Workflow documentation doesn’t just ensure your organization doesn’t fall apart in a crisis-it helps it thrive in good times and bad. If someone on your team took an extended leave of absence, would you be able to replicate their processes while they’re gone? If you wanted to scale your business, could you get new hires up to speed and generate more revenue without increasing resources?
What Is Workflow Documentation?
Workflow documentation is a living, breathing record that allows you to track your progress and improve your processes
- Can be anything from a checklist to a whiteboard
- Example: A spreadsheet that outlines how to fulfill a sales order for an online store
- Google Doc that explains each step of employee onboarding
- A flowchart of the development stages a mobile app must go through before launch
It Eases Merger or Acquisition Transitions
workflow documentation is a vital part of the sales process.
- Unprepared companies without these processes often have to spend much more time and resources establishing, which can lead to higher acquisition prices.
- Having workflow documentation also boosts the value of your business.
It Safeguards Organizational Knowledge
When an employee leaves your organization, what happens to the unique processes and systems they developed over the years? Does that knowledge pass on easily to their replacement, or does it disappear as soon as the departing employee is out the door?
Step 3: Analyze Ways To Streamline And Automate
Analyze your workflow for opportunities to streamline and automate.
- Do you spot any redundancies in the process?
- Did we run into any roadblocks during this workflow? If so, why? Are there any tasks that could be automated to remove the potential for human error and save time?
It Ensures Accountability
Workflow documentation includes the responsible parties for each task, ensuring that if a step of the process is blocked or falls short, you can have a productive conversation with the responsible actor about what happened
- Without workflow documentation, anytime there’s a blocker or an unintended result, it’s a challenge to find out who or what caused it
Continue To Test And Refine
Continue to test and refine Workflow documentation
It Takes The Confusion Out Of Employee Onboarding
If you have no workflow documentation in place when onboarding a new member, three things are bound to happen: They’ll feel lost
- They’ll become overly reliant on their colleagues and manager
- Without a record of how to complete a task, they’ll constantly need to check in with someone on what to do next
It Helps Scale Your Business
Documentation is essential for scaling a business.
- Solopreneurs need to document their workflows to help their team create a consistent user experience and reduce the learning curve for new employees
- As your team grows, document the workflows that are proven to be efficient.
Workflow Documentation Can Be A Dream For Your Team
It’s the ultimate way to save time, reduce stress, and boost productivity.
- Yes, workflow documentation requires some upfront effort, but once it’s in place, watch how much more cohesive and productive your team becomes.
It Helps Optimize Processes
Workflow documentation provides a clear picture of what’s happening every step of the way until you achieve a result.
Step 1: Define Desired Outcomes
What are the regular tasks your team is responsible for, and what are your team’s goals and desired outcomes?
- Define your desired outcomes so you have a better idea of the workflows that need to be documented.
Step 2: Carry Out And Capture Every Step Of Your Current Workflows
Perform your workflows in real-time and record each step as you go
- Don’t document your own process; ask an outsider to observe it a few times and let them do the documenting
- During this step, be sure to include: Tasks (and instructions for completing them), People responsible for each task, Software or other resources needed to complete each task
- Automations, Intended results, Why you’re doing the workflow
