Why Don’t We Schedule Health Checks for Our Businesses Like We Do for Dental Appointments?

It’s widely understood that scheduling regular dental appointments is crucial for maintaining overall health, happiness, and success. We recognize that our oral health significantly impacts other bodily systems, and we proactively take steps to prevent issues before they arise. However, this proactive mindset is often ignored in business.

As Warren Buffett observed, “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing,” and yet internal check-ups are not regular practice in business today despite their known power to help owners and executives understand and mitigate risks effectively and manage most efficiently.

Just as undetected dental problems can lead to serious health issues, inefficient business processes can result in significant setbacks. By conducting regular ‘health checks’ on these components, we can address potential problems early, ensuring smoother operations and long-term success. Ignoring this approach can lead to missed opportunities, decreased productivity, and hidden costs.

A “health check” of client operations systems assesses various aspects of their business, from workflow and processes to tools and systems. These checks can focus on one aspect of operations or be comprehensive across all systems.  The most commonly found areas for improvement are:

1. 1. Schedule Quality
   2. Risk Management
   3. Inefficient Processes
   4. Incorrect Application of Tools
   5. Centralized Schedule Management
   6. Change Management

At Petroglyph, as experts in driving exceptional outcomes for companies executing construction projects worldwide, we not only apply this to our own business but also assist our clients. By leveraging our deep expertise in project management and workflow, we evaluate their processes. While we often support our clients in their time of greatest need, it is truly rewarding when we can help a client with a systems health check, streamline operations, avoid costs, and gain efficiencies. So if any of the above areas of your business might benefit from a check-up, our expertise is available and PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME TO START A CONVERSATION.

Just as you wouldn’t skip regular dental appointments to ensure your oral health, businesses should not neglect routine health checks for their processes and tools, such as software. By doing so, they can catch potential issues early, much like identifying a cavity before it becomes a root canal.

As Peter Drucker famously said, “What gets measured gets managed.” Proactively scheduling these check-ups ensures not just the longevity of the business but its continued growth and success. So, just as you mark your calendar for your next dental visit or physical, schedule a health check for your business processes.

Lorne Duncan, CEO, Petroglyph Projects