There are a whole host of different quality systems out there to choose from.
It can be confusing , frustrating so ill give you a head start and good foundation to work from. Starting here first will install a sense of change realize efficiency making any future programs easier to implement and accepted.
The system I always start with is 5'S , the impact is visual does not have to cost that much to complete and involves everyone in the workplace.
So what is 5's ? well it comes from japan and its basically workplace organization. The 5's are 
1 - Sort : remove un necessary items , tool equipment that clog up the working area making it less effective
2- Set in Order : In simple terms everything has a place , easy to find. reduces wasted time searching for items. Simple solutions, say for a mechanics work bench, tools would be stored on a tool board with the outline of the tool drawn around. Makes it simple to understand what's being used. 
3- Shine - In other words cleaning , a clean work area not only feels nicer, problems are highlighted quickly, machinery will last longer and your customers get a great first impression. No one really likes working in an untidy and dirty work - space.
4- Standardise - create standardised workflow and processes, assign task create schedules so everyone knows their responsibility's 
5- Sustain - People often think when they have implemented a new system that's the end of it, for you to benefit from the improvements you need to sustain what has been achieved. Any deviation however small should be addressed and rectified. As even the smallest changes will build until you find yourself back to the place you came from. 
This system involves the whole work force where it has the best result is where you get the senior manager, or business owner through to the machine operator's , working side by side to implement and maintain the systems. It drives a sense of pride, belonging and hunger to improve.
It's not a one - time fix and takes continual focus.
So before you embark on any form of improvement, business change program 5's your business. It's something you can do yourself or if you're not confident then look to bring in an experienced person or company to guide you through. You will recover more in efficiency than it cost you to implement. 
thanks for reading 
www.duggystone.com

I like to keep things simple as it makes things easier to explain, understand and implement. 
So when it comes to looking at any business and what makes them successful then there are three things you need to focus on which I like to call the 3 P's. These apply to any business, organisation & charities alike.

People
Your people should be pretty up on the lists of priorities, without engaged trained or dedicated people your dreams for a successful business , organisation or charity will not be possible.
People in your business are key to pushing forward business strategy, customer engagement. Ive seen it so many times where the companies employees are just seen as assets "human resources". They are more than mere resources like a computer , vehicle or machine. All too often we pigeon hole them it to widget per minute figures or sales per day. Now I am not saying we should not measure far from it I love KPI I love targets, but when the outcome is all we focus on then, we devalue the person and dilute their effectiveness.
It vital then to interact with your teams, treat them as you want to be treated yourself. Motivating people to do their best does not always involve financial incentives. Just think as a leader or business owner what motivates you get out of bed on a cold winters morning and make the effort to get to the office, it's not just about the money.
Without going into too much detail different generations are motivated by different thing, have a look at what makes generation x - y -z tick. They all have different veiw's on the world and what motivates them

make your people feel as important as your customers!.


Process

Process, every business needs process when ignored or not updated then chaos, inefficiency and quality output are at best a lucky outcomes.
What I have observed is generally a business  will grow from the original owner, where the process is known by them and the initial team. It works because they just all know what to do when to do it and what the outcome looks like.
When business begin to grow employ more people and begin to diversify as an example, the known process system begins to break down. Different departments or people in the organisation will interpret what should be happening and when, getting it wrong. It's the one place I normally review when I go into a business, try to map out the "day in the life" of the operation and department. It serves 2 purposes , I get to understand first hand what is really happening at ground level, what the people perception of reality is. The second purpose is it identifies gaps in the process and can highlight some process improvement ,thus removing the current problem the company faces. By reviewing process and ensuring everyone knows what happens and when then the resulting improvement is a consistent outcome (unless something changes).
When was the last time you reviewed your process, try asking various people to explain the process for their area you could be surprised 


Profit
People don't like to talk about profit it's seen as something to keep private. However it's the only reason a business exists or can continue to exist. Even a charity has to generate a ROI (return on investment) how else are they able to help the people or the issue they were set up to support.
Without profit your business will fail, focussing on turn-over as an example without understanding if  that turn-over generating a profit then you could have a multi-million-pound company, generating less profit than a company taking a few thousand a year. "turn-over is vanity profit is sanity"
Understanding how much a product or services cost you to produces is important. Let's say you are delivering a training course and on the day you invoice £500 not a bad amount of money for a few hours work. However if your travel to the venue, Hotel stay because it's away from home, the cost of the venue and materials you use on the day comes to £510 then it was pretty much a waste of time and you will not survive for long. There are obviously some exception you may choose to do some promotional events but as long as you know what that means in the bigger picture then it's acceptable.
Knowing your business numbers is vital, if you don't know them or the levers that affect them. You are blindly working without truly knowing what is happening to your company or operation. If you have ever seen Dragons Den one of the first questions they will receive, "tell me your forecast and your profit".
It is worth noting that cash flow, the amount of cash you can get your hands on quickly is very important. A very profitable business can go bust if the fee or sales come in too slowly and debts or liabilities have be settled. Keep a watchful eye on cash flow, payment terms both coming in and external,they need to balance.

I have a 2 step rule for business 

Rule 1. If what you are doing is not generating a profit or losing you money "stop doing it"

Rule 2. See rule 1

• Review you 3p's thanks for reading comments welcome 

Networking means different things for different people and their rationale for doing it. Some may say in this digital age where we can speak with people without even leaving the comfort of our home we don't need to network.
 
Well I started to network because the majority of my business is done remotely from home, It was a business choice and a family choice, it means one of us is here to do the day to day activities and be there for our son. It would make more financial sense to both be out on contracts 5 days a week, however we feel a balance in what we do and development of the family unit is just as important as putting food on the table or buying a better car etc.
 
So in 2014 I was working away generating a decent living from my desk whilst my wife and co-director was doing the main activity working across the Uk and Europe. I was sat there looking around wondering why I felt so low when I really had no need to be. The realisation was I needed some social interaction, did not really frequent the Pub a traditional place to socialise, I was not going to a regular place of work. So from day to day week to week the only real company I had, was a funny little jack Russell called Ned.
 
So I decided to go networking just to get out of the house not looking to grow my business but to spend a couple of hours with like minded people get my brain working and I may actually learn something from the experience. if I did get some business well bonus, but that was not my primary objective.
 
I cannot express in words really how it has affected me but I will try, I have met some amazing business owners, felt a sense of worth belonging and pleased to say now have some wonderful friends. There is no substitute for meeting people face to face, yes social media is great but something is missing which us humans crave, other humans in our presence not a digital representation of them.
 
I have also discovered where I now want my business to go and what even better I've got a network of people that can help me get there either free advice, yes people do help you sometimes freely. There are people I respect and have gladly paid for their professional services.
 
I've been reading a superb book "Business networking for Dummies' written by Stefan Thomas , it's really easy to read with plenty of hints and tips for the virgin and seasoned Networker and how you should approach it, I am pleased to say the way I had naturally approached it now I have some added bits I was not doing. I saw him speaking at a networking event funnily enough and just had to buy his book.
 
As a result of Networking I've taken my business in a different direction and working with some amazing associates, people I trust and respect. We are planning and developing workshop days for businesses or individuals that don't have the specific departments in their businesses, ranging from demystifying quality improvements, process mapping, safety risk assessment and HR. Things that business looking to improve or grow can benefit from without spending thousands every year on the dedicated teams. Makes sense to us and were looking forward to helping businesses gain a cutting edge against their competition. Due to the Network I am involved with it's going to be easy to tailor specific workshops pulling in Social Media experts, commercial accountants branding experts. The list is endless and all I will have personally got to know liked and trusted that's just amazing after all my business and brand is very important to me.
 
So is networking worth doing in this digital age, you better believe it, it's probably more crucial now with so many of us working in isolation in our home offices. People need people, businesses need people. So if you're in business or sat at home feeling something is missing de social media yourself for a few hours a week and shake someone hand drink a coffee and be human it will change what you do and how you feel. I am still on a journey in life and in my business and I am so glad I step through the door to my first event nervous but worth it. Read Stefan's book it will help.
 
Like everyone I love feedback so please drop a comment and even better share this with someone else especially someone like me sat at Home you could change their life literally.
 
duggystone