Processes are the roots of how every startup operates. The greater the understanding of what they are, how they function, and how they affect your brand, the better chances you will have when strategically managing your business. In fact, research from the Crown Prosecution Service shows that without a process in place, employees can waste about 20% of their time chasing outcomes without factual results, querying incomplete instructions, and more. This is where process mapping can help. Having a visual representation can give you an overview of how your entire operation functions at startup which will allow you to focus on particular parts of a process. So, while you may not yet realize the benefits, here are 3 signs your startup needs business process mapping.
Inefficiencies Are Overpowering Profits
Noticing any tasks in your businesses taking longer than they should? This could cost you more as a result. As a manager looking in, it can be difficult to see exactly what is happening within a process to cause the same mistakes. However, you can take the time with employees to map out the way a specific process works. You may also want to use process mapping tools once you decide whether you want to host your software on-site or off-site by using a SaaS version. While specific software may come in both editions, going for a full-service framework will include a comprehensive suite so you don’t have to use multiple tools to meet your BPM needs.
Difficulty in Boosting The Onboarding Experience
If you’re having trouble getting new employees up to speed, this may be a powerful sign that you have not properly established your processes and need to build an efficient guideline. While you may have an onboarding manager in place, this often leads to a kind of paralysis where one employee may have difficulty in meeting those responsibilities while running their daily operations. Having a process map can help you effectively establish the process, knowing that the details are pre-recorded and ready to be replicated as needed.
Struggling To Optimise Your Business Processes
Every business knows the importance of keeping its guidelines and strategies up to date. However, if you’re finding it difficult to develop strategies for continuous improvement, chances are you may not have a point of reference, to begin with. Setting an established process map should form the basis of any operational strategy. This may be especially crucial if you are planning to obtain ISO 9001 as a demonstration of adherence to quality standards. In fact, you will need to provide evidence that you have the resources and tools in place to review, analyze, and optimize your business to ensure quality and consistency.
Process mapping not only provides the opportunity to analyze and settle issues with your products, but it can also involve key stakeholders in addressing those issues and creating solutions for them.
Authored by guest contributor Jennifer Hole