You’ve got your light and sound equipment. You have your team members. You even have bookings. But planning and carrying out events is way more difficult than it should be. It’s chaotic and your team is getting discouraged.

Chances are, you’re dealing with team disorganization. Luckily for you, there are some key ways to reorganize your team so that everyone understands what is expected of them, how they should carry out events, and how to keep track of a project’s progress.

Create SOPs

Step one is to create SOPs for your business. SOP stands for “standard operating procedure,” and they are used to tell your team members how to carry out business activities. They should be written for job positions, safety procedures, how to handle clients, how to organize the warehouse— if it’s an activity you’re going to do more than just a couple times, you should create an SOP for it.

I know that seems like a lot of writing. However, consider the amount of time you spend answering the same questions, searching for misplaced items, and re-doing improperly installed fixtures, when you could just refer team members to the SOPs and carry on with your task. Suddenly writing SOPs seems like a worthwhile time investment!

Place your SOPs in easily accessible locations. This could be a binder in the warehouse (just don’t forget to update it!), a shared digital document location (like Google Drive), or you could even create a Wiki page for your team. The main point is that it’s easy to find and use.

Have regular team check-in meetings

If you’re not having progress meetings with your team, you’re missing an opportunity to catch an issue before it becomes a problem. Whether you schedule regular weekly check-ins or project-dependent check-ins, it’s a vital step towards creating a solid team. If you’re having difficulties getting everyone in the same room, consider requiring regular status updates via chat to keep everyone on track and on the same page.

Use event rental software for team management

A solid event rental software will help you keep track of your inventory items down to the last cable— plus your team. Many of our Goodshuffle Pro users already keep their SOPs in the Files section of our software, so that their team may access them from any browser. Goodshuffle Pro also offers a team messaging system for team check ins and updates so team members don’t miss out on project changes.

You can also manage as many contractors as you’d like — without worrying about them having access to billing and other sensitive information— by subscribing to Goodshuffle Pro’s Unlimited Read-Only Users add-on. Your contractors will have access to basic project information, project team chat, and project files, but not financials, contracts, or the ability to modify inventory. It’s the perfect solution to managing temporary team members!

Keeping your team and event company organized is necessary for your events to run smoothly, and your business to grow. Having proper guides (SOPs) in easily accessible locations will give your team the confidence to solve problems without having to pull someone else in to help with every issue that arises. Once everyone understands their role within the project, keep communication lines open and watch your team — and business — flourish!