Practical thinking on
operational risk
Straightforward writing on the patterns that hold scaling businesses back, and how to address them. Based on real work with UK tech, manufacturing and service businesses.
Most operational risk is not obvious until it starts slowing the business down. These articles cover the patterns that show up most often across growing businesses, and what can be done about them.
Why Does It Take Six Months for a New Hire to Actually Be Useful?
New hires taking months to become productive is not a skill problem. It's what happens when nothing is written down. Here's how to fix onboarding in a manufacturing business without an HR department. ...more
Operational Risk
July 17, 2026•7 min read
Why Won't My Team Make Decisions Without Me?
Everything comes back to you, even the small calls. Learn why your team won't decide without you, which decisions to delegate first, and the difference between delegation and abdication. ...more
Operational Risk
July 17, 2026•6 min read
Quality drops every time the senior tech is off
Quality drops the moment your senior tech is off. The fix: make the check a checklist. Process Consistency Risk addressed at the design level. ...more
Operational Risk ,Friday Fix
July 17, 2026•1 min read
When Standards Slip, Systems Were Never Clear
Quality dropped and the team cannot agree on what the standard is. Here is how to write it and verify your team is working to it. ...more
Operational Risk ,Friday Fix
July 16, 2026•4 min read
Why Do We Keep Fixing the Same Problems? (A Process Consistency Guide for Manufacturers)
It depends who does it. Learn what causes process consistency risk in manufacturing, how to create SOPs that get used, and how to document a process that only exists in someone's head. ...more
Operational Risk
July 15, 2026•10 min read
Write the Steps. Remove the Friction. Free the Team.
Friction in your team often traces back to one process nobody has ever written down. Here is the smallest fix that removes it. ...more
Operational Risk ,Friday Fix
July 15, 2026•4 min read
Your Business Does Not Rise to Its Goals. It Falls to Its Systems.
Your Q3 goal is set. The system underneath it is not built yet. Here is how to identify and fix the gap before the quarter slips. ...more
Operational Risk ,Friday Fix
July 14, 2026•4 min read
Clarity Is an Operational Requirement, Not a Luxury
When roles are assumed rather than defined, your team fills the gaps with guesswork. Here is how to fix ownership and decision clarity. ...more
Operational Risk ,Friday Fix
July 13, 2026•4 min read
You know why that customer gets the discount. Your team doesn't.
Your team can't apply a rule that only exists in your head. This week's fix: write the pricing exception down and remove yourself from the loop. ...more
Operational Risk ,Friday Fix
July 10, 2026•1 min read
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