Business process improvement

Process mapping is one of those activities that you would probably dismiss as something that PLC’s and the Public sector can afford to do and it probably works for them but it doesn’t relate to the real world of SME’s. It may be something you’ve thought about and put on the back burner for another day, when you’ve got a spare hour or two.

You may be wrong to dismiss it.

Process mapping is widely regarded as being the default method for understanding what your business actually does.

By creating a process map of what your business does now, today, you will be able to create a plan for how you want your business to be tomorrow.

Business processes usually grow organically. Created by individuals working solely in their own department, unaware of the affect of their actions on other departments. Usually operating with a “let’s get the job done today” attitude.

Reasons for process mapping your business maybe:-

• Improve business performance (do more with the same or less people)
• Selling your business (this is how our business works document)
• Reduce costs (eliminate waste processes)
• Comply with a Quality Management System (ISO 9001 2008)
• Measure staff performance

A business process map may be a simple overview of your entire business from receiving a sales enquiry to delivering the product or service and receiving a customer’s payment in the bank. Or it can be a detailed drill down into one department for example the warehouse goods-in department or the sales department.

If you have a list of job functions for all your employees, you can tie this in to your process map with very powerful results. Basically everyone has to perform a necessary role within the process map or what are they doing there.

Processes can be labelled value adding, necessary or waste. The whole map can be on a timeline and individual processes can be give a process time and a lead time. Information passed from one department to another can be labelled correct, needs adding to or clarifying.

There are a host of powerful tools which can be applied to this process map which can lead to a “future state” or ideal business process. A plan to work to.

Process mapping is probably not something you would want to get involved with if your business is struggling but if you are doing OK to good but want to improve then it’s something that should definitely be on the front burner.

Example of a simple process.