Sometimes, organizations are drawn to making things complicated. We like to manage, to analyze, to strategize, and hold meetings to understand how to run the business. However, the best business leaders are focused on simplicity. Therefore, today we would like to offer a “simple” seven-step simplification strategy.
1. Review rules, non-productive activities, and time-wasters that abundantly exist most organizations. How many people have to review a project before signing off? How many signatures are needed to sign-off on a project? What can be streamlined to create more time for other tasks?
2. Think about your business from the customer's experience. Make sure you are clear on what they need and want from you.
3. What is really important? Is everyone in agreement with what the priorities are? Make sure all departments are on the same page and reassess every few months. Priorities will change.
4. Remove redundancies and take the shortest path. Once you know where you are headed, remove any extra, and unnecessary, steps.
5. Speak up. Many times people hesitate to disagree or question systems. Other times people are afraid to ask for clarity around the goals or instructions.
6. Repeat. A business is continually changing, growing, and expanding. With that comes the need to continually evaluate and adjust systems to focus on the ones which are most productive and weed out the non-essentials.
