Process documentation is a crucial aspect of any successful business. Without documented processes, employees are confused, asking others for instructions, and wasting time. With a successfully documented process, operations can occur seamlessly and  the process training new employees. While process documentation can be a complex task, we have simplified it into five steps.

1. Identify the Process & Scope

Before diving in, you should first identify and name the process itself. Are you documenting the process of “employee onboarding” or “client off-boarding”? Name the process and determine the purpose and benefits of the organization. You should have a short description explaining when the process is to be used, why you need to go through these steps, and the benefits of completing the process successfully. Outline a high-level scope of what is and isn’t a part of this specific process.

2. Inputs, Outputs, & Boundaries

Identifying process boundaries will help people understand what initiates the process and what marks it as complete. Defining boundaries makes it easier for employees to know when they’ve crossed the finish line. Outputs determine the outcome including what will be achieved by this process or what the final deliverable is. Inputs identify the items required to carry out each step of the process.

3. Process Steps & Order

Now it’s time to sit down and brainstorm. Write down all of the steps, initiation triggers, completion triggers, etc. You can work from the beginning to end or backward from the end point to the start point. You’ll want to include the person who has the most extensive knowledge of the process so that every step is accounted for. Once you have identified all of the steps, put them in sequential order from beginning to end.

4. Visualization and Control Points

Now that you have your process steps and sequence, you can visually layout the process using a flow chart. This will not only help people understand, but it’s another way to make sure that all of the steps are represented. A flow chart identifies each step and provides a clear flow of actions.

Tip: Identify exceptions to the normal flow to illuminate risk points of vulnerability or error.

5. Review and Test

Finally, you are ready to review and test the process. Review the process with the same team that brainstormed the steps in the beginning. Make sure that each step is well documented and all referenced documents are available. Find someone in your organization who has no prior knowledge of completing this process and have them use the process documentation. If this person can successfully complete the process without asking questions, you are good to go!

Do your best to keep the instructions concise and straightforward. The more practice you have, the easier this will get. Working with a process documentation expert can make the process more enjoyable while also ensuring that it is done correctly. Sometimes these steps seem obvious however, if missed can throw things off. Take advantage of our services to get started on documenting your business processes.