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Here’s a cold hard truth about business – things are going to break. As a founder, it’s your job to figure out what is broken, why it’s broken, and how to fix it. Then you need to create the processes and training so that your team can dissect a breakdown in the future and fix it without needing assistance from you. This is how you create a business that can operate without you.
To do this, you first need to do an “autopsy” on the broken part of your business to find the root cause of the breakdown. The military calls this process an “After Action Report” but we prefer the term autopsy since it gets to the heart of the matter at hand – dissecting your business in order to make it stronger.
Here are the five questions you need to ask to perform an autopsy on your business.
What Were Your Intended Results?
What were you trying to accomplish when the breakdown happened? Did you use the right tool, process, and team for the project? The answer to these questions will help you determine if your goal was set accurately.
What Were Your Actual Results?
What actually happened? Were you close to achieving your intended results or did you miss the mark entirely? The actual results you received are indicative of what you used to get them and whether or not it’s working.
It’s important to note that you may get even better results than you had anticipated. An autopsy is even more valuable in that case as it can highlight a lucky mistake that should be intentionally added into your process for the next project.
What Caused Your Results?
This is where you really start digging. If you didn’t get your intended results, what was the cause and what was the effect? Meaning, where did the breakdown occur and how did that breakdown spread through the rest of your business? This step is especially important if you got better results than you expected.
What Will You Do the Same Next Time?
Your entire system might not be broken. It might only be partially broken. Examining your system and separating what’s working from what’s not will let you know what needs to be kept the same. If you narrowly missed your intended results then the process might be largely intact, but require some tweaking.
What Will You Do Differently Next Time
You’ve done your autopsy. You’ve separated what’s working from what’s not. Now you need to figure out what to change for your next project. This step is the objective of your autopsy – to figure out what can do to make your processes, systems, and overall business better.
Want to Grow Your Business to 8 Figures?
The first step to growing your business to the 8 figure mark is to reach 6 figures, and then 7. You will do this through building the right team and creating the right processes and systems to take your business to the next level. Contact us today if you want to get there.
