The August test
Living in Cornwall, we see the same pattern year on year. It looks like this.
Your systems work perfectly well in February.
Of course they do. In February, orders trickle in, updating the spreadsheet is an afternoon’s work, and any mistakes are obvious long before they matter.
August is where things unravel.
By August, four people have edited the same spreadsheet before lunchtime and nobody is sure which version is right. The same order goes into two separate, disconnected systems – and the details differ slightly between them. Friday afternoon’s invoicing is still unfinished at sunset. An enquiry sits unanswered for days because everyone is too busy to look.
August is also when you discover how much of your operation lives in one person’s head – usually in the week that person is finally taking leave.
Every seasonal business knows the cycle: several times the winter volume for a few months, then quiet again. In the quiet months your systems cope fine. In peak season they fall apart. You’re too busy to deal with it at the time, and by the time things slow down you’ve forgotten what the issue actually was – while more pressing things have taken priority. So it repeats, year on year.
So this year, try something different. When something goes wrong, make a quick note while it’s still raw. When the season closes, collate those notes and you’ll have a clear list of exactly what caused you problems through the summer.
Identifying the problem is the first step, and usually the hardest.
We’re a software company based in mid Cornwall. If your list turns out longer than you’d like, we’re happy to look at it with you – no charge, no obligation.