Documenting Infrastructure: Part II
Successful businesses are well organized. One of the reasons they succeed is because people know what they have to do and how to do it, and if someone needs to fill in for them or new staff are added, the system does not fall apart. If an unusual situation arises, there is a procedure for handling it.
OK. This seems obvious. And you may think your business has this under control.
If yours is a smaller aviation business, everyone just “does their job” and the boss knows what’s going on and is the fallback for anything unusual. If yours is a larger firm, there are a number of people to handle things, train the new guy, or to ask.
Reasons to Document
Some procedures are likely already documented because the FAA or other agencies require it. But there are many other reasons to document the procedures and processes in your aviation company. Here are three.
- Maximizing the value of your company
- Documenting procedures and processes shows a prospective investor, bank loan officer, partner, or buyer that things will continue to move forward even if there are disruptions in personnel. It demonstrates that your aviation company is professional and prepared for growth and change.
- Employees know where they can find answers
- Even if the “person who knows” is away, if an employee has a question about how something should be done, they can check for the answer if it is written down.
- Documentation reduces training time and costs
- Documented procedures are a ready reference for new employees, and for those providing training. And fewer things are missed in training if procedures are documented.
Get Professional
Create a ready reference for operating the business. It can involve every department and function in the business. Gather your key staff together and begin documenting what is not yet written up. Have them ask their staff to write up what they do and step by step how. List form is perfect for this. It takes a bit of effort, but will make your aviation business more professional.
