In essence, systemisation allows a practice to scale up because it enables the practice to expand its capacity and increase revenue - whilst maintaining or even improving quality and efficiency - without a proportional increase in costs or resources, including headcount.

One of the first steps is to map the client journey to create consistency so that every client has the same experience of your business. From the first website visit, to proposal follow-up, to regular client meetings, each touchpoint should link together, feel personal, and flow seamlessly. Mapping out the journey gives your team a clear vision of what clients should experience and therefore what they are expected to deliver.

Systemisation frees you from being the bottleneck in your business. Your team won't need to ask you questions all the time because their next steps with clients are already mapped out. It's the bridge between vision and reality, turning good intentions into repeatable actions.

It's best to involve the team in developing systems both for their insight on the ground and to create ownership. Once developed, systems should be reviewed regularly as the practice - and the wider world - evolves.

This mapped out client journey is the blueprint for systemisation. Once it's in place, you can identify where technology can support or enhance human interaction.

A well-used example that brings systemisation to life is McDonald's. Every operational procedure has been meticulously documented and standardised to ensure consistent quality, efficiency and scalability around the world. Whether you're in London or Singapore, ordering a Big Mac delivers the same experience and product quality. Every task involved in building a Big Mac - from standardised ingredients, to  procedures for cooking the patties, to the order in which ingredients are stacked - is defined in their operational manuals. You know exactly what you're going to get.

Session 3 of our Scale Smarter webinar series in partnership with AVN The Accountants' Network looks at systemisation and technology, and you can register for this free series. 

Our From Practice to Business vodcast series has an episode on this topic in which host Carl Reader of the dt group talks to Phil Ellerby of Northern Accountants why systemisation is key to scalable growth and how he built a bespoke CRM that transformed efficiency. You can watch a clip below or watch the full vodcast by clicking on the link in the box to the right. Want to listen to it on the go? It's also available as a podcast.