Managing rapid growth requires a complex combination of cost and expense controls, process controls and quality controls to allow for equivalent growth in both revenues and net profit while maintaining a stable work environment. It’s a difficult juggling act when you’re fighting daily to keep orders filled, customers happy and employees paid.

As companies grow and change, the systems of workflow are typically not adapted to keep pace with the change. Re-work, stock-outs, decreasing efficiency, customer complaints, increased scrap, bottlenecks, and increased costs are symptoms of a poorly adapted workflow process. Managing them requires taking time to evaluate, plan and coordinate all the pieces so they work together well, but working in the business typically gets in the way of working on the business.

With budgets, revenue projections and cost measurements in place, however, a company can have its own benchmarks of performance. As a result, management performance can be measured more objectively and planned more effectively. The obvious benefit is that the owners have a greater chance of earning their expected ROI…and having a life outside their work.

What we sometimes hear…

• We have more business than we can handle…we turn business away.
• I’m doing more business but making less money.
• I have a big customer that takes forever to pay me.
• Life was a lot simpler and I made more money when I was working by myself.
• It seems like I’m working all the time just to get jobs done.
• My day is spent fighting fires.

We help companies establish systems that…

• Leverage the skills and knowledge of the President.
• Develop effective supervisors and managers.
• Hold staff accountable for quality and efficiency.
• Calculate accurate completion dates/times.
• Monitor suppliers for possible delivery problems.
• Control and forecast current and future costs.
• Establish an efficient filing system.
• Control customer order processing and deliveries.
• Forecast workloads to keep people productive.
• Establish standard procedures.

If you’re experiencing unusual growth or if systems and processes seem to have gotten out of hand, perhaps it’s time to consider benchmarking. To set up an Initial Assessment meeting with a Regional Manager in your area, please contact us at benchmarking@mrsiconsulting.com.