3 Types of Business Infrastructure (& Why You Need Them)
What do you think when you hear “infrastructure”?
It probably depends on your profession…
Civil engineers will think of roads, sewers, and bridges.
Teachers will think of books, whiteboards, and desks.
Manufacturers will think of air drops, concrete foundations, and exhaust vents.
What do all these examples have in common?
They are not exciting — on the verge of being somewhat boring.
However, if your infrastructure is not solid or maintained, the results are not good. Think of the impact of a bridge collapse. Solid infrastructure leads to an environment of success.
In a business, infrastructure is what keeps the lights on and makes your work more efficient. It also is an easy thing to overlook.
Really successful companies focus on their infrastructure — which allows them the time to look at their long-term vision and the investments necessary to achieve it.
I see three different types of infrastructure in a business.
1. People
This is your business’s personality. Borrowing from Jim Collins, do you have the right people filling the right seats on the bus? Do your people live according to your core values, and are they qualified for the roles they hold? Does your team trust each other to allow for healthy conflict?
Every business owner has a story about the “bad apple,” or the one that took so much attention to perform. These can be avoided by creating the processes to select, train, and promote the right people.
Time spent on creating these processes is also money well spent.
2. Processes
This is how you do things. There are five key things to consider about your business processes. Are they…
Efficient: Are you bringing automation to the table?
Documented: Is everyone playing off the same playbook?
Protective: For finance folks, do you have good internal controls?
Enforced: Is everyone doing the process the same way (yep, even the owners)?
Evolving: Are you continuously improving, and not just operating from a “we’ve always done it this way” mentality?
3. Data
This is how you thrive. You treasure what you measure. There are various goals for a business owner — all situated based on what you want to achieve.
By setting up key performance indicators and tracking them consistently, you’ll be able to measure and create actions necessary to hit your targets.
Want Help Building Your Business Infrastructure?
I work with all my clients on building the right infrastructure for their business. Give me a buzz and we’ll work on yours.