Your company operating system brings together the elements of how you run your business into a unified framework that is easily adopted and understood by your team. The following example Operating System Template is a guide to help you create & document your business operating system into a unified document.
An Operating System Should Include:
- Your vision, values, and culture
- Strategic planning cadence and framework
- How decisions are made as teams work cross-functionally and interdependently
- What, when, and how you will communicate at the company level (communication cadence and architecture)
- Why, when, and how you will meet (collaborating, deciding, and acting)
- Goal setting framework (like OKRs)
- How you measure and report on company performance
- What you will track and how you will measure individuals and teams
- How you will assess and reward performance—financial, promotions, etc
- Expectations for process, playbooks, documentation, working norms
You can modify and adjust your operating system over time, as it should be a “living” cadence used to run the business.