Systemize for the worst
Why fancy systems don't work
Sometimes, we systemize for the best case scenarios - the way we envision things should be. However, systems are meant to keep things going on the darkest of days. If your systems are not helping at critical times, they cannot be called systems at all. They will simply break. No one will remember they exist.
However, if you build systems that support people even in the worst situations, they will want to use it on their own. If nothing else, just to make things easier.
For example, when things get complex while building tech, the best thing to do is to draw things out on paper, with a pen. No whiteboards, especially digital ones.
As simple as it sounds, this is one system that people on my team are never forgetting. I only had to give them a taste initially, so they experience the benefits, but now it’s a default they do.
Similarly, what are the systems you can make to help people along in the worst of times?
Every organization (military, etc.) that deals with danger has these, but there’s no need to wait for life-threatening situations. It’s about how to make sure things don’t fall through the cracks, or allowing people to be completely lost (unless that’s an experience you want them to have :)