Leadership teams often ask me where to start when developing their Core Processes, those sequences of events that enable people in a business to do what they do.
Every business is made up of several Core Processes that represent the organization’s “way of doing business”. Organizations create consistency within their business when they identify, document, and expect everyone in the organization to follow their Core Processes.
Please note I said “several Core Processes” in the preceding paragraph — not 40 or more. And documenting doesn’t require a 500-page standard operating procedure manual.
Documenting your Core Processes means identifying the major steps to each Core Process followed by a bulleted list that defines each major step. Most Core Processes are defined on two to five pages.
Here are some questions to ask to ensure each Core Process is simple, achieves the desired outcome, and integrates between departments, if applicable.
- Secret Sauce. Have you included the unique actions and steps that make you special? Are you delivering on your uniques / differentiators?
- Issues . Have you identified any overlaps or gaps among processes? Have you made assumptions that another process is handling specific steps and is this correct? Are there any challenges in implementing these steps?
- Outcomes. Does each process deliver the outcome(s) you want to see? Is this the best way to achieve the end result?
- Accountability. Have you identified who is accountable for the steps and actions within each process? (Do you know who has the ball when your play is in action?)
- Customers. Have you remembered your customer interactions and communications within each process? Sometimes processes and procedures can have too much of an inward focus and forget about the customer. While it may work for you, it may not always for work for your customers.
Keeping these questions in mind as you document your Core Processes will make the work less painful — and you know us entrepreneurs. Documenting is never a fun endeavor!
Interested in simplifying this part of your business? I’m here to help. Let’s set up a time to talk about why less is more when it comes to identifying your Core Processes. Please fill out the consult form below so we can talk one-on-one about your unique differentiators. Knowing how to identify and describe your Core Processes answers the “How Do I?” question and helps you focus on moving your business forward.
