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A business (and life too, in many ways) is a collection of processes

• Process is not just something your business does – processes are your business. Rob Davis
• Process-based management is a management approach that views a business as a collection of processes, managed to achieve a desired result. The processes are managed by the organisation in order to achieve its vision and mission.  Jae K. Shim
• A business process is a building block of any kind of business. The more efficient your processes, the better your business will perform.
• If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing. Edwards Deming

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A process is a series of sequential steps to get to a desired result.

• Process: A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. Oxford Dictionary
• A business process is a set of logically related business activities that combine to deliver something of value (e.g. products, goods, services or information). Jay Cousins
• A business process is a set of steps or tasks that you and your team use repeatedly to create a product or service, reach a specific goal, or provide value to a customer or supplier. When processes work well, they can significantly improve efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

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Processes are repeatable

• Projects are finite. They have a beginning, middle and end. Processes are continuous: They’re cycles, happening over and over again.
• By definition, a process is a series of repeatable steps that are critical for achieving some sort of a business goal. The key word here is repeatable – it’s something your business does on a regular basis. Chris Geier

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Processes can be formal or informal

• Processes can be formal or informal. Formal processes – also known as procedures – are documented, and have well-established steps.

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Developing effective processes brings strong benefits

• Developing effective business systems can enable business owners to turn their skills and good ideas into a well-controlled business with consistent quality that is replicable and scalable.  Andy Turnbull
• In the current economic climate, business process flexibility is key to organisational survival. Ovum

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Excellent processes lead to businesses (and lives) that run more smoothly

• A streamlined process provides speed, quality, and solid results. A convoluted process chews up resources and produces poor performance. James Ross
• We use processes because “we don’t want to leave the operation of our business to chance. Rob Davis
• There is only one way you can create a smooth-running and prosperous business that reaches its full potential. It is by developing effective systems and processes that enable you to continually find and keep customers. Ron Carroll
• Standardized processes represent simpler procedures and are easy to learn and memorize.

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Having clear, documented processes helps with induction and training

• Having a documented system makes it much easier to train and induct new staff into your business. It makes it clear what is expected of them. Andy Turnbull

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Excellent processes deliver consistent results

• Having a system that everyone sticks to means that the same task is being done in the same way each time. A consistent process is likely to give consistent results. If you can develop the system to give the right quality of output then you can provide consistent quality in your product or service. It could also be at consistent cost and hence at a consistent profit. Andy Turnbull

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Excellent processes create clarity

• Writing down a process or embedding a system gives all staff that use the system a greater degree of clarity about what is expected, what they need to do and what the required output is. If everyone is clear on each step then there should be less requirement for supervision. Andy Turnbull
• A good process can easily be communicated and explained. Andy Turnbull

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Excellent processes enable “mind like water”

• Mind Like Water: A mental and emotional state in which your head is clear, able to create and respond freely, unencumbered with distractions and split focus. David Allen

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Excellent processes enable scalability

• Any business that wants to grow needs to be sure that all the necessary building blocks are in place. This means that key activities need to be scalable and replicable. Having one person doing a task in their own way is not scalable. But converting this into a system with steps that can be repeated by others gives the business the option to scale up.  Andy Turnbull

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Excellent processes are more enjoyable

• When was the last time I actually felt good being involved in a process ? You might find it has little to do with straight through processing and more about the experience and engagement.  Theo Priestley

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Summary of qualities of excellent processes

• Goal-driven with a clear purpose
• As simple as possible
• Easily be communicated and explained
• Robust
• Measurable
• Controllable
• Not rigid or overly documented
• Streamlined
• Automated where it makes sense
• Regularly reviewed
• Well tested
• Deliver value

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Processes should be managed…

• Process Management refers to aligning processes with an organization’s strategic goals, designing and implementing process architectures, establishing process measurement systems that align with organizational goals, and educating and organizing managers so that they will manage processes effectively. Appian
• Business process improvement (BPI) is an approach designed to help organizations redesign their existing business operations to accomplish significant improvement in production. Effective BPI helps to generate promising results in operational efficiency and customer focus. Techopedia
• Business process management (BPM) is a discipline in operations management in which people use various methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and automate business processes. Wikipaedia

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…and regularly evaluated and improved…

• A good process must be managed and improved. We can’t just design a process and leave it to its own devices. Rob Davis
• Business Process Improvement is improving quality, productivity, and response time of a business process, by removing non-value adding activities and costs through incremental enhancements. BusinessDictionary
• Continuous improvement:  Having a clear system makes it easier to review which step or steps need changing or updating. Over time systems can be improved and refined making some steps quicker, simpler or cheaper.  Andy Turnbull
• For many of us, defining a process is part of understanding how things work. Having comprehensive documentation, a map or blueprint of a process is the best way to prepare to improve your process in the future and get closer to your holy grail. Giovani Lopez

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… to be made as efficient and effective as possible

• Effectiveness – Are the processes helping the company to reach their goals? The question here is: “Are we doing the right things?“
• Process Efficiency – Are the processes designed in a way that their goals are reached with the least possible inputs (time, material, equipment, financing, human efforts etc.) or, to turn the argument around: Are the company’s resources utilized in the best possible way? The question here is: Are we doing things right?

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Elements in managing processes

• Analyze
• Re-design and model
• Test
• Implement
• Monitor
• Manage
• Automate

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Understand the business

• The key best practice is to fully understand the business. Understand it at a high level, then keep drilling down, breaking into more manageable clusters, the divisions and detail of the business. Take the ideal and the current operation, determine the realistic and from there foundation processes can be built. Kev Wilson

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Clearly define the purpose of the process

• A clear statement of the purpose of the task expressed in terms of its contribution to the function to be performed and the objectives to be achieved.
• Align your processes with your vision, values and strategy.

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Define the context

• This step defines the circumstances under which the process will happen. Defining the circumstance is integral to the entire process creation cycle, since the circumstances determine the stakeholders and tasks in the process, which are different for every context. Giovani Lopez

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Analyze the pros and cons of the current process if it exists

• Which of the steps creates a bottleneck? Where do costs go up and/or quality go down?  Which of these steps requires the most time, or causes the most delays?
• Approach the process as a scientist would; by asking questions, and lots of them, challenging assumptions.

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Define the inputs to the process

• Inputs: Data that is needed for the task. Links to source files . Checklists of actions to complete the task. Instructions for how that task is to be completed.
• The input represents all the elements you need to set off your process. Bad input leads to bad execution.  In order to define a process’ inputs I strongly recommend you explore the knowledge of the person or people in charge of executing it. Ask them “What do you need to start the process? What else you could have to make the job easier? What would save time?”.   Alessio Alionço

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Define the outputs of the process

• The output is the expected result after executing a process. The expected output should be clear when it comes to three aspects: Delivery time. Quality.  Alessio Alionço

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More elements to specify

• What—this is the definition of the tasks.
• Why—this is the identification of purpose.
• How—this is the approach to do the work. A task can be done manually, or completed with an assisted tool, or fully automated.
• Where—this is the location for doing the work. In the past, the location of work used to be fixed. The internet has provided much flexibility with work location.
• Who—this is the person who is in the best position to do the work. This person has the necessary skills and knowledge to complete the tasks.
• Sequence—this is the order of the tasks for the process. Certain tasks need to be done in consecutive order while others can be done in parallel.

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Get input from the people involved in the process

• Work with the people who are directly involved in the process. Their ideas may reveal new approaches, and, also, they’re more likely to buy into change if they’ve been involved at an early stage.
• The best person to improve a process is the person who carries out the process. Utilize employee’s full skillsets—can someone be doing more? If the process is improved, they will likely have time to take on higher level work. Eva Rykrsmith
• Ensure you involve those who are most affected by the process (Users). Chris Geier

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Make processes horizontal, not functional

• A traditional organisational chart generally organises activities according to functional units. However, dividing tasks vertically according to functional divisions is not the best way to optimise the process itself. The process flow is horizontal because it is uninhibited by function; it crosses and re-crosses organisational departments and divisions. It changes the emphasis from who does what, to what needs to be done. Jay Cousins

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Design the process

• There’s no one “right” way to create a workflow, as long as it is something that works well for you and any team members who might need to use it.

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Map the process

• Map the process. Once you’ve decided which process you want to improve, document each step using a Flowchart or a Swim Lane Diagram . These tools show the steps in the process visually.  Mindtools
• Visualize/draw out the process to ensure people can see each step. Chris Geier

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Make the process as simple as possible

• Defined processes should be clear enough for others to follow and use, no matter if it happens once or many times, or what context it was defined in. Giovani Lopez
• The process must be as simple as it can be while still meeting customer and business needs. Rob Davis
• Whenever we look for the complete solution, we fall into the mistake of the complex solution.  Complexity will not bring any benefit to the design of your process. Definitely! A complex process or operation results in unnecessary expenses, errors, low productivity and delays. We usually call this “bureaucracy” (read “excess bureaucracy”).  Actually a good design job is one that after hours and hours of work results in something simple, containing only the essence necessary to make the process capable of achieving the expected performance.  Heflo
• People get too bogged down in trying to create the perfect process they end up making it too complicated and cause too much work for those using it. Chris Geier

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Start with the most basic elements

• The execution steps are much like a recipe for a cake with all the steps you should follow. Analyse how each step impacts the end result.  Alessio Alionço
• Charts often become too complex to understand. They certainly can’t be absorbed by users in one glance. Many of us have first-hand experience using traditional process maps in tools like Visio, which often look like the dumping ground for a series of actions and tasks. Not surprisingly, these bloated processes are often ignored by teams. Generally, users only need to understand what happens most of the time – capture ‘the happy flow’ by including those tasks and activities that happen 80% of the time. James Ross
• Always start with small; any element you add increases the complexity. Remove all unrelated tasks/form elements/actions. You should start with basic elements and easily completed tasks. Erkan Kerti

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Do not provide too many elements in each step

• Don’t make steps longer than they should be. If you provide too many elements in one step, it will be hard to be achieved easily and delay the success feeling coming from completion of the step. Erkan Kerti
• Too much sub-flow usage hides the logic from the main flow, making the full process less visible and harder to understand. This can make your process harder to maintain and optimize. Also, subflows can complicate process execution. Michel Braunstein

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For each step, specify

• The level of skill, knowledge, experience and familiarity required
• The actions to be carried out
• The equipment requirements
• The conditions in place at the start of the step
• What has to be achieved before the step has been completed successfully
• The conditions in place at the end of the step
• The communication channels needed to carry out the step (i.e. between which individuals and groups)
• The information needed to make correct decisions, including how tests are conducted and the criteria for decisions.

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Make the process streamlined…

• Reviewing and documenting systems gives the opportunity to take a step back and look objectively at the process. Particularly when it is written down in steps or set out as a flowchart. It also gives the opportunity to look at other systems in the organisation and identify areas where they can be streamlined, merged or steps removed which are now redundant. Andy Turnbull

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…removing all superfluous steps

• Once you know what the workflow of your process looks like, take a second look at any step in the process that doesn’t directly create value for the customer. Manage, improve, and smooth your process flow to eliminate non-valued-added activity Eva Rykrsmith

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Use verbs at the start of every process

• Start with an action word.  Use verbs at the start of every process, activity and task to help users immediately understand what they need to do next. James Ross   Instead of a process that says ‘Sales orders’, start with a doing word: ‘Enter sales orders’.  For even more meaning, add descriptions to the activity. Avoid vague language and restrict yourself to 6-8 words per activity, so your activity reads like a clear instruction. For example: ‘Enter sales orders in Salesforce’. James Ross

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Define the start and end of the process

• For every specific mapping effort, define where it stops and starts to avoid scope creep. You want to spend a limited amount of time on this effort and not allow it to drag on forever as a full value stream map.   Nancy Bach

Test the process once it has been developed

• When the process design or model is complete, it must be tested.

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Use the process

• Don’t just stick the finished process map in a drawer. Use it.  Nancy Bach
• It is no good putting all this effort into creating an effective and efficient process, making it usable and visible, if no one actually uses it. Rob Davis

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Automation of a process can add value

• Automated processes help minimize the use of resources like paper, free up more time to complete more satisfying and valuable tasks, and make the improvement cycle more reliable and efficient. Process automation helps us reduce busywork and increase efficiency, saving us the energy to do the things that matter everyday, both in and out of the office. Giovani Lopez

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Only automate a process that is necessary and well thought through

• There was a tendency, which is now outdated, to automate everything possible, indiscriminately. This misconception ended up simply making an old process equally ineffective and inefficient, with the only difference to the redesigned project being: instead of people running the activities, there were automated activities. Remember this:  Business process design aims at delivering quality, whether this is via automated processes or not. Heflo
• The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. Bill Gates
• Correcting and improving processes before (potentially) automating them; otherwise all you’ve done is make the mess run faster.

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Measure the process

• A good process must be measurable and actually measured. Rob Davis

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Process should never be a substitute for thinking

• The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. You’re encouraged to behave like a little gear in a complex machine. Frankly, it allows you to keep people who aren’t that smart, who aren’t that creative. Elon Musk

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• If it does not make at least three people mad, it’s not a process. Hammer and Stanton

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