Having defined processes can seem like something to do when you get time or just busy work that doesn’t serve a purpose. The reality is that process management is fundamental to the effective operation of your business.
When a business is small, it’s possible to get away with JDI (just do it) and not have a formalised set of process standards. That’s generally because everyone is able to talk directly with the other people involved in getting stuff done, so it seems unnecessary to record it.
However, consider if any of these happen in your business:
- If a key person is sick, no one knows how to do the work
- Conflict arises because people aren’t sure who does what and in what order
- Wasted time occurs due to repeated conversations about how things should be done
- The team might feel unsure of how to get the work done, so it doesn’t get done or gets half done but isn’t completed
- Problems don’t get solved because it’s unclear whether the problem started as there isn’t a standard to measure against
- There are similar processes being carried out between different teams, with doubling up of work happening.
Having defined processes within a managed framework will help you solve these problems. Process management is very useful for understanding and managing how activities and functions interrelate. It also can reduce duplication of effort and see at more macro level where opportunities for improvement are present.
Process management and mapping processes
Process management is the framework and the structure of the processes. The processes themselves are created through an activity called process mapping.
Process mapping is a little different from standard operating procedures (although the terms are often used interchangeably). Process mapping outlines visually the sequence and relationship between different activities. Processes are also able to be mapped at an enterprise, supply chain, departmental, process or procedural level enabling you to get an excellent conceptual framework of how your business operates (this is where process management comes in).
There are other benefits to having process management in place as well:
- Processes can give context and show interrelationships between different activities, improving the decision-making capability of your team.
- Believe it or not, but having a process framework can help support creativity. It enables your team to see how processes are currently being carried out and then able to consider ways to carry out the work better.
- It gives you a way to measure performance against a standard. As soon as you are measuring you can objectively understand how you are performing. If you are measuring processes, you can more easily adjust these processes to get better outcomes.
- Processes help define the team’s work and create a feeling of ownership. They place clearly defined boundaries around who, what, where, when, why and how things should be done.
- By fostering a sense of ownership you get the best outcome of all – your team help you develop and improve your processes! The multiplier effect.
How to develop a process management framework?
Developing a process framework isn’t a small task, and does require some thoughtful examine of your business.
There are different approaches to developing a process management framework. It’s possible to structure your processes by value chain (from sales to order fulfilment (and beyond) or by functional business structure. What is important is to ensure that the framework is useful to the business and provides clarity on how the business operates. It’s also a good idea to start in one area of the business. This is usually an area with a high need for process standardisation or where repeating problems are occurring. Start with a few processes by performing process mapping.
How is process mapping done?
This article is not an exhaustive guide to performing process mapping but below are some tips on getting started with process mapping. The link here from creately.com describes a few different process mapping methods that are available.
The key elements to effective process mapping is to try as much as possible to do it in a small team (3 – 5 people) and to ensure that the people actually performing the process you are trying to map are included as part of the process mapping activity. Use post-its and markers to record each step. That way you can move them around if the sequence isn’t quite right.
After you’ve done the process mapping, check it by physically carrying out the process and checking that it matches. It is often an activity you might need to have a few rounds at attempting to ensure that you’ve not missed important steps.
Where should I store my processes?
There are a number of process management tools available, often as a cloud based solution. They range in functionality and complexity, depending on your specific requirements. Capterra is a useful for website for comparing different software options (search “Business Process Management Software”). It’s possible to start in a document file, but will increase your administrative workload and isn’t very scalable once you’ve mapped a number of processes.
In Summary
Process management can be a powerful tool achieving multiple benefits.
iSQR is passionate about process, so if you’d like to investigate how process management can help your business, please get in touch.
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