Business Systems That Actually Work (& Why Yours Might Not Be One)

You have Asana. You have the Google Drive folders. You have the SOPs (or at least you started them 😉). So why do you still feel like you’re putting out fires in the dark? 

If you’ve been wondering why your business systems that actually work seem to exist everywhere except your business — you’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong.

Having a system and having a working system are two very different things. And this post is going to help you figure out which one you have, then what to do if yours isn’t working.

Common Signs Your System Is Working Against You

Before you can fix something, you have to be honest about whether it’s broken. Here are a few signs that your current setup is quietly working against you:

• You’re still the answer to every question. If your team can’t make a move without checking with you first, the system isn’t doing its job — you are.
• Things are still falling through the cracks. If tasks are being created but not completed, or nobody’s sure who owns what, something is off.
• Onboarding a new team member feels like a mountain to climb. Because you have absolutely no idea how you’re going to explain your processes to someone else. 
• You dread opening your PM platform. This is a surefire sign that something is disconnected in your business. You don’t need to LOVE working on your systems, but it should feel supportive. You should feel relief being able to log in and know exactly what to do. If you don’t, it’s probably not set up in a way that works for YOU.

The Real Reason(s) Your Business Systems Aren’t Working

It Only Lives in Your Head (or in Your Team’s Head)

Systems that only live in your head don’t count. There are about sixteen different ways to draft a blog post. So you can’t just tell your VA “draft the blog post” and expect it to come back the way you want it. 

The same goes for anything else that feels simple to you. Your specific way of doing something does not automatically transfer to someone else just because you said the words out loud. If you want it done your way, the process cannot live in your head.

It Doesn’t Support How Your Team Works

If your team is working around the system instead of inside it, that’s usually one of two things: either they don’t want to, or the system isn’t actually set up in a way that supports how they do the work. 

Both of those mean there’s a disconnect, and the process likely needs to be revised. That’s completely normal and okay! The goal isn’t to get it perfect from the start. The goal is to get it 80 or 90 percent of the way there, put it in place, and then stay open to feedback. 

When your team tells you “this part isn’t working,” listen to them. That feedback is what makes the system stick.

Your Tools Are Doing Too Much (Or Too Little)

Slack + Voxer + email + Asana comments + text messages = chaos. When communication is scattered across too many platforms, things get missed. The fix isn’t adding another tool. It’s deciding where things live and sticking to it.

The opposite problem is just as common. Stretching one tool so far beyond its purpose that it becomes useless.You can’t message your VA in Slack asking them to schedule your newsletter by Thursday. You also can’t store your SOP library throughout 16 Google Drive folders. When tools get used for things they weren’t designed for, the whole system starts to unravel.

What a Working System Looks Like

First and foremost, it’s documented AND followed. Documentation that nobody reads is just a folder collecting digital dust. The system has to be accessible, clear, and used consistently by everyone on the team.

Everyone should also know where things live. If your team members can’t find the assets they need within a minute or two or have no idea where to look, your system is not pulling its weight. Even if YOU know where things are, that doesn’t automatically mean your team does. 

That’s why any good system needs an SOP library, with detailed processes. It removes the daily mental load of figuring out how something gets done. Naming conventions, role clarity, communication norms, documented processes and guidelines — these things exist so you don’t have to make the same decision fifty times.

3 Quick Ways to Fix Your Systems

#1: Audit What You Have vs. What’s Actually Being Used

Start with your P&L. Go through every software you’re paying for and ask yourself honestly whether you’re actually using it. Haven’t recorded a Loom in four months? Remove it. Not using Slack with at least half your team? Stop paying for it. Then ask yourself: how many different ways can your team reach you right now? If the answer is more than two, work on eliminating at least one.

#2: Identify the One or Two Places Things Keep Breaking Down

Pay close attention to what you’re doing throughout the month, and where it’s breaking down.

Put a Post-it note on your desk and every time someone asks you something you feel like they should already know the answer to and write it down. At the end of the week, look at what keeps coming up. Those recurring things are what you fix first, because that’s where you’ll see the biggest impact. You don’t have to fix everything at once. Chip away at it slowly and you’ll see improvement over time.

#3: Fix the Process Before Adding Another Tool

Switching PM tools isn’t always the answer, because likely, you’re bringing all the same broken processes with you. In my experience, the platform is rarely the problem — it’s the system that makes the platform run that’s the problem. Don’t buy a new tool to fix a process problem. Fix the process first. Then decide if what you’re using is no longer serving you and your team.

Honestly, Sometimes You Just Need an Outside Set of Eyes

That’s what working together looks like. If you’re ready to stop putting out fires and start running a business that really, truly, supports you…reach out here to inquire about working with me!