Never underestimate the power of the humble checklist. If you’ve ever come home from the store only to realize that you forgot to pick up one of the items that you went there to get, you know how helpful having a checklist can be. If you make a list of the things you need and then check it off as you add items to your cart you can be sure that you come home with everything. Making a checklist can provide big benefits for your small business as well. That's why we built reporting functions into our online inventory system for small business. Our reports allow you to print and download picklists and other forms of checklists that will help make managing your small business's inventory that much easier.
One of the first steps in improving your business processes should be making checklists for the tasks that you commonly perform. Even if a process seems too simple to require a list, make one anyway. You may be surprised by the number of steps that you actually perform to complete even a basic job. If multiple employees perform the same task you may find that different people do things differently.This would be a good time to review the process and standardize it so that everyone is completing the same steps each time. If two people are doing the same job very differently you either have one employee performing unnecessary steps or another missing critical parts of the process. Neither scenario is good for your bottom line.
Even if you are the only person responsible for the task in question the power of the checklist is still mighty. We are increasingly distracted. With our minds pulled in multiple directions we try to multi-task but the reality is that we aren’t able to give anything 100% of our attention for very long. A checklist can ensure that steps don’t get missed regardless of how scattered your attention is.
Additionally, having a checklist can really improve morale. There is nothing better for creating a feeling of accomplishment than checking items off a list as you complete them. Regardless of how long your checklist is, it still feels good as you see the checkmarks adding up. Have a day where you don’t feel like you got anything done? Check the list. You may be surprised by how many checkmarks you’ve accrued. Interrupted in the middle of a project? Don’t waste time trying to remember where you left off. Refer to the checklist and start with the first unchecked item.
The checklist may be a simple device but don’t be fooled, the humble checklist can wield great power when used correctly. Have inventory to track? Make trying Stockpile number one on your checklist. You’ll be able to check that item off quickly and move on to other pressing issues. With our powerful inventory management solution you’ll be confident that your inventory is under control. Try Stockpile today and see how we can help your small business. After all, Stockpile is simply the best online inventory system for small business available. That should be reason enough:-)
