The Scaling Operations Handbook
Operations and Product · Nº 84
The Scaling Operations Handbook
Capacity, People, and Controls to Grow without Missing Deadlines or Letting Quality Slip
Sales are up. So why is everything late, and why is everyone calling you?
24 tools and a spreadsheet that measure your capacity, size your team for the next volume, and set up controls that run without you, worked through on one growing company.
You get 24 tools to find what breaks first if volume doubles, measure real capacity, size the team by volume, add team leads or a second shift, manage by exception, and choose how far to grow. Plus a spreadsheet with 6 working tabs, filled in with the example.
A book explains the method. This handbook puts it to work: the tool, a worked example, and a spreadsheet with your numbers.
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
The big order came in and you said yes. Now the team works overtime every day, deliveries slip, waste creeps up, and every question, from a missing supply to an angry customer, lands on your phone. Sales went up. Profit didn't follow. And cash gets tight right when you're busier than ever.
THE SPREADSHEET
Scaling operations spreadsheet
Use the completed example as a reference and enter your business data in the marked fields. Check the instructions and the calculations before you make a decision.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Three situations this handbook solves
A big order lands on your desk
Before you say yes, you run the doubling test. You see which resource breaks first and how much cash the order ties up, then you take all of it, part of it, or negotiate terms that fit.
Everything is late, again
You enter the actual capacity of your limiting stage and your average demand. Two cells in, the spreadsheet shows utilization, and you finally see whether you need another hire, another machine, or fewer jobs started at once.
Friday afternoon, without the fire drills
Instead of answering every question yourself, you check only the alerts that fell outside their ranges, each one with a cause and a proposal. Everything else ran without you this week.
INSIDE
What you'll find in each tool
Five parts, in the order you'll need them. Where growth stalled: your phase, what the chaos already costs, and the doubling test. Operating capacity, measured stage by stage. People at the new size: headcount, the learning curve, team leads, and the second shift. Control without you in the middle. Then growing again, with a method and a size you choose.
WHAT YOU GET
Everything included in your purchase
- The Scaling Operations Handbook in PDF: 24 tools, each with a step by step, a worked example, and an exercise
- The scaling operations spreadsheet in Excel and Google Sheets, with 6 working tabs, filled in with the example company
- The Template kit: 16 ready-made texts, including the doubling test questions, the second shift announcement, an out-of-range alert, and a reply to an order that doesn't fit
- 2 worksheets to fill in (doubling test and quarterly scaling review) and a 30-day plan, one week per stage
- Access to your handbook on the Consylion platform
Full table of contents
The 24 tools, in the order you'll use them
Part 1 · Part 1 · Where growth stalled
- 01The phases of growthWhich phase your company is in and which crisis comes next
- 02The growing pains scorecardSix numbers that show what the chaos is already costing you
- 03The doubling testResource by resource, what breaks first if volume doubles
- 04The growth your cash can fundHow much working capital every new dollar of sales ties up
Part 2 · Part 2 · Operating capacity
- 05Actual capacity by stageMeasure what each stage really handles and find where the limit is
- 06Work in progressLess work stuck in the middle, shorter lead times for the customer
- 07Utilization with slackWhy running a stage at full capacity fills the queue and delays everything
- 08Growing in stepsWhen to buy the next machine: before, with, or after demand
- 09Less variety, more scaleFind the items that sell little and jam production
Part 3 · Part 3 · People at the new size
- 10Headcount by volumeHow many people each area needs at each volume, before you're short
- 11The learning curveHow much a new hire produces each week, and when to hire
- 12Span of controlWhen to create team leads and how many people each one can lead
- 13The second shiftNew shift or overtime: cost, limits, and fatigue in one calculation
Part 4 · Part 4 · Control without the owner in the middle
- 14The four levers of controlBeliefs, boundaries, numbers, and conversation in place of the owner's eye
- 15Management by exceptionRanges that trigger an alert, so everything else runs without you
- 16Sales and operations planningThe monthly meeting that matches what you sell with what you can make
- 17The customer who is too bigHow much of your revenue one customer should hold, and how to reduce it
- 18What stays fixed and what flexesA few rules that never change, and freedom for everything else
Part 5 · Part 5 · Growing again, with a method
- 19Make, buy, or outsourceWhat stays in-house and what goes to someone who does it better
- 20Suppliers that can handle twice the volumeThe supplies that hold back growth, and lining up a second supplier
- 21The limits of sizeThe revenue, safety, and licensing thresholds that change as you grow
- 22Volume milestonesWhat changes in the company at each volume step
- 23Choosing your company's sizeHow far to grow, and how to say no to the order that doesn't fit
- 24The quarterly scaling reviewYour scaling numbers on the table every three months
Who it's for
It's for you if
- You sell more than you can deliver, and overtime has become the plan
- You get called to fix everything, from a missing supply to a customer complaint
- Your sales grew but your profit didn't, and cash gets tight when volume goes up
- You have to decide on the next machine, a second shift, or your first team lead
- You want to know what breaks before you accept the next big order
It's not for you if
- You want to write the standard for each task. That's The Process Handbook
- You want to open a second location or franchise. See The Franchising and Expansion Handbook
- You want to cut waste from today's routine. Start with The Lean for Small Business Handbook
- You want a promise of growth or profit. This handbook puts your operation in order and measures each step
Frequently asked questions
I run a service business. Will this work for me?
Yes. Swap the machine for your professionals' schedules and the meal for the appointment. Every tool has an In your industry box that shows how the swap works.
Everything is late. Where do I start?
With the utilization of your limiting stage. If it's running above capacity, no other improvement will fix lead times until you add capacity or hold back orders. Part 2 shows you how to measure it.
Should I hire more people or buy a machine?
It depends on your limiting stage. More people at a stage that isn't the limit won't increase what you deliver. The handbook has you run the math on both options before you spend.
Isn't overtime cheaper than a second shift?
Sometimes, in money. But overtime has an hours limit, wears out the team, and increases errors. The second shift tool compares both in one calculation, and the handbook tells you to confirm the rules with your accountant.
Do I need to know operations management?
No, but this is an intermediate-level handbook. Ideas like capacity, utilization, and span of control are explained in plain English, and the examples use dollars only for illustration. The method works in any currency.
How long until things calm down?
The work in progress limit and the exception ranges change things the following week. A capacity step, team leads, and a new shift take one to three months. You compare before and after at the quarterly review.
What do I get, and in what formats?
Each handbook is a PDF of about 100 pages with 24 to 27 tools. Every tool has step-by-step instructions and a worked example. You also get the handbook's spreadsheet in Excel (.xlsx), which opens in Google Sheets too, with the example already filled in. The message, policy, and clause templates are in the Template Kit inside the PDF, ready to copy and adapt. Read it in the member area or download the files.
How do I know if it fits my business?
Each handbook's page shows the problem it solves, who it is for and who it is not for, the full table of contents, sample pages, and the company used in the examples. The examples come from small businesses in several industries, with illustrative numbers. If it is not a fit, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of your purchase, as described in the Refund Policy.
What is the difference between a handbook, an area set, and the Series?
A handbook solves one problem. An area set brings together every handbook and spreadsheet in one of the 6 areas, for less than the price of 5 single handbooks. The Consylion Handbook Series brings together all 100 handbooks and 100 spreadsheets, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks, and includes the next handbooks in the Series. Products outside the Series, from Consylion Life or Consylion Business, have their own price. They are sold separately and are not part of an area set or the Series.
Do I need to read everything before I start?
No. Each tool works on its own. Open the table of contents, pick the tool for today's problem, and start there. You can also read it cover to cover.
Do I need to know Excel?
The basics are enough: open the file and fill in the marked fields. The formulas are already built, and the handbook's example is filled in for reference.
How do I pay, and when do I get access?
By card or bank transfer, as a one-time payment with no subscription. Once your payment is confirmed, you get access to the member area by email. Approved card payments are confirmed right away. Bank transfers are confirmed when the funds clear. If access does not arrive within 24 hours of confirmation, check your spam folder and write to team@consylion.org.
How long do I have access, and how can I use the files?
Access does not expire, and you can download the files for offline use. The license is individual. You may read the handbooks, print them for your own use, and fill in and adapt the spreadsheet and templates with your company's data. If you are a consultant, accountant, or manager, you may apply the tools with your clients and deliver the result of your work, not the files. You may not share, resell, or distribute the files or the access.
How do support and refunds work?
Support is by email at team@consylion.org, on business days, with a reply within 5 business days. It covers questions about access, files, and payment. It does not include consulting or advice on applying the material to your case. You can cancel within 14 days of your purchase, without giving a reason, and get the full amount back through the payment method you used. Send the request to the same email. The details are in the Refund Policy.
CONSYLION HANDBOOK SERIES
The 6 departments of your business, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks.
This handbook solves today's problem. The Series solves the next one, and the one after that, with nothing more to pay.
- 100 handbooks with 2,403 ready-made tools, to read on screen and download as PDFs
- 100 spreadsheets for Excel and Google Sheets
- 6 business areas
- Lifetime access, unlocked once payment is confirmed
One-time payment of $197.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
Operations and Product · Nº 84
Make growth a decision, not a race
Growth doesn't have to mean late deliveries, burned-out people, and you fixing everything. This handbook gives you the tools, the spreadsheet, and a worked example to measure capacity, people, and cash first, so the next big order is one you choose with the numbers in front of you.
See all 100 handbooks · $197.00
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.