How to Define the Processes in your Business

Jun 12, 2024

As your business grows, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind without taking the time to document your processes.

Before you know it, your entire operation relies on you and a few key team members.

Sound familiar?

I've been there, and I know how stressful and unpredictable it can become.

But don't worry, I'm here to share my proven process for defining your business processes step-by-step.

If you want the quick and dirty version of this, check out my video on How to Define the Processes in your Business!

Step 1 - Ask the Right Questions

The first step is to start asking your key players the right questions.

How do we currently onboard new customers? What are the broad strokes of how things operate?

Don't be afraid to dig deep and get the exact step-by-step process from your team.

Step 2 - Record Processes with Loom

Once you've asked the questions, have your team record a screencast of how they actually execute the process using a tool like Loom.

This allows you to fold time and see if there are any disconnects between what is described and what actually happens.

Step 3 - Review and Fix Broken Processes

With the documented processes in hand, it's review time!

Identify areas where steps can be combined, automated, or removed entirely.

This is where a fresh set of eyes can be invaluable for streamlining workflows.

Step 4 - Document and Centralize Processes

The final step is crystallizing those optimized processes into a centralized documentation hub that everyone can access.

No more relying on team members' brains or bugging people after hours!

By taking the time to document your processes now, you'll create a predictable business that can scale with ease.

It's an investment that pays dividends down the road in terms of consistency, efficiency and less stress.

So what are you waiting for? Start asking those questions and recording processes today!

Are you struggling with defining processes in your business? DM me “PROCESS” on Instagram and I’ll send you one of my process templates!

Stay tuned for more quick and practical operations tips. Until next time!

Alyson Caffrey is a small business Operations Strategist and a sought-after fractional COO for thought leaders, Inc. 5000 companies, high-growth digital agency, and Founders who want to run a business that lasts. She optimizes backend operations so that Founders can create an asset that operates independently of them. She is also a wife, mom of two little boys, loves yard work, and devours books about business. She is the founder of Operations Agency and co-creator of the Operations Simplified Framework. She’s commonly referred to as ‘The Wolf’ among Operation Agency's clients because she just gets stuff done. Alyson is best known for helping streamline the back-end ops for a multitude of brands and creating more peaceful work environments.