How to Implement Business Processes

Business processes are a predetermined series of steps that regulate the inner workings of a business, which can either be clearly defined or vaguely implied.

As businesses grow and evolve, new roles are added and the need for defined processes may become more apparent. Regardless of age or stage, at the heart of every successful business lies an understanding of the importance of business processes and how they affect everyday decisions.

Have you ever studied the success of one company over another in the same niche? It is usually the more successful organization that has structured internal processes for the business to thrive.

The purpose of focusing on and updating business processes is about continuous business improvement. As productivity increases and costs decrease, businesses can more readily adapt to changes in the marketplace and improve upon customer experiences.

Businesses are made up of systems — each system plays a significant part in creating and maintaining the integrity of an organization.

Use the following steps to help create a business process plan that works for you.

Step 1. INVESTIGATE

During the investigative stage of your business process, focus on data collection to paint the big picture of your organization.

• What are your short-term (3–6 months) and long-term (12 months — 5 years) business goals?
• What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats?
• What are your pain points?

Step 2. PROBE

Probing allows you to focus on your current business processes, management style, industry data, and business data, while conducting industry research and asking necessary questions.

• What business processes do you currently have in place?
• How are your processes managed?
• Write in detail everything you know about your industry and business.
• Research your industry and business to gather additional details, contacts, and observations to use in forming and testing a hypothesis.

Step 3. DESIGN

Draw out your business processes so that you have a visual picture of what they look like.

• Map out your processes.
• Write out step-by-step procedures for each activity.

Step 4. DEPLOY

Outline a deployment process by listing ways to establish new processes in your business.

• Outline your operations and set milestones and goals accordingly.

Step 5. IMPLEMENT

Once you have your new business processes outlined, it’s time to implement your plan.

Set a date on your calendar that is 3 months after your plan implementation to refer back to your goals and objectives.

• Have you stayed on track and accomplished your goals?
• Are there things you can improve to achieve better business processes?

As you work through your business processes, understand that establishing new inner workings of your business takes time.

Tackle the steps in a methodical way to experience lasting change and consistent business growth.