Before using our online inventory system - try process mapping first.
We’ve talked about the benefit of process mapping for your small business in several previous posts. It wasn’t until I had an ah-ha moment in my personal life that I truly realized just how beneficial this process could be. Before using our online inventory system, Stockpile, you should consider mapping out just how you want to manage your inventory.
Twice a month I lead a meeting at 6:30 PM. Each time I end up rushing out the door feeling harried and considering pushing the start time back by at least half an hour. At least another two times per month I attend 6:30 PM meetings and I easily get there in plenty of time without feeling rushed. This led me to really consider what the differences in the two situations were. The only real difference is my being the leader vs. a participant. When I really began considering why this had such an effect on my ability to get out the door in a timely manner it became clear. When I am the leader I need to have a plan, I often need to bring materials that will be necessary during the course of the meeting. When I am just an attendee, I only need to bring myself and possibly a pen and a pad of paper. AH-HA! While I do plan the meetings that I lead out in advance, I often leave a few things until the last minute. I frequently find myself scurrying around gathering items as I am actually heading out the door. This is precisely why I feel harried and rushed and have a time getting to the meeting when I’d like.
This is where process mapping would have helped. Much like mapping out how you want inventory to flow from location to location using our online inventory system.
Had I taken the time to map out my process for getting out the door on time in both situations, I would have quickly seen the problem. It would have obvious that my ‘out the door’ routine was much longer on the nights that I led meetings than it was on the nights that I attended meetings. My ah-ha moment would have come much earlier saving me weeks or even months of stress.
This is why process mapping is so important for your small business. Just because the way you do something is working doesn’t mean that there isn’t a better way to do it. Process mapping not only helps you solve problems, it helps you identify areas for improvement so that you can act on them before they become problems.
Now that I can see where my issues lie, I can work on improving my process so that I can make both sets of meetings on time without all the stress. Try process mapping your business and you’ll be amazed by how much impact you can make with just a few small tweaks to your system here and there. You might even have your own ah-ha moment. For more information about how to get started with process mapping and our online inventory system, just signup today and send a help request from with the system.
