2. • As your business grows, things inevitably
become complex. There are more people,
more tasks, and more steps, all of which
need to be arranged in the most efficient
way possible. Assuming things will
naturally fall into place and procedures will
work themselves out is why many startups
and companies lose momentum as soon
as they expand their team.
3. • Maintaining accurate and well-organized
process documentation is considered to
be one of the best ways to avoid chaos
and keep things efficient and consistent.
• Let's dive deeper into what process
documentation is and why you should
care.
4.
5. • Process documentation is a step-by-step
description of how to execute a process
from start to finish. Processes can be
documented in the form of policies,
checklists, tutorials, forms, screenshots,
and so on – anything that describes how a
process should be executed.
6. • Process documentation is the act of
capturing or documenting all of the steps in a
particular task. Ideally, it should happen in
real time. As employees perform a task, they
document each step they take. Ongoing
process documentation, followed by regular
process review, helps staff and managers
learn what works and what doesn’t, helping
everyone adapt the process guides as the
business evolves.
7. • Other examples of business processes that
are typically documented include:
• Performance reviews
• Customer complaint resolution process
• Equipment inspection and maintenance
procedures
• Service delivery process
• Billing and collections process
• New employee onboarding
9. 1. Process documentation makes your business
more efficient.
2. Process documentation set up new hires for
success!
3. Process documentation keeps the knowledge
inside your biz!
4. Process documentation makes your business
more consistent!
10. Documenting processes can help you
achieve five key things:
• Process optimization. Identify bottlenecks and
inefficiencies by documenting the exact
processes. You’ll quickly see what processes you
need to improve or get rid of.
• Process automation. Process documentation
helps discover tasks that can be easily
automated, saving time and resources.
• New employee training. Internal
documentation helps new employees understand
their job roles and familiarize themselves with
the processes they’ll be involved in.
11. • Company knowledge sharing and
retention. Documentation preserves a record of
processes known only to a few people specialized
in doing them. Without it, when an employee
leaves, any process knowledge leaves with them.
• Operational consistency. If you don’t document a
process, essentially it is being reinvented by
someone every time it is repeated.
12. How to create process documentation
• Step 1: Define the process and its scope
Decide which process you are going to
document. Determine its purpose and scope –
why and how the process will benefit the
organization. Establish what should be the
desired outcome of the process and list down
what resources are necessary to carry out
each of the steps.
13. • Step 2: Organize the steps
Gather all information on process steps from
start to finish and identify the starting point or
whatever triggers the process. Once you have
established that, the rest is simply a matter of
asking questions. What happens next? Who
does this? And how do you know when it’s
done?
14. • Step 3: Describe who is involved
Decide each individual who will be responsible
for the process tasks. Define their roles. Keep in
mind to mention their job title rather than their
name.
15. • Step 4: Note down exceptions to the normal
process flow
Business process may not always follow the
same flow due to various reasons. Mention
these exceptions and what steps will be taken to
address them.
16. • Step 5: Add control points
Identify where risks could occur in the process
and add control points to help monitor the
process. Establish measurements to determine
its effectiveness and possibly improve it.
17. • Step 6: Review and test the process
Gather everyone involved and review the
process you’ve documented. Once done, test
the process and see if you’ve missed anything.
