Here is another excerpt from my Systemization article, this one is from Part V…

The path to a “True” System is one that can not be completed in the blink of an eye. It takes time and considerable effort. But it is really a one time expenditure. After that the system is in (continual) maintenance mode. A system is never written and left alone – it is continually modified and improved.

So what is the typical path? The typical path involves:
I. Gaining stability,
II. Standardizing your processes,
III. Making the process repeatable (especially by others)
IV. Instituting a Plan,
V. Implementing Policies and
VI. Procedures

Stability
You can’t do any systemization until you have stability in a process. Well you can do it, but why would you want to?

Trying to systemize a process without stability in the process is like try to run up a huge sand dune versus running up a normal hill of the same size, it takes much more effort, much more time and is very frustrating – so much so that most of the time you’ll quit.

Every Process has four critical components – the Four M’s – Man, Machines, Materials and Methods (we will talk more about these later) and until there is some semblance of stability in each of these don’t try to systemize the process.

You would be amazed at the progress you can make solely by achieving stability. In one manufacturing company we worked with, when we got the production line processes stabilized – and nothing more – and the company increased it efficiency 40% and output by 52%. In an insurance claims processing operation, when we stabilized the claims process the increase in claims processed per employee per day went up 63%.