Business Systems 101: Why and How to Document your Business Systems

Starting a company is easy, but maintaining it is another issue. More often than not, daily tasks become so cumbersome that you end up working longer. Sadly, the pay remains the same, if not smaller.

Before you give up on your project just like other business owners, there’s something you can do to improve the process. All you need to do is make sure that the critical business systems are in place.

What is a Business System?

Systems provide a way of documenting business processes. They work like standard operating procedures — checklists that your team members can use even without training.

The Benefits of Having Business Systems

Whenever you use a business system, you:

• Create one of the best assets for your company. Processes show investors that you have a good grasp of the situation.
• Deliver a consistent experience. Not only is this good for your employees, but consistency is something that your customers want.
• Scale your company faster. A system is going to make leveraging easier. That’s because you can focus on the things that fruitfully grow your enterprise instead.
• Keep efficient employees. Since they know what’s going to happen next, they can be more efficient with their tasks.
• Save a lot of labor You won’t find employees doing mundane activities over and over again.

Why Is it Important to Document the Business Process?

Business process documentation is all about creating an outline of how a process should be done from beginning to end. Usually completed as a flowchart, it serves as a guide to understanding workflows.

As an indispensable part of business processes, documents enable you to achieve the following:

• Cheaper operational costs. Documenting system processes allow you to identify inefficient steps. At the same time, it lets you figure out a repetitive task and automate it.
• Mistakes are minimized and even eliminated, so you don’t need to redraw previously completed steps and processes.
• Lessens risk. Process documents are tools that follow regulations, eliminating your risk of inadvertent non-compliance.
• Retains knowledge. Documenting systems ensures that the process is maintained even if different team members are absent or have resigned.
• Eases training. Templates provide employees with the appropriate guidance in learning new processes.
• Improves new employee engagement. Systems process documentation helps the team tackle problems, giving every member a sense of ownership and fulfillment.
• Promotes business outsourcing. Documenting business processes makes outsourcing easier since each step is clearly defined.
• Preserves trade secrets. With process documentation, you can list down the patents that can enrich your company.

How to Document Your Business Process

Here are the steps on how to document your business systems:

Step 1. Come up with a process name. Jot down the process description.

Step 2. Identify the start and end of the process, aka the boundaries. Determine the triggers that start the task, as well as the signs that say it’s done.

Step 3. Document the outputs from the process.

Step 4. Review the tools needed for the process and where you can get them. Good examples include MS Excel, web programs, or a paper template.

Step 5. Document the processes that must be done to accomplish the task. make them actionable by listing them in verb format (i.e., take several files, email the document, etc.) Don’t worry about the time element just yet — just take down the key information into post-its or whatnot.

Step 6. Organize the process template. Get the data you produced and arrange every task into a chronological sequence. Remember to pinpoint the important process documentation data.

Step 7. Evaluate the process templates one step at a time. This first review should help you see if you’re well within the boundaries you have placed in step number 2.

Step 8. Pinpoint the people responsible for working on each business task or process.

Step 9. Create a flowchart of the process through any free or paid tool you want to use.

Step 10. Last but not least, go over the systems process once again. Don’t forget to hand this visual tool to the other people concerned with the process. They have to approve the system as well before you can implement it.

In a Nutshell

Business process documentation is an excellent way to outline each task from beginning to end. It offers many benefits, including cheaper operational costs, simplified training, and improved employee engagement, to name a few.

To document your business system, you have to create a process name and determine the boundaries and desired outputs. You then need to collect the vital tools to carry them out and write down every process.

Next, you need to organize the steps and assign them to corresponding people. After doing so, you can create a flowchart of the process and review it.

Remember, the different members should approve the process before you implement it.