Posted by James Cooper
Build a Knowledge Base for Operations Manuals
Create Manuals for your business so that anyone can fulfill the roles and tasks in your business...
Phase 5 of the mimosaPLANETTMsystematization Process is; Knowledge Base. This is all about pulling together the collective knowledge that you and every member of your team have about all aspects of your business. In other words, it's a way of protecting the ‘know-how' of your business, to make sure that if someone learns a lesson we transfer that knowledge from their mind to a company knowledge base; an operations manual, a policy manual, a technology manual, a troubleshooting database, etc. Learn how to get your own knowledge base setup so; new employees get up to speed faster, you ensure processes are followed, you protect and build company knowledge, and add value to your goodwill, plus more...
What is a Knowledge Base?
A knowledge base by definition is simply a database for managing knowledge. It gives you the ability to collect, organize and retrieve knowledge. They are most useful in training purposes because they allow people to retrieve specific knowledge and use it. For businesses, some of the best uses are for; user manuals and troubleshooting.
What structure and content can form a Knowledge Base?
Anything can form part of an organizations knowledge base. One of the most important aspects of making sure the knowledge base can be used is the ability for people to easily find the information they are looking for... so the format in which the content is organized is of primary importance. You'll need to ask yourself, how am I going to classify the data? Here's just one suggested classification system:
User manuals
- Operations Manual
- Marketing Department
- Marketing Manager
- Marketing Assistant
- Sales Department
- Sales Manager
- Sales Person
- Operations Department
- Operations Manager
- Team Leader
- Team Member
- HR Department
- Finance Department
- CFO/Financial Controller
- Office Manager
- Office Administrator
- Executive Department
- GM/CEO
- Director
- Personal Assistant
- Policy Manual
- Technology Manual
- Marketing & Sales System Manual
These user manuals are basically just user guides. They use written words and associated flowcharts and/or images to give people assistance to use a particular system, task, or to fulfill a role. More and more often video can be used, and should be used, to capture these 'how-to' experiences. You can use software to record the screen of a computer to capture a computer task (this is much easier and quicker for people to learn that trying to make sense of just plain text or plain text with screen shots). You also can use a camcorder to record just about anything else.
Troubleshooting
e.g. A help desk operator has a database of all the customer ‘cases' every lodged and the ‘solution' that was used to resolve that ‘case'. Over time, a huge ‘solutions' database is built which ensures that knowledge is collected in a database not just the employees head. This has massive benefits in small business!!!! How often are you, as a business owner or manager, interrupted by your team asking you "how do I solve this problem?". From my experience talking with business owners, they say it's all the time. Having an internal database of the common ‘SOLUTIONS' that you deal with 90% of the time, will help free up your time by empowering your team to handle the issue.
This is the next step beyond having an internal database of solutions (helps anyone in your team fulfilling the role of customer services become capable to resolve 90% of issues by themselves). Having an ‘External Help' system lets your customers try to resolve issues themselves first before calling your business. In big business, this has saved many companies millions, in small business this can be the difference between having 1 administrator and needing 2. It is now possible, through the internet (private or public), to provide ‘external help'. It is widely used in the software industry. Obviously nearly everyone has used Microsoft's Help to attempt to resolve an issue or find out how to do something, but even small providers have been smart enough to give their customers ‘self help'.
This is more of a ‘solutions' database for an organisations own internal systems, roles and tasks. It's where anyone can go first to get help to something that might not be covered in the user manuals.
How do I put a Knowledge Base together?
If you haven't figured it out yet, the best place to build your knowledge base would have to be an intranet. What is an intranet? It's simply a private computer network where you can securely share your company's knowledge base and systems. It is built using the same concepts as the internet; basically it's like having a website that only you and your employees can see (you can also give access to others if you like i.e. strategic partners or customers).
Traditional paper based operations manuals can still be printed out and created in ring binders if you wish but there are many advantages to having everything online;
- It is always up to date with any of the latest changes. A printed file changes can become out of date quickly and will need to be checked and updated.
- Anyone from anywhere (with permission) can access the same information. If you have team members that need flexibility to work from home or if you have multiple branches this keeps all the knowledge gained from one location accessible to all the locations.
- It's easy to make changes, update or add to.
- It can be protected and backed up.
There are many different platforms or ways to make this happen.
1) Personal Computer: At the very base level you can create a Knowledge Base on your personal computer, copy it to CD and upload to each team member's computer. This would simply be your classifications of files saved in folders.... A content tree, if you like.
2) Networked Computers: The next level of sophistication you can have is computers in the office networked together so people can have permission to view the ‘knowledge base' folder and sub folders. Normally 1-5 users.
3) Server Computer: Like networked computers but no user limits.
4) Intranet Software on a Hosted Server: This is where you and your team can access your knowledge base by logging in to a website. There are many providers of software that is specifically designed to have the basic structure and components that will form your database of company knowledge. All you need to do is upload your content.
5) Intranet Software on Internal Server: As above but on a server (computer) your company owns.
6) Client Relationship Management (CRM) Software - Contact Centre Module: This is where you can store a troubleshooting knowledge base of ‘solutions'. And also provide a customer portal for ‘self help'.
I strongly recommend option 4 for small business owners and also option 6.
What about the actual Content?
Once you know what structure your knowledge base will form and what platform you'll keep it on, you'll then have a better idea of what;
- content you currently have and there for just need to upload it to your new ‘knowledge base' system... or
- content you are missing so it will need to be created.
For the content that needs to be created, get each person in your business to contribute. Get them to complete a ‘how-to' for each task they have. Each role in your business should have a list of tasks associated with it. If each role had about 50 different tasks they were responsible for and you got everyone to capture (in writing, with images, with screen recording software, with a camcorder) 2 tasks a week... in 6 months you and your team would have created your company knowledge base!!!!!
I understand that this is often the hard part. Getting a structure and platform set up can be confusing and then creating the content for each task can be overwhelming. So at mimosaPLANETTM we are working hard to make this easier for people. We are creating a system you and your team can just plug into to form this platform & structure. Plus we'll provide business development tools and templates so you can edit and adapt to use for your business... watch this space... Until then you can create your company specific content as a first step.
This week's Action Points...
Understand the value that transferring knowledge out of your mind and on to a reusable knowledge base will provide you with. A knowledge base of user guides and troubleshooting resources will empower your team and free up your time. It will make sure when key people leave, your down time is minimal. It will increase the multiplier used in the formula to calculate the goodwill value of your business come sale time. So;
1) decide on a structure and classification system,
2) decide on an entry level platform at least,
3) have team meetings and set actions that each person (including you) is to capture the ‘how-to' for 2 of their tasks each week until completed.
Posted by James Cooper
Revolutionise Your Business With Technology
Find your new Technology Advantage, the Edge that will see you leap frog the competition!
Phase 3 of the mimosaPLANETTM Systematisation Process is; Initiate a Revolution. Revolution? Strong word? Yes, you bet it is... "Kaizen", the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement that helped propel Japan from post WW2 ruin, to become the worlds' most prolific manufacturer till the early 1990's, is old news and no longer enough. In 2008 and beyond we live in a world where a company can find new technology and go from nothing to a giant in years, with it changing and effecting the very environment in which everyone operates. Your options are to embrace it and find your own Technology Advantage to thrive or cling to what you know now and start to struggle as you watch your business become extinct.
Quantify This Word Dribble Please....
Ok, where's the proof? It's all around you! I can see two ways this is happening currently;
- Current Industry Revolution: In every industry there are companies creating a revolution, going against the status quo, doing things in a new way, delivering better solutions. Think Dell in the 1990s. Before Dell, IBM sold heaps of PCs through the normal distribution channels, you know, things like... a direct channel for big corporates, a merchant channel (retailers) for Joe consumer, and partner channel for companies. Dell came along and totally revolutionised the distribution model by providing mail, phone and internet ordering abilities to ‘build your own pc' and have it shipped to you in days at a fraction of the cost.
- New Industry Creation: This is a fascinating area, companies that are creating the industry, not just doing things in a new way, but actually creating value where previously there was nothing. Think Microsoft creating the software industry when IBM was the king pin of the computer world. Think Google creating the paid-per-click search advertising industry and becoming the biggest threat to Microsoft and the big 4 Advertising Agencies and media companies.
Methods To Find Your Technology Advantage
- Surf the Net; when it's focused on strategic research it's not a distraction.
- Take an interest in new ideas, concepts, & technology; if you continue to learn new things you'll be much more prepared to do battle in the present and future, if you don't learn anything new, well you're perfectly equipped to handle a world that no longer exists!
- Talk with ICT people; many information and communication technology people get to see the future often years before others, shouldn't you be at least having interesting business discussions with people like this?
- Network with other business owners from outside your industry; chances are you'll find someone doing something cool, then... just ask; "how can I apply this idea, this concept to my business to get a huge edge?"
Warning, this can all be very hard at first. Sometimes ICT people and technology websites seem to speak another language, heck they actually do, but if you persevere and learn enough of the basic jargon you'll start to build a picture of new possibilities, of new concepts, of different applications of these concepts and capabilities.... Once this happens you'll start to "get it"..... you'll start to get the huge value to be had from finding your own technology advantage. A technology advantage that will have you and your business revolutionise your market... whether your market is your suburb, your city, your country or the world. Heck there are even enough ideas going on around the world for you to just apply them in your local market and see a huge advantage over your local competition... you don't even need to revolutionise the world if you don't want to, just revolutionise your business and you'll do way better than before.
From Idea to Initiation
What will likely happen is you'll end up finding 10 new ideas that are really cool and you can see huge advantages in implementing them in your business. But the challenge is resources to get the project started and implemented... you'll need to decide which of these ideas will turn into a project that ‘improves' things and which ideas will ‘revolutionise' things. Focus on the one project that is earth shattering .... The ‘MIND-BLOWING PROJECTS'... and ditch the rest.. see what I mean by reading my previous article on MIND-BLOWING PROJECTS >> .
The Main Point!
Technology changes everything! It always has done and it always will do. Year after year the way of doing things changes, results change, outcomes change.... This means businesses that do things (read, all businesses) must change. The biggest difference now is that phases on planet earth in the past were thousands of years; the Bronze Age, then hundreds of years; the industrial revolution, then decades; the plastic age, now it's years.... We are beyond the Information Age now and everything is speeding up... above all else FIND TECHNOLOGY TO REPLACE PEOPLE & YOURSELF... this is technologies role to do people out of a job!!! This is a GREAT thing, it means your business has become efficient, that person should be put to work in your business doing higher value work... adding value in a way that a machine cannot. Machines have taken over dozens and dozens of blue-collar roles in the last 200 years.... so as humans we respond ... we re-focus ourselves in higher value jobs (white collar) ... increasing the education people have to make decisions... now we are seeing machines make these decisions for more and more white collar jobs... so we start to see another refocusing of people... in the area of design and innovation and creation of new concepts... in the area of development.
This week's Action Points...
Embrace it and thrive!
Posted by James Cooper
Are You Truly Taking Advantage Of The Huge Leverage You Can Get From Using Technology In Your Business?
... Really? How Do You Know? ...
(Part 4 of 4)
The Principles of Business are the same, but the Rules have changed. No longer can you simply seek to get incremental improvements in your business... technology changes everything! Discover why you must rewrite the rules in your business, in your industry, in your world or face up and become irrelevant... To those that ‘get it' this presents massive opportunity to revolutionise your business! (Read: Get Huge Results!)
‘Get It'... "Get What?"
Stop thinking ‘Technology helps to improve the system', or the way to streamline the process and get incremental improvements... e.g. 1) improving from a paper/no existent accounting system to a new computer accounting software package, 2) upgrading the 5 year old computers to newer and faster models, 3) Computerised stock control system, 4) phone/fax/eMail/cell phone (communications) upgrade, 5) using a Client Relationship Management (CRM) software programme or database. All these are perfect examples and of improvements that should just regularly happen in your business. We've had all this technology for years, yes years now, it is just part of doing business (doing it well!) these days. It is not enough to keep on upgrading and improving anymore... Stop thinking ‘Technology helps to improve the system' and Start thinking ‘Technology is the System'. Huh? Simply semantics? No, read on and learn...
Here's an example of what I mean...
Some years ago now, I was lucky enough to be in the core team that started at Pacific Retail Finance (PRF) to launch their new Personal Loans company, a business that started with $0 in loan assets, soaring to $150m in only 18 months. How? They reinvented the process and in doing so revolutionised the industry and the owners got rewarded with a $145m price (on $500m in total loan assets, including the Hire Purchase company as well. Most of the $500m were Personal Loan assets) when they sold to GE just four years after the Personal Loans company was started. Talk about creating value! How would you like to create even a slice of that sort of value for your retirement?
So what does ‘reinvented the process' mean? Well, at previous companies I had worked with, and indeed the industry, the whole process of getting investment money to lend out, and mostly the process to evaluate a borrower and get them the money was so slow and paper based and full of checks and hold ups and sign offs, etc. At best the collective time a finance company would take to take a loan enquiry, to an application, to checking details, to lender approval, to send out documentation, to process documents, to funds transfer would be... let's say 4 human hours of actual doing work, but the main issue is that paperwork and checks took time to place on another person's desk, to get in contact, to receive faxs, to post, and all these factors created massive delays and hold ups and bottlenecks. So much so that people often wouldn't be approved for days, let alone get the money, and what did PRF do to revolutionise? They used technology to be the system, be the process.
Not only did it reduce the actual hours required by half, but more importantly it removed the delays. No waiting, no slow process, what did this mean? Fast process = Huge Capacity = Massive Return!
Want more examples?
Kodak, a huge company for many many years, gone almost over night! No incremental improvements in the delivery of or quality of film could stop the digital revolution... think about it, when was the last time you got film processed!
Trademe, has eroded sales and value from many businesses, (ps I've you're one of them, stop moaning about it and do something about it!) car yards were very profitable, then trademe came along and those yards that will survive and thrive in the trademe years will reinvent themselves in another way.
So, what can you do about it?
Forget everything, I have no 'how to' for this one, all you can do is 'get it', then join the revolution... better yet start your own! Ask yourself, "why do we do it like this?" and "in a perfect world we should do this...". If you don't find out what technology can do for you now, then you will find out how it will work against you in the future, if you do nothing. Start a revolution in your industry, in your business today.
This week's action points...
Challenge everything! What was slow can now be fast. "You don't know, what you don't know". Go back to the drawing board and think the previously unthinkable, because now the impossible is possible!
