Process and procedure – it’s the fine print of business; it’s the nuts and bolts of how we go about business and an often underrated essential ingredient for business success. These are the three reasons process and procedure matter and why no business should be without them.

Clear communication

Outlining your process and procedure is about informing your staff what you expect will happen, how it will occur and who will be responsible for the task. It allows you and your staff to do their job effectively and is, at its heart, the recipe for how your business works. Good process and procedure means fewer employees – not necessarily a smaller staff base – but fewer employees to achieve a given or greater result. It allows your staff to also meet their goals, knowing what is expected of them.

In short process and procedure is about:

  • Writing everything down
  • Leaving nothing to chance
  • Everything working to a plan

Easy evaluation

Once you have given your business clear process and procedure, you have given it the opportunity to be evaluated. You can quickly discover what works, what doesn’t and what areas need to be improved. It allows you to see if there are gaps in the way you handle your sales, your service and your overall operation, and it gives you a means to correct any faults. Your process and procedure should be an evolving document tailored to suit your business as it grows.

Clarity

Process and procedure is also about bringing your own clarity to the big picture of your business. It’s about dispensing with the vague and clearly identifying what needs to occur on a day-to-day basis in order to achieve your big-picture goals. It’s the nitty-gritty of your operation that dispenses with ambiguity, and allows you to deal with everything from customer complaints to staff absences in a controlled and effective manner.

Process and procedure are a small part of the greater workings of business, but one that should be part of your plan for success. It’s a step on the path to how you achieve your goals, and it’s one that assists your staff, your customers and your business.