Business Systemization Strategies for Engineers

I am an Engineering Manager working at Google with almost 20 years of experience. If I could sit down with a Jr. Software Engineer, here are 50 cheat codes I would share with them that I learned from my experiences. [1] Ask why this system even needs to exist ➤ Before a single line is written, challenge the core purpose, “Is this a business problem or just a tech exercise?” Real systems solve pain, not boredom. [2] Redraw the lines, define what’s “inside” and “outside” your system ➤ Figure out where your service starts, stops, and how it talks to the world. 80% of future headaches come from blurred boundaries. [3] Don’t chase new tech for the resume, use what your org supports ➤ That AWS Lambda demo looks cool until your team tells you there’s a 10-year-old Jenkins server already scheduled to do that job. Proven > Shiny. [4] System design isn’t “one size fits all”, context is everything ➤ YouTube and interview videos show perfect worlds. Your system will live in mess, legacy, and compromise. Embrace it. [5] Optimize for “how easy to change?” not “how cool is this?” ➤ You won’t get it perfect first time. Make it so anyone (even you) can swap out parts later, with minimal pain. [6] Start with use cases, not tech ➤ Interview solutions start with “put Kafka here.” Real solutions start with “who will use this and how?” [7] Know your real users, not just your APIs ➤ Customers, PMs, even other devs, all are “users” with needs. If your “system” forgets one, it’s doomed. [8] Design for the traffic you have, not the traffic you dream of ➤ Every engineer who overbuilt for ‘Google scale’ at a 10K user startup has regretted it. Scale when you must. [9] Understand your company’s default tech stack, don’t fight it ➤ Don’t propose a NoSQL database if everyone else is running Postgres unless you have a bulletproof case. [10] Pick the boring solution if you want peace ➤ Every time I chased “the best tech,” maintenance bit me back. The system you forget about is the most stable one. [11] Get the team’s buy-in before you architect a “masterpiece” ➤ Don’t be a solo hero. Feedback from PMs, ops, QA, other engineers, all of it will expose what you missed. [12] Refactor and cleanup aren’t “nice to haves”, they’re your real job ➤ Every shortcut you leave will double your pain in 6 months. [13] Read logs and production metrics every week ➤ Production is where truth lives. Ignore at your own risk. [14] Test how things break, not just how they work ➤ Simulate failing databases, crashing services, weird user flows, assume chaos is coming. [15] You’ll be asked to fix code you didn’t write, embrace it ➤ Legacy code is half your career. Treat it with respect and curiosity, not blame. [16] Never let a diagram go out without clear boundaries ➤ Always show what’s external, what’s internal, and what’s a dependency, otherwise, no one will know what breaks what.

3 engineers were tasked with solving the same system design problem at their company:  The Problem: Design a scalable notification system.  Junior Engineer: "I’ll set up an API that sends notifications to users through an external service like Twilio."  - Focuses on implementing something quickly.   - Solution works fine for 100 users, but doesn’t account for scale, retries, or failovers.  Mid-Level Engineer: "I’ll build a modular system with Kafka for queuing, Redis for deduplication, and a microservice to handle delivery retries."  - Focuses on scalability and reliability.   - System handles high traffic but doesn’t consider long-term maintainability or cost-effectiveness.  Senior Engineer: "What’s the business use case for these notifications? Are they time-sensitive, or can they be batched? Should we optimize for cost, speed, or reliability?"  - Focuses on business goals first:     → Suggests prioritizing urgent notifications like OTPs while batching less critical ones.     → Recommends monitoring tools for visibility into system health.     → Evaluates whether to build in-house or integrate an external service to reduce costs.     The senior you are, the more your solutions align with business needs, not just technical challenges.  Building systems is about solving the *right* problem, not just the technical one in front of you.

Want more listings or deals? Recently, I've been watching the documentary "How It's Made," and it got me thinking... we need to start thinking like a factory, not freelancers. Take light bulbs, for example. In 1926, the ribbon machine automated light bulb production. Before that, workers made bulbs by hand. Each one could produce about a dozen per hour, and output varied wildly between workers. The ribbon machine changed everything, cranking out over 1,200 bulbs per minute, with consistency. It wasn’t about working harder. It was about building a better system. Most brokers still run their business like they’re Thomas Edison hand-making light bulbs. Manual processes. Inconsistent follow-up. No real structure. Even the most talented person is still capped on production without a system behind them. Here’s how to fix it: 1. Know your inputs and outputs Deals don’t appear out of thin air. Calls, meetings, leads, proposals, listings, tours... all raw materials. What goes in should drive what comes out. Track both. 2. Standardize what repeats If you're rewriting the same emails or listing descriptions every time, you’re burning time. Create templates once, reuse often. 3. Batch your work Jumping between tasks slows you down. Set blocks of time for research, prospecting, follow-ups, and proposals. One task at a time, done right. 4. Find your bottlenecks Where does your pipeline stall? Fix it. Don’t just power through. Systemize or delegate. A few hours of deep work can save you weeks. 5. Track your process like a production line Factories know their cycle times and yields. You should know your days on market, close ratios, follow-up response rates. Data drives better decisions. You don’t need more hustle. You need more structure. Engineer a better process. Future you will thank you. What’s one part of your workflow you could streamline this week?

I spent my first 4 years in business trapped in a month-to-month grind. Until I discovered this 7-step framework that allowed me to systematize my business and replace myself from daily operations, all within 30 days. Here's the exact framework— I call it The Fractalization Method: 1. Stop optimizing what shouldn't exist Before you add more systems, eliminate what's creating chaos. Most entrepreneurs are adding horsepower to a car that’s strapped to a 1000lb piece of dead weight. Ask: What are the areas that are too complex, that I must first simplify in order to scale? 2. Map your business at the MACRO level Grab a whiteboard. Map the major steps your business takes. Strangers → Clients → Advocates Break it into two core systems: Acquisition (how you get clients) Fulfillment (how you deliver value) Don't document HOW yet. Just document WHAT happens along the sales & fulfilment journey. 3. Document the MESO level workflows For each major step, clarify the sequential workflow. Example: Client onboarding for a webinar funnel: Collect brand assets → Create script → Build funnel → Set up email automations → Setup tracking → Test on desktop & mobile → Fill funnel by launching re-targeting ads Rather than trying to manage isolated tasks, map out the whole workflow and connect tasks into sequential steps. 4. Create the MICRO level SOPs For each workflow step, create SOPs with: Video walkthroughs Templates Checklists Detailed instructions Make them impossible to misunderstand. 5. Connect every layer to your vision Instruction without context creates confusion. Every person on your team should be able to zoom OUT to see the vision and zoom IN to see their task. They understand how everything connects. 6. Standardize your offer If every client gets something different, you can't scale. One of my clients was practicing 10,000 different kicks by signing whoever says “yes” and bringing each client through a different fulfilment process. Once we created focus by clarifying his TAM, brand positioning, outcome-based offer and a delivery process with clear scope, he was able to systematize his business for scale without having to work weekends and evenings. 7. Replace yourself systematically With layers 1-6 in place, delegation isn't hard anymore. It's natural. Your team makes decisions because they understand the context. You stop being the answer to every question. The outcome? You stop trading time for money. You invest time once to create leverage that keeps making you money. Operational overwhelm disappears. Someone else handles soul-draining tasks and knows exactly what to do. You have boundaries around what matters most. Date nights. Long weekends. Guilt-free vacations. But here's what it requires: You must shift your identity from Chief Everything Officer to systems-driven CEO. Fractalization creates alignment without force.

I'm building Essajees Atelier to run without me and that's the hardest thing I've ever done as a founder Design studios fail when the founder steps away for some time, so I'm building mine to survive without me. My goal is to make my team resilient so that my absence doesn't create a crisis for them. Systems thinking is the only way to make it happen, so I'm taking the following steps: 1-Understanding the system Systems thinking means mapping how every part of our business connects and affects the whole. I started by tracing these connections visually. Where do delays actually originate? Which handoffs consistently create bottlenecks? What happens when I'm traveling for weeks at a time? 2-Identifying critical dependencies Too many decisions required my involvement, and it became a potential failure point. Systems thinking forced me to ask: what could backfire if I'm unavailable? Then make a plan for it so it never happens. 3-Building redundancy I mapped the full system to identify where single points of failure existed. Then we built backup processes so multiple team members could handle critical functions. Approvals now follow documented criteria that senior designers can apply. We have templates and protocols that don't require me. Finances operate within clear parameters. 4-Testing the system The real test came during my work trips for Jea. Initially, everything slowed down. But we learned fast. Each time, it revealed gaps in our documentation, decision-making, or training. We fixed these systematically rather than just working harder. 5-Managing change Transitioning to systems-dependent required managing massive change across the team. Some people struggled with autonomy. Others thrived with clear guidelines that empowered them. Big changes take time. We're 1.5 years into this transition and still finding dependencies I didn't realize existed. But every time I leave for work, my business runs more smoothly. P.S. Can your business run without you or not? #business #systems #growth #scalability

Stop waiting for your company to recognize your value. Start building systems where your value is undeniable. The Engineers advancing fastest aren't climbing corporate ladders. They're building expertise that companies can't ignore. Three strategies that actually work: 1️⃣ Become the person who solves expensive problems Don't just learn technologies. Learn to solve business problems using technologies. Companies pay premium rates for problem-solvers, not tool-users. 2️⃣ Build your expertise in public Document what you build. Share what you learn. Teach what you know. External visibility creates internal opportunities and external options. 3️⃣ Optimize for learning velocity, not job security The fastest way to increase your income is to increase your capabilities. Focus on skills that compound, problem-solving, system thinking, business context. The market rewards rare combinations of skills. Technical expertise + Business understanding + Communication ability = premium positioning. Your career progression should be measured by the complexity of problems you can solve, not the number of years you've been employed.

Want to know why most businesses stay small? They never build systems. Here's what I've learned about creating systems that actually work: 1. Clarity Get clear on what success looks like. You want specific, measurable outcomes. "Reduce response time to under 2 hours" beats "improve customer service" every time. 2. Connect to Emotions The emotional driver matters more than you think. What happens if you don't get this right? Connect to that feeling. For me, it was about getting my evenings back with my family. 3. Choose Great Process Owners Look for your star players. Every team has them - the people who naturally excel at certain tasks. These are your system architects. Get them to document their process. 4. Use Triggers Critical steps need triggers. Think of it like programming - every action needs a clear trigger. Map out these decision points. Tools like Lucidchart or Miro make this visual. 5. Start Small Your first system doesn't need to be perfect. Pick one process - like client onboarding - and make it repeatable. Build confidence through small wins. 6. Create Growth Plans Skills gap analysis is crucial. List out what your team needs to learn. Could be technical skills, could be soft skills. Either way, plan for training before you implement. 7. Remove obstacles before they become problems Common ones: - resistance to change, - lack of time - technical limitations. Address them in your planning and roll-out phases. 8. Reduce Friction If your system requires superhuman effort to follow, it will fail. Automate what you can. Simplify what you can't. 9. Build in accountability - Weekly scorecards - Public dashboards, - Regular check-ins Pick your tool. Make progress visible. 10. Reward Success Incentives matter. Not just money - think: - recognition - flexibility - growth opportunities What motivates your specific team? 11. Build in Iteration Systematization is iterative. Your first version will need refinement. I like to build to 40-60% and release. That's normal. Perfect is the enemy of good. Example: We reduced our client onboarding time by 60% by mapping out every touchpoint, creating templates, and building triggers in our CRM. Start with one process. Your business is a collection of systems whether you design them or not. Better to be intentional about it. Questions to ask before building any system: - What's the specific outcome? - Who's the current expert? - What are the critical steps? - How will we measure success? - What's the first small win? Remember: systematization is a journey, not a destination. Keep testing, measuring, and refining. Your business becomes what you systematize. Want to dive deeper into building effective business systems? Follow me for more insights on scaling businesses through systemization.

Building the “Digital Core”: From Survival Mode to Strategic Systems ============================================ I had the pleasure of spending some time with Abdul Saleem AK, and it was a reminder of a vital lesson: Building the digital foundation of a business is critical for scale. When I started in 2019, survival was my top priority. My focus was purely on the hustle - closing deals and managing daily needs. But you cannot scale a business on manual effort alone. You eventually hit a ceiling where hard work isn't enough; you need systems. Saleem stands out because he applies "Common Sense" before code. He understands that you must structure the business logic first before you bring in the software. A "Zero Error" discipline backs his expertise: Aviation Roots: With a decade at Emirates Group IT and serving as Director of Software Development at Accelya Group, he comes from an industry where precision is non-negotiable. Deep Experience: An alumnus of TKM College of Engineering , Kollam (1998), he brings over 25 years of experience. The Mission: "Helping Businesses Scale with Practical ERP, AI & Process Strategy". During our discussion, we broke down exactly what is needed to move from "survival" to "structure": Centralizing Data: Moving from scattered spreadsheets to a structured system (like a CRM and/or ERP) so you have a single source of truth for your sales and inventory. Process Clarity & Control: Ensuring workflows are clearly defined, aligned across teams, and supported by software. Automation: Identifying manual tasks (like invoicing and follow-ups) that a system can do automatically to save the team valuable time. It is rare to find a partner who understands the business processes first and then builds the right software systems to support them. A Strategic Question for my network: When you look at your current operations, where do you feel the most "friction" or waste of time?? #BusinessGrowth #DigitalTransformation #ProcessEfficiency #Leadership #ERP #AviationIT #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship

Ever feel like getting your team to follow systems is an uphill battle? What if we could make it fun? 🤔 Here’s how: #𝟭. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 (𝗧𝗗𝗪𝗠𝗤𝗔): - Think about your departments as different levels in a game. - Define the key repeatable tasks within each department (like daily, weekly, monthly, triggered tasks). - Write these tasks down as "quests" to complete. #𝟮. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱: - Measure progress visually. Use a whiteboard or spreadsheet to track system completion. - Quantify system completion for each department. For example, assign points for each system documented. 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: - Award points for individuals or departments who create the best systems or complete their "quests" efficiently. - Motivate with prizes or rewards like team lunches or extra time off. 𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗨𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: - Acknowledge and appreciate team members who consistently follow systems and contribute to improvement. - Celebrate wins and milestones publicly to reinforce the value of systemisation. Remember, the key is to make it fun and engaging. 🕹️ By turning systemisation into a game, you can create a more positive and collaborative work environment where everyone is excited to participate. Curious to know more? Watch this video.