Business processes and procedures are vital to company growth, particularly if you plan to scale your business. There is no way to scale a business and step back from daily operations as a CEO if you do not have systems in place.
Developing accessible Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ensures consistency in customer experience, facilitates rapid employee training, provides opportunities for automation, and increases overall business efficiency. Additionally, with processes and procedures in place, you can step into the CEO role without worrying that the whole company will fall apart as you use your valuable time to focus on big-picture projects rather than the daily minutiae of running a company.
Find a step-by-step guide below to utilize as you document and implement effective business processes.
Are You Building Business Processes? Here’s Where to Start
There are two basic initial steps to process building. The first is determining how employees will access your business processes and procedures, and the second is deciding which department to begin your documentation process. We have laid out these first two steps and more below.
1. Decide where to host business processes and procedures.
You need to place the business systems you document somewhere accessible to people in the department, new hires, and anyone else who needs to understand the process. We recommend that you utilize software like SweetProcess. This allows you to use various forms of media in your documentation and makes it available to all.
2. Determine where to start.
Begin with the department with the most “fires” to put out/needs your attention most often.
3. Meet with the team.
Meet with the team members in that area and find out what they are struggling with and which existing systems make their jobs easier.
4. Get the team on board.
Give the team the time and resources they need to help you build processes. Additionally, discuss why processes are being documented or created and determine how process implementation will help them with their jobs. A motivated team will get the job done quickly.
5. Work with your team to document existing processes.
Utilize the time you and your team have set aside to document existing processes that are actively being utilized successfully.
6. Work with your team to create new processes.
There are likely a few tasks that have no process to them, but there are common steps one must take to accomplish them. Work with your team to document the standard steps and fill in the gaps.
7. Do a test run of all of the processes.
Before any implementation occurs, do a test run of all the processes you have built. Read through them from the point of view of a new hire. If there is a gap or a place where things fall apart, this is where you can fix the process to ensure it works every time. This is also a great moment to note other corresponding processes in sister departments that must be documented/created.
8. Get the whole team to test-run the processes.
Get your entire team using the processes by having them read and run through them. Ensure they know where to find the process documentation and note any questions they have for revision, future process building, and improvements to your business efficiency.
9. Schedule a process review meeting.
Add a review meeting to the schedule of all parties involved in the process building. This should be about six months after the processes/procedures were last tested.
10. Tackle the next department.
It’s time to determine which department needs business systems next. You may have already started process documentation with other parts of your company as they relate to the systems built in your initial area. But, if you don’t, there are a few ways to determine where to tackle next:
- You can tackle the second most common department where you often ” put out fires.”
- If most other departments are calm, you can choose a department with some systems in place. This will make it a quick and easy department to tackle next.
- Choose one of the departments you need to be the most efficient area. These are most often sales, marketing, or HR.
We laid out the above steps to assist you as you begin documenting processes in your business. If you encounter challenges or need expert guidance along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out to the skilled professionals at Business Success Consulting Group. We are here to support your business growth and operational efficiency.
