How to set up business processes. Step 1: identification

Many companies have already had to revise their business processes, optimize and adjust them in accordance with new realities. Others have this task in their plans. Natalya Zaverukha, founder of Manageable, an agency for describing and optimizing business processes, tells in more detail about how to do this.
Our experience over the past few months shows that businesses are now focusing on such things:
• cost optimization - many entrepreneurs carefully review all items of expenditure;
• service-oriented approach, because you have to fight for each client;
• desire to improve already established processes and separate knowledge from employees. Indeed, when changing personnel, knowledge and processes must be universal and unified so that with each new employee you do not start from scratch.
To implement these tasks, it is necessary to revise the company's business processes according to the following algorithm:
1. Identify all processes that are in the company: basic and service.
2. In the identified processes, define the main attributes.
3. Determine the starting points in the processes, from which you need to collect information that will become the basis for improvement.

Process identification

Core processes are end-to-end and typically cross-functional processes that create value for the customer. Core processes are also referred to as core processes because they represent the actions required for a company to complete its mission. These processes form a value chain in which each step adds value to the previous one, which is measured by the contribution to the creation or delivery of a product or service and, in general, to the creation of value for the consumer. Ancillary (service) processes are designed to support the main, usually through the management of resources and / or infrastructure required for the main processes. The difference between primary and secondary processes is that secondary processes do not directly create value for the customer. They form the infrastructure of your business and allow the main processes to flow continuously and efficiently.

Description of the main attributes

For processes to work, they must have clear attributes. Among the main attributes that should be recorded are the following:

• the purpose of the process - why we are doing this action, what benefits and value it brings;
• process owner - an employee who is responsible for the course and results of the process, who can influence changes in the logic of the process itself;
• scope (boundaries) of the process - where it starts and where it ends
  process participants - all employees who are involved in the process in various forms;
• templates and instructions that are used in the process;
• consistency and logic of decision making;
• performance indicators or KPIs.
  It is important that the process owner understands their authority and responsibility and ensures that the work is done. Performance indicators must be realistic, and those involved in the process must understand the frequency with which they are being reviewed and measured. If any of the indicators does not suit you, you need to revise the logic of the process, pay attention to specific actions and performers, make changes that will help in achieving the company's goals.

Determining starting points

It is important to understand exactly where in the processes there are those points from which you need to collect information to improve them. This can be the general situation on the market, the results of internal brainstorms, collecting ideas from employees and partners, and the like. I offer several channels that will help you get this information:

• customer reviews (both one-time calls and regular measurements of satisfaction)
• assessment from employees: both those with whom you work now, and those with whom you worked before;
• deviations from the specified indicators by processes. For this, it is important to have planned indicators and understand what affects their achievement.

Usage example

For a better understanding, consider an example of establishing a system for continuous improvement of processes based on the collection of feedback from customers and partners, which is carried out by a quality assessment service in an online store.
The goal of the key process: collection of information for prompt adjustment of current processes and improvement of service quality. It is important to synchronize it with all participants so that there are no discrepancies - what information and how to collect and process.
Process boundaries or frameworks: start - monthly assessment of the quality of services or analysis of customer complaints, finish - segmentation of responses in the plate and distribution of complaints or ideas among the departments that will process them. It is also important to monitor the reactions of the relevant services and adjust the current processes.
Indicators: you can estimate both the number of calls and the overall "temperature" of deviation from the constant evaluation curve, the number of introduced changes, etc. There are no unimportant moments in business, there are unformalized processes and a lack of understanding of the key goal of the process.
The result of such work can be the following changes in business processes:
• formulation of customer satisfaction indicators and segmentation of complaints;
• linking the employee motivation system to the number of complaints and the measurement of customer satisfaction;
• registration of all customer requests with mandatory processing and response in writing or by telephone.
It should be remembered that working on processes is building a solid foundation for the development of the company, where change will become part of the culture.