A manufacturing distributor faced operational challenges as the owner struggled to effectively communicate and document the company’s operational processes. The lack of a clear workflow hindered the team’s understanding of the business operations, leading to inefficiencies, inconsistent execution, and a heavy reliance on the owner’s knowledge. Execution was often slowed because all actions and decisions for day to day business were made solely by the owner.
The owner’s inability to extract and articulate the company’s operational procedures created a knowledge gap within the organization. This resulted in confusion, errors, and limited scalability. This also created a culture with a lack of accountability and purpose with the employees. The lack of standardized operating procedures (SOPs) made it difficult to train new employees and ensure consistent execution of tasks.
The manufacturing distributor engaged Thrive Business Operations and our Fractional COO services to address their operational challenges. The Fractional COO conducted extensive interviews with the owner and key personnel to extract their tacit knowledge. She then worked closely with the team to document and create a comprehensive workflow of the entire operation, including step-by-step SOPs.
The implementation of the Fractional COO’s solution brought about transformative results for the manufacturing distributor. The newly created workflow and SOPs provided clarity and consistency in how the company operated. Employees were able to understand their roles better, resulting in improved productivity and reduced errors. The standardized processes facilitated efficient training of new hires, reducing onboarding time and costs. Overall, the company experienced increased operational efficiency, scalability, and reduced dependence on the owner’s expertise.
