How to Build Comprehensive Processes for Your Entire Business

Whether you are a solopreneur looking to expand or a business owner ready to scale, you know that hiring and delegating will require the development of comprehensive processes that you and your team can utilize. Building processes for your entire business is no simple task, but when completed, this one action will save you time and money.

Take it from David Boyle, Founder of Boyle Brands. In a recent discussion between David and Adi Klevit, CEO of Business Success Consulting Group, they talked about David's growth from solopreneur to business owner with employees. David shared how he shifted from doing it all to transferring knowledge, hiring and training employees, and scaling his business. You can listen to the entire podcast here.

In this article, we will provide a guide for building a system of processes that cover your entire business.

How to Build Comprehensive Processes for Your Entire Business

Does building processes that comprehensively work together to support your business seem daunting? Don't worry; just use the roadmap below to guide you.

1. Start with the most troublesome areas.

Where are you putting out fires most? Sales? Quality control? Hiring? Product delivery? You are already constantly stepping into that area to take over things, so why not take the opportunity to document the most effective processes and best practices in the department?

2. Document the most obvious processes.

Take a moment right now to think of your company's most problematic area. I bet you know that department like the back of your hand. 

What is one process you could document right now? Do it. Record a video, take screenshots, write a step-by-step process, and document it. 

You probably can think of several processes you and your team must perform daily. Go ahead and list them out so you and your team can begin documentation.

3. Write down your vital business systems.

You know what must get done so that your company can thrive. So, write down a list of all of those vital business systems.

4. Set aside time for documentation.

This is going to take some time. Set aside an hour or so every day to document your vital business systems. As much as is possible, get your team to do the same.

5. Determine where the systems will be stored.

Make sure you have an accessible place or SaaS where you can store all of these vital business systems.

6. Get your team on board. 

You do not have to document business systems alone! Let your team know that you want to build efficiency into the business so that the company can scale. Make sure to listen to any worry or pushback. You may find that the challenges you face differ from your team.

That's okay!

You can get them on board by listening to them, acknowledging what they are going through, and finding ways to support them. Building processes may most support them, as it's an excellent way for you to build a foundation for things like internal hires, automation, training an assistant, and much more.

7. Get your team to write down the most vital processes to their jobs.

You are looking at the big picture and the processes that most affect you as a business owner. That means you may focus on overarching tasks or actions you often have to jump in and help with. Getting your team to write down what business systems they utilize daily will help you build a more comprehensive list of systems to document.

8. Document all of the vital business systems.

Now that your team is on board and ready to assist, work together to document all of the vital business systems.

9. Fill in the blanks. 

There will be gaps between systems, and we are hoping to create processes that interact to ensure that every system is documented comprehensively. So, ask your team to help you fill in the gaps. One way to do this is to run through the systems that you have documented and see where the documentation fails. Then, document that process to make sure the processes connect up and work as an entire system.

10. Ask your team to implement the systems on the day-to-day.

This is something you will have to do from leadership down. Not only do you need to ask your team to utilize the systems, but you will have to use them as well. If you find something that doesn't work, bookmark it for a week or month-end review.

11. Set a review date.

Even if all of your systems work perfectly right now, you must review them as your business scales, and you utilize new software, offer new products/services, or break into new markets. Set a review date to go over all of the existing processes and evaluate whether more need to be added or existing processes need to be changed. This is also a great time to review tasks to see what can be automated to support greater efficiency within your business.

Phew! That's a lot of work. However, once it is completed, you will increase your business efficiency and have a firm foundation for growth.  If the above eleven steps look daunting - don't worry. Business Success Consulting Group is here! Contact us today and schedule your free initial evaluation. We will get you started and partner with you throughout the entire systematization process.