5 Steps to Mapping Your Business Processes: A Guide for Small Businesses and Startups

Do you ever feel like your business runs on autopilot, but not in a good way? Tasks seem to pile up, deadlines get missed, and you're constantly putting out fires. You are trying to blame it on the team or yourself, you might think that you need to add another role so you can improve the whole process , yet this is not always the case. This actually might be a sign that your business processes need a refresh.

But don't stress out, because you are not alone! Many small businesses and startups struggle with inefficient workflows and this can be a real headache. The good news is, there's a simple solution for that and it is called process mapping.

You can see process mapping as the act of visually representing the steps involved in completing a task or series of tasks within your business. It's like creating a roadmap that shows you exactly how things need to get done.

In this article I am going to share some valuable tips and tricks that you can use i to simplify your business process, eliminate waste and drive growth. But before I do that, let me quickly explain why is this important for your business.

Why is process mapping important?

There are a few reasons why process mapping is important for small businesses:

• Identify Bottlenecks: When you create process maps, you will see the big picture in your process. This will often reveal where things are slowing down, allowing you to identify areas for improvement.
• Improve Communication: Visualizing workflows will allow you to better communicate with the team members about their roles and responsibilities.
• Boost Efficiency: By streamlining processes, you can reduce waste and get more done in less time and with fewer resources. This will make you more efficient, it will help reduce cost while driving growth at the same time. Moreover, you will find yourself having more time to focus on other important things.
• Reduce Errors: The aim of some methodologies used in process mapping is to design the process so that the mistakes can be detected and corrected immediately. Maybe you can’t eliminate errors completely, but with the right process, you can minimize them.
• Facilitate Growth: This is why I always say every company needs to have a defined processes. Your businesses WILL eventually scale, and as that happenss, documented processes will ensure smooth onboarding and consistent delivery.

Your simple 5-step guide to get you started on process mapping:

Step 1: Choose a Process

I know a lot of business owners who want everything done at once. Unfortunately for them, no matter what some professionals say, the ugly truth is: that is not possible. The first mistake you can make is to try and solve all problems in your business at once. Please don't do that! Instead, try this:

• If you really want to have a view of your whole business process, create a simple mapping, just so your people are clear how your business works. For instance, you have a B2B email marketing company and you have a few departments that are working on different parts of the whole process.
• In the simplest way write how the departments communicate with each other, for instance: sale made -> procurement process -> email writing & checking -> email sending -> data & analytics made -> emails delivered to customer.
• Once you're clear on how this goes from start to finish, you need to decide what is the core process that needs improvement and is crucial for your business. Start from there.
• Focus on improving one process at a time. Put out the fire from one place and then move on to another department.

If you are not sure how to do all this and you need help, book a free strategy call with me by June 17th and get your free process fix.

Step 2: Gather Your Team

Involving key players who are directly involved in the process will provide valuable insights. This could be your sales team, customer service reps, or production staff.

In Lean we call this Genchi Genbutsu (Go and see yourself) and it is a technique that suggests that in order to understand a situation, you need to go to the "place where real work happens". This is important because you can not be sure you really understand any part of the process unless you go and see yourself which means involving the key players in that particular team. They actually understand the process and will be able to provide better solutions than you.

Step 3: Outline the Steps & Visualize the Flow

When you are working on creating a process map for your business problem, start at the beginning of the process and list every single step involved, no matter how small. Include timing as well so you are aware how much time you need for each step. You can use tools like: Miro, ClickUp or Lucidchard.

What I would suggest is to keep everything in one place, for instance - if you are already using ClickUp as a Project Management tool, just keep the process map there instead of going with another tool. The simpler - the better.

Step 4: Identify Bottlenecks and Opportunities

Review your map and look for areas where things are getting stuck or seem overly complex. These are your bottlenecks! Discuss potential solutions with your team - can you automate this process? If not, are there any steps that you don't need? Should you use any tools to solve that particular problem? How can you simplify it?

Step 5: Improve, Test and Document

Once you are satisfied with the potential new process, you need to put it in practice and give it some time to see results. I know there is always a room for improvement in processes, but try not to get stuck only on one part of the business and most importantly - be patient.

Bonus Tip: Keep your process map simple and easy to understand. Avoid overwhelming jargon and focus on clear visuals and concise descriptions. Keeping it simple and efficient is the key to successful and scalable business.

Remember, process mapping is an ongoing process. As your business grows and evolves, revisit your maps regularly and make adjustments as needed.

By taking the time to map your business processes, you'll gain valuable insights into how your company operates. This will ultimately lead to a more efficient, streamlined, and successful business.