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Small Business Organization & Project Management
Smooth Projects Article Comments:
As suggested in the
article below, oranization is not nice to have, it's mandatory if your
business is going to be successful. So how do you do it when you don't
have a staff to support you. You Dive In!
A great place
to start is to get the Project Management Software offered by Smooth
Projects to keep track, prioritize and delagate the list of things that
you need to get organized.
Organizing Tips for Small Business Success By Barbara Hemphill
IIf
you discovered the bottom line in your business depended on the
organization in your office, your reaction could range from complete
composure to sheer terror. Organization certainly has an effect on your
bottom line – and just as significantly – on your peace of mind. For
the small business or home office professional, effective organizing
can mean the difference between business failure and success. For the
11.1 million workers who have their offices at home, organization
skills can have a significant impact on their personal lives as well.
At no time in history has there been a greater need for getting organized. There are three major reasons for this:
- Information
is accumulating at a faster rate every day. The speed of the microchip
doubles every 18 months - with no end in sight. Every day we are
bombarded with new opportunities and challenges. Having the right
information at the right time can turn a prospect into a client, a
disaster into an opportunity.
- Not only do we have more to organize, but the demand
to organize it continually increases. Computers, fax machines, cellular
phones, and on-line services enable us - and require us - to do more
than ever before. If I can e-mail you a question in 20 seconds, why
can’t you respond with equal speed? And if you don’t, I’ll move on to
your competition!
- Small businesses owners rarely have sufficient cash
flow to administrative assistants to keep them organized, so they are
faced with organizing themselves. Support staff that are available are
given more and more responsibilities. Many entrepreneurs have no
support staff. Streamlining procedures and eliminating unnecessary
steps to minimize personnel time required to complete each task is
essential.
Organizing effectively requires continually
asking the questions: “Is this the best way to do this?” “Is this the
best time?” “Are these the best people?” Let’s look at six aspects of
organizing any small office or home office:
1. People 2. Finances 3. Information 4. Things 5. Space 6. Time
Identifying
the right person to do the right job is a key component to reaching
your desired goals. That assumes, of course, that the desired goal is
clearly defined and measurable! (If not, return to “Go!”) If your
company has a “staff of none,” you have to wear a lot of hats.
Outsourcing aspects of your business, from word processing, mailing, or
bookkeeping to sales, marketing, or project management, is often very
cost effective, and good organizing skills will significantly increase
your ability to use that avenue. Using family members in your business
can be a good strategy – and tax deductible. (My children started doing
my filing when they were 10 years old!)
Lack of capital is
often cited as one of the biggest causes of failure in a small
business. Great ideas and products without solid financial planning,
and more importantly, effective execution of that plan, will never
reach the marketplace. It’s often easier to save money than to earn it
– keep those overhead expenses at a minimum. And it’s cheaper to keep a
client than to get a new one, so take good care of the ones you have
(unless your client is expecting you to give an unrealistic discount
because of longevity – in which case you may be better off finding a
new!)
Research shows that the average person spends 150
hours a year looking for misplaced information. Identify what
information you need to provide the products and services your company
offers. Take a proactive approach. Don’t wait until the filing cabinets
are too full to file, but there’s no time to make decisions about what
to throw away! A few hours with an organizing consultant before there
is a problem can prevent weeks of grief later on.
Many
offices are filled with things no one uses, while unnecessary time and
energy is spent looking for things you really need. Identify a “Office
Organizing Day” – wear comfortable clothes and order pizza for lunch
for everyone. (Give that old printer to a school or non-profit
organization that doesn’t have any – and, as a bonus, write it off as a
tax deduction!) Repeat the event annually as a good business practice.
Offices
everywhere are getting smaller. Organizing space requires arranging
things in such a way that everyone can easily use the right thing at
the right time. The best source of additional space are often the
walls. Bookshelves, open shelf filing systems, and workstations with
“working walls” can be a major boon to the perennial space problem. If
you’re working at home, make sure your “home office” is a place you
love.
Creative minds (a requirement for any successful
business) always have more ideas than the physical body can carry out.
Recognize that fact and spend time planning to identify the most
crucial activities. Working smarter, not harder, is in the best
interest of business and family. The carpenter’s axiom - “Measure
twice; saw once” - is good advice for any business.
My
definition of organization is very simple: Does it work? Do you like
it? And, if what you do effects other people (and it will if you plan
to stay in business), “Does it work for everyone?”
How
long will it take to get organized? It doesn’t matter – just start! The
longer you wait to begin, the more time it will take, and the more
difficult it will be. Remember that in any organizing process, things
will sometimes feel worse before they feel better. To manage change is
difficult. Human behavior is not like computer software, it cannot be
installed. It has to be nurtured. It takes time to learn new behavior
patterns. Forgive yourself when you miss the mark. The rewards of good
organizing skills will be well worth your efforts!
©
Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at
Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or
Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill
Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create
and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work
and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and
time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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