How to improve the Structure and Systems of your Agency - Part I
Higher level management structure in the agency
To improve the structure and systems of your agency, it is very important to build a structure on which much else will be built solidly. Here are some structural tips that apply to your entire agency.
Delegate tasks
As a boss or department head, you simply can't do everything yourself, and you're likely not an expert in all areas. Therefore, it is important to delegate matters. For this, the person performing the task needs a precisely formulated task and corresponding authority from the leader, so that he does not have to constantly ask for more.
The success of your company rises and falls with you as a leader and manager of the company. If you are not able to take care of the crucial matters for more growth and instead deal with trivial matters, the success of your agency will also be clearly limited despite motivated, competent employees.
How do I actually delegate a task correctly?Perhaps you have already noticed yourself that the result of a delegated task turned out differently than you expected. Many then blame the employee who just can't seem to get it together. But there is a second side to the coin - and that is with the person who delegated the task. To clarify the expectations and context of tasks, you can work through them with a checklist:
- Create a complete title of the task not just a keyword like "Invoice", but better "Write invoice for customer X" - Try to include at least one verb as well as a subject and object in the title. This alone makes the title meaningful and the employee already knows from the task title what he has to roughly execute.
- Create an abstract of the task - What is the task about?
- Why should the task be performed? What is its impact?
- Who should perform it?
- Who will benefit from performing the task?
- By when should the task be completed?
- Additional information
As a manager, I have to delegate a lot and can’t just take care of everything. Therefore, I make sure to give clear instructions and encourage employees to be able to act more independently. If something is not done the way I originally thought, I don’t accuse my employee, instead I think about how we can do it better in the future and question whether maybe I didn’t delegate precisely enough.
Philipp Rückert from the Monkeys.Digital
Determine areas of responsibility at macro and micro levels
When addressing the topic of areas of responsibility, a considered management structure should be at the top of the list. Who has which area under him and takes care of the distribution of tasks and leadership of employees?
After you have answered these questions, the next step
follows:
Which employee should be responsible for which tasks and
carry them out?
With the help of this structure, you simplify many processes and also gain clarity about a sensible division and responsibility of your employees.
A defined distribution of tasks and structures facilitate focus and thus employees are much more efficient. This structure helps us enormously so that our team members know what to do and how to do it, use the potential of their strengths, and learn to perform tasks independently without many demands.
Marian Brandel from the Monkeys.Digital
Create structures to which all employees should adhere
Not only should you as the employer have structures for yourself, delegating, task distribution, etc., but you should also establish systems and guidelines for the entire workforce. With these, it is easier for your employees to find their way around and work more efficiently in the agency.
Get the guide also as PDF
So that you can read and use the Productivity Guide for Agencies everywhere, order it here as a PDF file.