Systemising Deliverables

How do you deliver your service?

Have you ever thought much about it? Does it feel like every project is custom?

I find many service providers falling into the trap of believing all of their services are custom, which holds them back and makes it more challenging to scale the business. In this article, I will try to change your mind about your services by teaching you how to systemise your deliverables.

When you systemise your deliverables, it makes it easier to automate tasks in the workflow and simplifies the process of delegating to a team. Ultimately you end up with streamlined operations that allow you to step back from day-to-day business activities. Win!

What does it mean to systemise deliverables?

To help bring this concept to life, let's use an example. Julia has a business where she runs live launches and podcast launches for her clients. And so, the deliverables are slightly different each time she runs them.

The first and most crucial step to helping Julia systemise her deliverables is understanding the workflow. Whatever the process, there will be steps you go through every time, and your goal is to identify those steps and put them in order.

What I'm about to say will probably be a bit controversial.

When it comes to systemising and scaling your business, you cannot be doing everything bespoke for every client. It's just not feasible. So you want to come up with specific deliverables or specific things you can do for each client. But, of course, implementing those things can be different, with different branding, look, feel, templates, etc. But the actual core, what you deliver, should be the same.

For example, if we're taking the podcast launch, we would first look to understand those core deliverables.

One would be the actual podcast recording. And most likely, you'd have the raw podcast recording, and then you'd have an edited version.

Some of the other deliverables to complete the podcast recording might be an intro. In addition, you'd probably have an outro that you use for each podcast to complete the process. So, in the beginning, and end, you'd have your theme music, and then you'd have a description of the episode. You'd have the launch social media posts. Etc etc

Each podcast recording is different, but the deliverables and steps you take to hit the deliverables are the same.

The power of templates! Breaking down the steps for each deliverable

Now that you know the key milestones and deliverables, it's time to make your life easier. For each deliverable, you can start to create templates for parts of the process that are the same or straightforward checklists to help you work through things faster. So, for example, with social media content or podcast descriptions, you can create copy templates.

Using specific tools, you can create Standard Operating Procedures and guides to help your team work through tasks quicker. No time to create an SOP? Record a video of you completing the task.

For example, when you're trying to get accepted onto Spotify and Apple podcasts, wherever there is a specific process you need to follow, you can create an SOP that makes that deliverable easy. If you're using something like Buzzsprout to host your podcast, they have an automated way of doing that for you.

Start with the easy tasks and work your way up to the more complicated parts of the process. You are creating a strategy for continuous improvement to maximise the time you save. Over time, you improve and increase, allowing you to take on more clients without overwhelm.

Having a series of templates and systemised processes to hit deliverables will allow you to maximise your efficiency. So even if your clients all have entirely different podcasts and ideas of what it will launch, those foundational pieces will be the same each time.

As you take on more clients, you will get a deeper understanding of the critical parts of the process in each project. Use these learnings to improve your workflows, develop better templates, automate more tasks, and create new SOPs.

Where to start if you're struggling to systemise

Want to get organised but not sure how? Start with the admin! A Lot of project admin, such as contracts, the project set-up, and welcome kits, are the same each time. This fact makes the admin a great candidate for automation and templates. Let's use another example to help illustrate the point.

For a website funnel, whatever it may be, you can start by mapping out the core workflow. Then, when you know the steps and the order they need to happen in, you can automate things. Examples of good automation candidates include notifying someone in your team or emailing a client to let them know they need to complete a review.

You can also create videos that show clients how to interact with your templates. And that reduces the amount of admin time you're going to have when it comes to delivering it.

To conclude on systemising deliverables

I hope this article has demonstrated some of the reasons why you should systemise your deliverables. This process will be essential to get the structure needed to leverage automation and delegate effectively as you scale.

The most important and challenging thing is getting the process steps and thinking about that flow. After that, it's just a case of creating simple ways to speed up the time required to complete each task.

Claire Whittaker is the Founder of Artificially Intelligent Consulting (AIC) and is on a mission to empower 1000 purpose-driven entrepreneurs & agencies to scale to 7-figures without having to sacrifice everything else that makes life fun.

A systems and automation specialist, Claire never sacrifices work for fun, has a razor-sharp eye for structure, and loves nothing more than a Sunday roast and a margarita. You can find out all about her here.