Open Source & Decentralizing Management

PROBLEM

Each employee's knowledge and experience are essentially a form of data and algorithms. The more experienced someone is, the more varied their data and the more optimized their algorithms for planning, decision-making, execution and so on.

The problem with traditional operations is that this accumulated knowledge and experience stay in each person's head, like closed-source software. They are hard to share and cannot readily be passed on.

Some experience can still be passed from one person to another through training and guidance. But this is essentially data transfer at a very slow speed and with a high rate of loss.

This problem becomes more complex in management roles, which also handle many other functions, such as:

• Recruitment

• Training

• Assigning work

• Tracking progress

• Evaluating work quality

Management roles therefore tend to be bottlenecks even under normal operating conditions. This becomes more serious as a company grows and adds staff.

SOLUTION

One approach is to turn employee knowledge and experience into processes and tools that others can use. In other words, turn closed-source software into open-source software within the company, so everyone can see, improve and use it.

If processes are clear enough and tools are easy to use, they can be automated or put in someone else's hands, gradually decentralizing management.

Turn knowledge and experience into tools others can use

There are various ways to achieve this goal. Optimus applies a framework for building processes and gradually raises their level. Read it to better understand the example below.

EXAMPLE

To make this easier to picture, here is an example of recruiting and onboarding a marketing executive at Optimus, with the processes, process levels and tools involved at each stage. Except for Full automation, the other processes still involve people, but the processes below make things easier and more consistent.

For short, the automated system below will be called the bot.

Recruitment

• Candidate communication (Semi-automation): the recruitment management process: the bot automatically saves CVs, sends interview invitations and reports interview results based on input from the line manager

• Interviews (Template): use an interview question set and interview test to make interviews more effective and screening more accurate

Onboarding (To do + filter): a list of tasks for new employees, with a filter to show tasks by position. HR supervises and supports this process

Training (Guideline + tests): the line manager provides instruction based on guidelines, with short tests and 1 final test

Assigning work (To do + auto assign): after the line manager assigns projects and defines the scope of work, the bot automatically assigns tasks to new employees according to predefined rules

Tracking progress (Full automation): the bot monitors task status and deadlines, automatically reminds new employees and alerts the line manager if work falls behind schedule

Evaluating work quality (Semi-automation): when work is marked complete, the bot assigns QC a task to check it.

QC checks against a set of 24 criteria designed to be easy to mark as pass or fail. For example: is the budget correct, is the audience correct, does the landing page work...

If QC marks it as a fail, the bot alerts the manager to check

RESULTS

• The manager's workload is considerably lighter thanks to the supporting processes

• Operations are more consistent and stable, reducing the risk of work getting stuck when someone is sick or on leave

• Managers have more time for higher-value work, such as monitoring and improving processes, raising process levels, upgrading training materials and trying new technologies or tools...

• When knowledge and experience become easier to transfer, the company has more recruitment options and can prioritize factors that are harder to teach, such as communication skills and English...

CONCLUSION

I believe systematizing and decentralizing business operations is an inevitable trend. This shift not only improves productivity but also encourages innovation and flexibility in management.