How to deliver Process Documentation that really impacts experience

This third part of our Business Process Management series covers Process Documentation. You have finished Process Definition. You know what the processes are and the required steps to complete them. But how can you share this knowledge? How can you ensure everybody follows them? Well, the easy answer is to write them down and have the documentation shared across your organisation. This is all covered in this stage.

WHAT IS PROCESS DOCUMENTATION?

"Process documentation is a written, detailed description of how to execute a process, with exact steps from start to finish."

This stage can actually help standardising processes even more by using one template. It ensures that everyone understands the setup across the business. Using different layouts might lead to misunderstanding and impacting the benefits of BPM.

This is why I would add the following part to the above definition:

"…by using a standardised template for the whole organisation."

Below are some of the characteristics of process documentation:

WHY IS PROCESS DOCUMENTATION IMPORTANT?

Some of the benefits highlighted in our previous Process Definition Blog apply here as well.

For instance:

Process Documentation is critical to avoid ASSUMPTIONS. Assumptions are not knowledge. So replace assumptions or guesses with facts and knowledge.

There are, of course, more benefits.

Good employee experience

Having all processes clearly defined and documented will provide clear guidelines for employees. This will remove assumptions or guesswork how to deliver a task.

Instead, proper process documentation can help with:

Deliver good training for new and existing staff
Provide standardised documents across departments
Follow consistently the correct steps for each task
Identify risk and issues early by understanding interdependencies between teams and department
Increase employee satisfaction with clarity of work
Reduce staff retention and risk of losing knowledge

Good customer experience

With properly trained staff that follow the same procedures, customers will experience a consistent delivery at all times. Obviously, this is critical!

In other words - good process documentation can improve both employee and customer experience.

WHEN SHOULD YOU HANDLE PROCESS DOCUMENTATION?

For best practice handle Process Documentation after Process Definition. You don’t have to wait until you complete the whole first stage. But at least wait until one area is completed to avoid any potential rework required.

In addition to implementing Business Process Management, there are some situations that might require process documentation.

Growing Organisation

At some point, a business will reach a size when assumptions or individual leads are not sufficient anymore and cause issues. Resolve this risk through proper training – and this can only be achieved with documentation. Handling training without it can impact your long-time growth.

Regulation

In recent years, many industries faced increased regulations by governments. Some regulations need detailed documentation. Some might even require consistency across all documents with clear links between interdependent processes. Non-compliance for both could lead to fines or not being allowed to compete in some markets.

Negative customer feedback

We all know that businesses must listen to customers, and not just to positive feedback. When experiencing consistent negative feedback, it is critical to resolve it – otherwise, customers will not return. In some cases, lack of training / knowledge, or inconsistency are the reasons for these issues. A solution for this could be providing good documentation of internal and customer-facing processes. Or it can be at least part of a wider solution that will help retain customers.

HOW TO DO PROCESS DOCUMENTATION?

One prerequisite for this stage is the completion of the process definition. If done correctly, all information required for the documentation is available.

Step 1 – Use a standardised template

For consistency, we recommend having one template for all teams. It also makes the documentation easier as the process is standardised. There are plenty of templates available online. RSP International offers its own template in our Download Section.

Whatever template you choose, structure it well so it is easy to follow each step. The more complicated a template is, the more difficult it will be to follow the described steps.

Step 2 – Provide detailed descriptions

Following process definition, you should have a list of individual processes. And for all of them, you should also have a breakdown of the individual steps. Now document the step-by-step description.

Here are some recommendations for this step:

Step 3 – Include Add-on Information

Some businesses only focus on the description of the documents. But we would recommend adding some sections to improving the documents.

Process Flows

A high-level process flow that shows each step with interdependencies is a powerful visual tool. This provides a great initial summary of the document. In addition, it is also an indication of the complexity of individual processes. However, it is recommended to use the same flow legend for all documents.

Terminology

Most companies use terminology that is specific to their business and industry. Therefore, it is not common knowledge for people outside the organisation. As a result, any terminology or abbreviation should be summarised with a description to ensure there is no misunderstanding.

Roles & Responsibilities

Most processes will involve members of different teams. So, it is important to highlight who will handle each step. One benefit is, that employees can check if a specific process is relevant for them or not.

In addition, we recommend indicating the roles for individual steps. This would show employees what specific tasks they have to handle.

This is an initial overview of Process Documentation. Of course, there are more best practices and advice for this topic. But by following this guideline you can start producing documents for your processes.

If you need any help with your documentation, we are here to assist. CONTACT US to find out how we can support you, from providing templates to fully handle process documentation for you.

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