It's not easy managing multiple business locations

Managing multiple locations is no easy task.

There are employees to consider, systems to put in place and fires to put out on a daily basis.

As an owner, you can't be everywhere at once, which makes it that much more imperative that the right team and infrastructure be set up from the start, say experts.

"It's very difficult managing multiple sites," explains David Javitch of Javitch Associates, an organizational consulting firm in Newton, Mass. "You cannot delude yourself into believing that things will just work out, because they don't."

Goals and rolesThere needs to be a clear definition of both expectations and goals, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each party involved, says Javitch, an adjunct assistant professor of organizational behavior at Harvard University. He offers off-site management tips at javitch.com/library/Managing%20a%20Satellite%20Staff.htm.

"The line of command has to be absolutely clear," he notes. "You need to identify who's in charge in the absence of the overall boss and what decisions they can make."

This on-site manager is critical to the success of overall operations, says Tim Smith, a principal of The Plaid Group, a business consultancy in Houston.

"You're relying on that strong leader to manage the day-to-day work," says Smith, who is also vice president of operations at Rawson Energy Services in Houston, a product distribution and technical service company, where he helps oversee Rawson's 14 locations.

You need to empower them with the authority to take care of the business in your absence and share the "big picture" on a regular basis to help them stay focused on the directions and goals of the entire organization, he says.

"Make sure everyone knows where the company is going and how they contribute to that," says Smith, who offers more tips at plaidgroup.com/newsletters/200712newsletter.pdf.

Establish best practices and clearly define to workers what success looks like, he explains, noting that he does this with Rawson's location managers.

"At each location we compare how they're doing to what this picture of good performance looks like," he notes, adding that each person at the company's various site locations has a list of objectives to work on.

CommunicationThis kind of communication is critical, says Kaushik Sengupta, an associate professor in the department of Management, Entrepreneurship and General Business at Hofstra University's Frank G. Zarb School of Business in Hempstead.

"You don't want to lose control," he notes.

Establish a clear reporting structure to enable ongoing communication and decide on a monitoring frequency to gauge performance. For instance, you might do a combination of weekly phone calls, as well as e-mails and monthly site visits, he says.

At Delta Computer Group in Farmingdale, it's a combination of all of the above, says John Sullivan, co-owner and executive vice president. The company, which specializes in computer maintenance for large corporations, has 15 locations nationwide.

"We have a joint conference call every Friday morning with our sales staff throughout the country," he says. There are site visits at least quarterly, and his operational people are "in constant contact" daily with the company's outside offices.

"You want to know what they're doing, but you also want them to feel part of the company," says Sullivan.

Assuming geography is not too big an issue, try to involve workers in corporate activities/functions, advises Sengupta. Perhaps an annual gathering where you can award prizes for best location based on some performance measure.

"Recognize the best locations," Sullivan suggests. "That way there's an incentive to do better."

And if there's a problem, deal with it immediately.

"Don't let problems fester," says Smith.

Managing multiple sites

1. Clearly define roles/responsibilities of key parties

• Establish reporting structure and performance measures

• Share the big picture

• Communicate frequently

• Monitor performance