Gathering information - A fundamental start for a new electronic systems

I've been thinking about this for some time now and decided it is worth a few lines of information.

The reason been, gathering information - is probably the most important starting point when deciding on an electronic systems. Work processes are not always straight forward, they often involve other areas of the business and the key is to make the connection and create a solution for this.

Often gaps and bottlenecks are found at this stage - thus a great opportunity for optimising business processes.

It's always best to get a consultant to do the interviews / gathering of information.
Firstly, staff are more likely to be more open with a consultant than a manager or boss and
secondly they ask the right questions that help 'switch on the light' This comes from a genuine interest in finding out exactly what the business processes are.

To get the most benefit of such an interview - choosing the correct person to be interviewed is crucial: Look out for members of the team that are knowledgeable about the business, are forward thinkers, understand the business processes and how other areas relate with each other.

A good start will ensure a smoother implementation and avoid repeated changes been made.

A great way to get Feedback

I've been doing some work with a client for a few weeks now and notice there was no feedback and evaluation about the new system been implemented, taking place. This was rather strange, wouldn't you want to know if your people are coping with a new system or what kind of resistance there is?

This has lead me to thinking about years ago, everyone used to do surveys - Surveys for this surveys for that, surveys in the streets and at gyms.
You don't really see that as much anymore, may be people just don't stop in the streets or have time to sit marking off survey sheets.

But isn't this just a fantastic way of finding out what people really think. Often in the work place Executives might not ask the correct questions or staff might not feel they can say what they really think

So I have done an extensive search for a Survey Tool and found this fantastic Web based Survey tool site that gives you a good demo plus easy to create Surveys, without too much knowledge of any web language. Displays answers in a variety of formats and easy to read also exports to excel or other programs.http://www.chumpsoft.com/

Did you think you could change the way people work and everything would go smoothly?

Changing the way you work and implementing a new system is not all about the end result!

Communication is the key, especially to all members who will be affected by the new process.

Too many times I have been called upon to assist on a project where a new system has been implemented either a few months or sometimes even years back. So even though this is my job, this is what I do - it is almost too late to bring someone in to help at the point of desperation!

Change management needs to be integrated with the project management plan and it is something that continues to happen throughtout and after implemenation is complete.

Here are 10 steps for organisations to consider when implementing change

Free your mind for free

This is more about mapping processes, but I found this great free down , go to this site http://freemind.en.softonic.com/ and download free application.

This is a good way to start anaylising your business from beginning to end.

If you start with your business name and then decide on 3 or 4 main headings like:

1. Operational processes

2 Management processes

3. Marketing & Sales

4. Admin

Then expand on each accordingly, this will allow your mind to flow

If you get stuck or go blank , move on to another string, come back to that one later.

You will find lots of ideas will be popping into your head - don't hold on to them, put them down straight away, so your mind can flow again!

It's probably a good idea to get your team managers together or find another important business relation - doing it with other people always helps

Book 1/2 a day or a few hour to do all together, avoid interruptions and phone calls.

Well worth time spent

Why Intranet for your business?

What is an intranet site anyway?

Intranet sites are 'websites' that are used mainly by internal staff members or anyone else to whom you give access to - so they are not public for all to see!

It also has restricted access rights to view and read only, edit rights or no access at all on private material.

So how does an Intranet help your business?
It allows you to do the following

• Share information between team members


• One place for all information (no more files on other peoples desktops you can't find)


• Information available 24/7 in real time


• Live events Calender


• News and updates


• Document storage


• Document Version control


• Teams can have their own sites


• Defines your processes and procedures


• Help desk


• search engine


• and more..........

Its a hub of information and at the same time ensure good business practice. It saves you hours and hours of wasted time and limits unnecessary meetings and long distance phone calls.

What type of business will benefit from an Intranet?

The quick answer is this: Any business, doesn't matter what you do - every business has information.

When is it time to get an Intranet if you are a small business?

Small businesses should consider Intranet

• If you have staff members in various locations on site or working from home


• If you are finding in difficult to maintain correct procedures and protocols


• To improve your business processes


• Your business is loosing money


• You need to save money


• You have many projects on the go at once


• If you have a full time admin assistant - it is time!

If this has interested you and you are now seriously thinking about an Intranet, why not check out Microsoft Sharepoint services 3.0 it is now FREE to downlaod.

There is nothing like automation!!

I've been telling people for the last 4 month, who ask me how old I am, that i'm 37. It was only when I filled out my details on this system where it asked me for birthday and then automatically calculates your age did I realize that i'm actually 38 years old!

It reminds me of a time when I joined Mansell Group in charge of the document control department, one of the project managers would call yelling at the document controller on the job "Where is that document I sent up to the head office!" and she would respond by saying.....'er what document?' and after some to and fro discussion he would say "well I sent it up to your office and I automatically thought you would receive it." "Not if you didn't address it to me!" She would reply.


So where am I going with this........... People like automation, they trust it (should you?) they like to think that once they click on something, something else automatically happens so that they don't have to worry about it again. Maybe this is the down fall of emails

It is certainly a big part of creating processes and procedures on an electronic system.
As you think about the steps you need to put into place to create a process, don't forget to define the ones that can be automated.


Wouldn't it be great if you could click on this





and it would automatically cook you dinner!

Flowcharts and Processes

There is a lot to be said about creating flowcharts for you processes. It is worth spending a few hours, yes I said hours, to create on paper the process you wish to maintain. You can easily find flowchart software see www.SmartDraw.com or www.braininabox , otherwise try using powerpoint.

I was so excited last week talking to a business owner who said to me. 'Rosanna, I used to say to people, yes I know , I know as they tried to explain processes to me when infact I knew nothing. Now I have a flowchart for all my processes and I really do KNOW what my business is about!'

'Is this something to get excited about you may ask me?'

For sure it is, it is a major break through! More and more people need to start taking their business seriously, especially now when times are hard, it is a great opportunity to sit down and write out step by step each process your business runs on.

Why is this important? If you are more than 2 people in an office you should do this. Everyone thinks differently or sometimes people don't think at all and if you own a business it is your responsiblity to lay down the process on how things should work.
Don't be afraid of what you will discover......... It will be challenging!