Last week we installed the single biggest and most complex systems change in the history of PrintingForLess.com, revamping some of the very core of our internal systems.  The change represented well over 10,000 hours of work from a number of team members and the change went very smoothly, thankfully.
 
But that success wasn’t luck.  It was thanks to a concerted effort.  One focused on a Deming cycle (www.pfl.com/PDCA) like approach – Plan, Do, Check, Act. 
 
As small business people, we all know that the majority of business fail, with only 66% making it past their two year anniversary.  But do we all know and understand the reasons why small businesses fail?  It is commonly published that there are six core reasons businesses fail and many of these can be linked to two things: planning (e.g. understanding and managing your capital needs) and execution.
 
In this way, small business failure is like project failure, where no matter how hard people work on a project, it is doomed to failure if not adequately planned (e.g. poorly understood user requirements) or poorly executed (e.g. unclear communications). 
 
But why is this?  I’d like to argue that it is because small business is like a project.  Why?  Well, one popular definition of a project is that it is a temporary endeavor to bring about beneficial change for a unique opportunity.  It is contrasted with business operations which are repetitive and permanent processes that deliver a product or service.  See more at www.pfl.com/Project
 
Which of these sounds like your business?  I’m guessing it is the one where things are changing fast and not quite defined.  This is why it is so important to have a plan and execute on it, while maintaining flexibility to react to opportunities (just like a project is forced to react to unforeseen circumstances). 
 
Want your business to get better?  Start focusing on your projects as a mini-version of your business.  As your “little things” start to get better, your “big things” will too.