I Built An Operations System For A Quilt Shop

I chose to build this project for a local quilt shop called The Quilted Windmill. I work for this small business and know how to use their system. I’ve noticed that they don’t have a central location for a lot of their information. They have systems in place that work. From an Operations standpoint, I want to figure out how they could improve their systems. It would be helpful to have somewhere to reference and manage systems. If I figure out a system for keeping inventory consistent, it could be helpful to have somewhere a fellow employee could reference when they add in new inventory.

I wanted to find a program that would work best for this project. I chose Notion because of all of its templates, easy searching, and customization. The Quilted Windmill has a lot of moving parts, so I think that Notion would be the best place to manage them. In this SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), I go over why this would be helpful to the company, how the employees could use it, and general Notion functions. In completing this project, I learned how to:

1. Create a realistically sustainable process
2. Use an Operations mindset when it comes to improving current systems

You can check out my condensed walkthrough video if you’d like!

How to use The Quilted Windmill’s Notion System

For: The Quilted Windmill Employees

Created: February 2021

How this is a solution: Information is all over the place and not all the employees know how to do things. What if the owner is gone and they can’t ask her how to refund or calculate prices? This could be the solution to that and much more.

• Answers to employee questions stored all in one location
• Keep up with systems that are put in place and they aren’t forgotten
• The owner could leave more because the employees have everything they need.
• Easy to manage and update

How to use the system…

To find the answer to your question:

1. Search the sub-page that would have the answer to your question.
2. You could also go to Quick Find and search for a keyword to find the answer quickly.
3. This page could have step-by-step procedures, common questions, ways to solve problems, and other helpful employee information.

To ask a question: There is or can be a sub-page where employees can add a question that isn’t already in the system. The owner or someone who knows the answer can add the answer and place it under the correct category in the system for organization purposes.

To follow a procedure: You can add steps to different processes. For example…

1. How to add inventory
2. How to check someone out
3. How to sign someone up for BOM
4. How things are organized

Some other examples of what Notion could keep track of for this company:

• Longarming Schedule
• BOT spreadsheet
• Employee hours
• Product requests
• Order management

General Notion functions

How to add a page: On the left-hand side of Notion, there is a toolbar. Click Add a page to add a new page. From there, you can select a template, view and customize the page.

How to add a sub-page: If on a new page, you can select List under Database. If not, add a dash(/) and select Page. If you scroll down, there are several other options. Including To-do lists, Headings, Bulleted lists, Numbered lists, Toggle lists, Database options, Media options, and so much more.

How to select a template: There are two options.

1. You can select Templates on the empty page.
2. In the left-hand toolbar, you can select Templates. There are many to choose from in that window but you can click Browse more templates if you want to see more options.

How to select a different view for a page: There are some templates like Weekly Agenda and Quick Note that don’t allow for a different view. This would most commonly be used in the Database List template. In the top left above the sub-pages, you’ll see a List view or Add a view. If you select that, you can click a different view or add a view. Changing the view can help you see the information you want to see from the list.

How to search: If you are searching for a specific sub-page on the page, you can click Search in the top right above the list next to the blue New button. There, you can search for a page. If you are searching for a keyword, select Quick Find at the top of the toolbar. Type in the keyword and anything in Notion with that keyword will show up in the results.

When you make a new sub-page:

1. Add a title
2. Add an icon if you want
3. Select the date the page was created
4. Select the Tag(s) or type in a new tag
5. Add a new property if there is another variable for sorting involved. This example also keeps track of who created what pages. That is why the property is Person.

Originally published at http://leahfayedavis.com on February 28, 2021.