Business processes exist in every business from paying invoices to delivering the products or services. However identifying, documenting and enforcing these sequential step by step course of actions appear to be the last concern for many firms and is the biggest productivity drainer not to mention the loss to the bottom line.
The word process has Latin origins from the word proceed which means "to go forward." Process is often used interchangeably with the word system; however they do not mean the same thing. "System" from its Greek roots means to set together. From an organizational perspective, the system is the plan while the process is the action necessary to make the plan work.
One way to determine if such actions are truly moving forward is to listen for one of these two frequently made remarks:
- "This is how we have always done it."
- If it ain't broke, why fix it?"
When I hear these words, I usually know that:
- The process has not been recently been reviewed
- There is probably no documentation of the actions
- Change and innovation are not on the immediate landscape
Another area where there is failure is within performance appraisals. A lot of organizations say they are performance driven, but when you look at the job descriptions to the actual performance appraisal process there exists numerous gaps. When gaps happen, there is backward movement happening. The result continues the drain on productivity not to mention profits.
With some small business owners looking to the future and possibly selling their enterprises, the lack of process documentation is a real deal breaker to making the sale. What I share with my clients is that when you open your business you should plan on selling you business. Document all of your daily operations actions from billing to following all sales leads. Challenge how you have done it (whatever actions you take on a daily basis) to make sure your processes are both efficient (doing things right) and effective (doing the right thing). Business training coaching tip: Succession leadership planning is a must for any organization from the micro to the macro.
Business processes or would you prefer the phrase Systems Operations are continually evolving because change is happening at whirlwind speed. How you move forward today will potentially change in the next 6 months to 2 to 5 years. Again, you must be ahead of the flow instead of being in the flow if you wish to not only to survive, but also to thrive.