Watch Out For The Little Things!

I was tied up in a conversation the other day about how I was too focussed on the 'little' things when we should be focused on the 'big' things.

The conversation was going back and forward until I wrote this on their whiteboard in their office:

No Invoicing + No Debtor Management + No Quotations = No Work

All the little things we had been talking about led to one of the four elements in the 'equation' above.

So, we agreed on a routine for handling the 'small' things, five to ten minute packets of work dotted through the week.

Then we looked at the big things. We chose a priority, came up with a plan of action and then (as a single team) agreed to put a big hole in this item until we even considered looking at any other items.

The point of this post is that small things need to be handled. Like the Kaizen method of continuous improvement, they add up. Not doing something (like processing your in tray, responding to customer queries, confirming technical details, sending out quotes etc...) may not hurt your business today, but keep avoiding them and something elsewhere in your business will surely fall over in due course, something that you will not consider to be a small thing!

So, what small things are floating round your business that you need to get a handle on?

Giles Johnston
...optimising MRP systems and re-engineering business processes

P.S. If you are looking for some ideas on getting more routine in your business and handling the 'small' things more effectively then check out my book 'Sunrise Meetings'.

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