Now it’s that magical time you have been waiting for in business process mapping…it’s time to actually map your business process. For each bucket (aspect of your business with more than 1-2 steps) you crated last time, go through each one step by step documenting the process. IMPORTANT: when doing this it is extremely important to document the process as it is NOW versus how you want it to be. You can’t identify problems that you gloss over because you think you already know how to fix them.

To do this take your favorite note app or word processing app and create numbered lists for each bucket you have. Then, list them out one by one, step by step. Don’t jump around or skip steps. You can start with the buckets you are most familiar with. If a given bucket isn’t your area, get with the person whose responsibility it is and document the process together. Be as accurate as you can and go enough into detail that it merits its own number in the list. Don’t say “pay bills” but rather say “Pay bills to vendor which are due soon”. A book per step is not necessary, but 2-3 words are not helpful either.

When you’re done you should have several lists of substantive steps. Save these to a place where all the company personnel who need to know can access them. These should be living lists that will be adapted and improved over time. Split them up if you have to by the business section. We’ll help you make sense of them next time. If you need help working through this business process then schedule 20 minutes with us at JKL Works.