Don’t sweat the small stuff

"Any product that needs a manual to work is broken." —Elon Musk

At Roll, we’re often asked to add more features to our software that, on the surface, seem like good ideas. But once we investigate, we discover that they don’t add value. Often, additional features do more harm than good because of the distraction factor and the tendency to create micromanaging.

We know first-hand that keeping software simple and easy-to-use makes it enjoyable to use, rather than an overly complicated tool that you slowly begin to resent because of complexities (and possible glitches). Most functionality requests are overkill. They’re nice to have but are not needed and add to the noise and admin that comes with a lot of software. The less noise you have, the more focused you are on the important things.

It’s all about balance. It’s important to have just the right amount of detail and metrics that inform your decision making and overall strategic planning, and that add to your speed and efficiency. But it’s also critical that you don’t get bogged down in over complicated software and over-analysing. 

Successful Business

We’ve built our software based on the management style that we know works in successful businesses. A good manager knows what amount of detail enhances their visibility over the business, helping them make strategic decisions.

They don’t need to know whether an employee completed a task between 9 am and 10.30 am. They just need to know that it was completed and that it took 1.5 hours. This comes back to something we’ve talked about in an earlier blog – delegation and trust. It’s easy to create a culture of confidence and collaboration when you have the right tools (and mindset) to support your work and your team.

Sometimes, customers will want the ability to break tasks down into smaller details, or sub-tasks on sub tasks, within Roll. We looked into this and concluded that it would potentially do more harm than good. Roll was created to help you gain overall visibility of your business, with a strategic, forward-focused viewpoint. Digging into too much detail keeps you looking down at your toes (or worse, looking behind you) and slows you down, rather than setting your sights ahead.

Keep this in mind as you run your business.

Micromanaging, microbiology, microchip, microorganism – what comes to mind? Someone hunched over, squinting, head down focused on the teeny, tiny stuff? Or someone head up, shoulders back, eyes wide open, searching abroad for the opportunities ahead?

Remember the saying, don’t sweat the small stuff? It applies to business alright.

At Roll, we focus on keeping things simple, fast and efficient. It’s one of our main points of difference. When tools are simple, they’re easy, they’re fast, and they get used.

Check out our product and quick tip videos to see how easy Roll is to use.

Or try it for free here.