The trusted system, in terms of GTD, is the structure that you use, that you consider to be reliable, and to represent your next actions, projects and goals. Each time you update it, it holds your new configuration until the following review. It’s a helpful extension of your thinking as part of a continuous improvement loop, not just a chore or an obligation. The main requirement is that your good ideas are retained, and a decision made on each, even if it is ‘do nothing’. Essentially, the framework must work for you to distinguish next action lists from goals, objectives, somedays and desired outcomes on all horizons. Use the Trusted System to capture, plan, and show what needs attention now, and in the future, in a time sequence. ## Requirements of the trusted system We consider here software that can help to implement the five key stages of the [[Getting Things Done management framework]]: Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect and Engage. ![[management cluster.png]] The aim of the trusted system is to create order from chaos, to plan and implement change and manage the fluctuating workload, and to help team members make decisions with relative autonomy. ## Manage Opportunities You may receive a significant number of emails and need an effective way to ensure that important opportunities are at the top of your priority list. You may be evaluating market trends, your current positioning and where you’re likely to be in the future, looking out for avenues from customers and demand for new services. Your analysis would go into the capture library. You might plan actions based on such analysis in Ayoa or Todoist, such as ‘read more about it’, define what you will provide, and update your pricing. ## Measuring Performance Against Trajectory This might seem to be appropriate only for larger companies, but it’s important to measure performance no matter the size of the business. Part of establishing this trusted relationship between objectives (where I want to go) and actions (what I’m doing to get there) is to be able to employ accurate key management data. ![[measuring-your-trajectory.png]] This idea is a discussion on determining your distance from the intended trajectory in the HBR article How Will You Measure Your Life, by Clayton Christensen. ## Example of a trusted system This is one configuration we used that we consider to be a trusted system: ![[productivity-software-config.png]] Enterprise Architect to apply [[The Principles of Systems Analysis and Design]] [[Evernote to capture ideas and issues]] Simplemind to create mind maps. Trello to [[Define Projects and Protect the Plan]] [[Getting Things Done management framework]] as the underlying method Odoo as the ERP transactional system ## Conclusion Managing a business involves analysing, developing and documenting your current system. - Look for ways to transform your strategy into action. - Assess your performance against the declared strategy - Measure your progress against objectives. - Get training on the right business management software - Track day-to-day priorities - Adapt your strategy based on performance - Reflect on the efficiency of your system and use that understanding to improve it.