Repair Shop Management: Making Systems Stick

This is the first in a series of a dozen blogs.

We all know the importance of having good policies and procedures in our shops. Things just go better when everyone knows what to do and how to do it correctly. All well-run businesses have systems and standards that every team member knows and follows consistently!

What's your morning routine at home? What about in your shop?

Many of us have personal “routines” we follow that bring order and happiness to our lives. We have all done things that result in chaos and unhappiness, and over time have chosen better ways. I love my personal morning routine of study, prayer, pondering, and planning. When I travel this routine is sometimes disrupted and I soon can become disoriented. The best thing about coming home for me is getting back into my safe place with both feet flat on the ground of routine.

Of course some routines continue to promote chaos and frustration. Only your desire and commitment to change this will produce good results. Your level of peace, safety, efficiency and prosperity will demonstrate progress in improving your routines. This is also true for your business. If you are not getting what you want, if your business is in chaos to any degree, it is by your choice that it is so!

Now if you are like I was for the first 20 years as a shop owner, you have introduced dozens of policies and procedures that could have brought some order to things, but fizzled out after a few weeks. WHY? What are the causes of this fatal flaw in your business?

Over the next few weeks I will blog on the twelve most important components of “How to Make Systems Stick” in your shop. Today, let me share with you what I have found to be a foundational process for making all policies, procedures and systems stick with individuals and organizations. It’s how we help our clients actually change permanently!

A certain level of consistent accountability must be established between a supervisor and a subordinate. With our clients it begins between us as their coaches and themselves. In your shop it must be between you and your team members (or in larger shops between you and your department heads and then between the department head and his or her team members).

We have developed a method of follow-through and follow-up called “The Ten Minute Meeting™.” This simple process is a reporting meeting on systems conformance and production performance on yesterday’s business. It is conducted by 10AM every workday and should never take more than ten minutes.

The Ten Minute Meeting™ is not a forum for complaining, blaming or excuses. It is simply a time for workers to return and report yesterday’s performance by identifying any variances in following established systems and hitting production targets, AND what they have already done to bring those two things up to reasonable standards.

If a team member is weak in their ability to find solutions to their own underperformance, the supervisor (leader) receiving the report coaches them toward the best solution for improvement. A simple but accurate measurement system must be in place. (We use an online system we created to help run our shop and dozens of client shops called WebTools™ so that daily performance and short term progress can be monitored.)

Within the first two weeks of following this daily process of return and report, most underperformance takes care of itself…but ONLY if you have good employees who have the ability and desire to improve. If not, adjustments to your employee training routines and accountability are in order.

My next blog will review this training and accountability process in detail and will discuss how to hold you team accountable in healthy, positive ways. Future blogs will address what to measure, training and incentive plans, and hiring and recruiting processes including how to know when it’s time to replace an employee.