Information Bottlenecks

Information bottlenecks form when important documents, passwords, procedures and know-how live with one person or in scattered places. Work stops when that person is busy, sick or leaves.

• Only the owner knows how to price a certain job.
• Warranty documents are somewhere in an email.
• New hires learn by asking the same questions repeatedly.

• Knowledge was never written down.
• Files are spread across personal devices and accounts.
• There is no simple filing structure.

• Work waits for one person.
• Time is spent searching for documents.
• Training new people takes a long time.

• Delays and single points of failure.
• Risk when key people leave.
• Owners cannot step away.

1. What would stall if you were away for two weeks?
2. Where are key documents stored, and who can access them?
3. Are your most common procedures written down?

Estimate hours spent searching for information or waiting on one person, multiplied by the labor cost of those waiting.

This is illustrative only. Every business is different; use your own numbers.

• Create one organised, shared place for key documents.
• Write short procedures for the tasks done most often.
• Make sure access does not depend on one person's accounts.

Brian can help you organise shared information and capture key know-how in a format your team will actually use.

• Business Leak Finder: see whether this leak shows up in your answers.
• Administrative Labor Cost: put a rough figure on it.
• Connect Your Business: solution options, costs and trade-offs.

If this sounds familiar, Brian can look at how it shows up in your business and suggest practical next steps. No obligation.