’re constantly putting out one fire after the other, then your priority needs to be looking at your internal processes.
You need to make sure that you have SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in place for everything in the business and that they are all clearly documented.
The truth is, you can’t expect your team to read your mind, so if you have a particular way that something needs to be done, to prevent chaos or disaster, then these processes need to be documented so you aren’t spending your time fixing avoidable mistakes.
Because typically speaking, not putting in the energy and time to plan and document your processes is how fires start in the first place.
Think of it as loading the time upfront to make it easier in the long run.
Because let’s face it, you have to break the loop at some point so you’re better off doing it sooner rather than later as it’s only going to get worse.
The fires are going to get bigger and harder to keep putting out!
And if you don’t have the time, manpower, or desire to do this then there are options to bring in experts to work on developing and documenting your processes for you! (like us).
Core problem 2: You’re having trouble finding and retaining talent
If finding the right people to join and stay on your team is difficult, this is usually because of one of three reasons.
Firstly, it could be indicative of what you’re projecting on the job description that is not accurately reflecting what the role involves. This is usually because you haven’t taken the time to get super clear on what the expectations of the role are.
Secondly, it might be that you’re hiring people who don’t have the right skill set. This also often stems from not creating an accurate job description or thorough hiring process.
Or finally, the work culture within your organization might not be what you think it is. Do you have a culture that fosters creativity, encourages out-of-the-box thinking, or gives people the space to grow and ask questions?
All of these lead to frustration on both sides.
If you aren’t creating accurate job descriptions, people are coming in expecting to fulfill one type of role but end up being forced into another. This usually means they are instantly overworked and frustrated, leaving them unable to solve your problems and you’re back to needing more help.
This is why you need to take the time to evaluate what roles you really need within your organization. Evaluate what’s working and what isn’t and document your processes while evaluating your tech stack to identify any gaps before hiring someone. This way you can accurately identify the role you need and advertise it in a way that is reflective of what is truly needed.
Then, take the time to evaluate your company culture and work on nurturing the environment you create so people want to stay.
Core problem 3: You’re the bottleneck in your business
If you have no visibility on what your team is doing and nothing can happen without you putting energy into it or manually moving things forward yourself- you probably need to look at your tech.
This situation is typically indicative of a lack of processes and tech.
So to be able to stop being the bottleneck, you first need to get visibility on what your team is doing and what tech is in place.
Because if you’re manually having to do everything in your organization, the chances are your team isn’t equipped with the right processes and your tech tools either aren’t being used properly or they aren’t the right tools, or you aren’t delegating ownership of a solution.
The whole point of a Project Management tool is to give you this visibility and take repetitive manual labor away from you. So if your PM tool isn’t doing that…it’s time to look at why.
The solution
The simple answer to all of these problems is to put time and effort into figuring it all out. You need to be evaluating your tech, your processes, and your people.
This can be time-consuming but it is absolutely essential.
And the truth is, these problems can arise at any point in your business if you don’t dedicate that time to evaluating, documenting, and implementing processes and tech.
Whether you are a large organization, a service-based business, or a non-profit- these problems may be dressed up differently, but the causes are always the same (trust me, I’ve seen it time and time again across the board).
If you don’t have the time or capacity to do this, that is where we come in! We’re experts at diagnosing the real cause of the issues in your business and implementing the processes and tech you need to fix them. You can find out more about how we do this on our website.