Tips on understanding business processes
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From a business operations audit perspective
Having a good grasp of the existing processes in place is the first step to creating change and putting forth recommendations. How do you understand the current process comprehensively, especially when it is a new client?
Before you start talking to your client, seek to have the following defined:
Keep your goals in mind — Know what you are after. Do you want to drive the revenue numbers up? Do you want to improve the current process by eliminating unnecessary cost? Do you want to ensure the security of the work environment?
To identify your goals, look at the agreed contract know what exactly you need to drive in this project.
Identify the industry of your client — Find out the standard practice in the industry, key concerns of the industry, typical set-up of the teams in the industry. Example — If it’s a banking sector, it divides into the front, middle, back office. If it’s a technology department — it will be segregated into an application team, infrastructure team, security team. Having an understanding of the industry will help you understand the varying concerns of your client and communicate in a way that resonates with them later on.
To understand your client’s industry, search online for more details or look for examples in your company’s repository.
When you finally engage your client:
#1. Get buy-in
Make the key contact person your best friend. He is probably the only person who is vested in your work and have the best understanding. Not only is he capable of helping you translate your requirements into familiar terminologies people in the firm uses. He will also be your human directory in finding the right person to address your questions or get you the things you need.
Ensure that you are aligned to the goals of the key contact person and make sure that he understands what you are intending to do.
#2. Ask for Policies/ SOPs/ Sample documents
Someone from the firm is probably being paid a monthly salary to document everything on how the firm should be operating into a Policy, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document or even draft sample forms/documents. Having this document will help you have a quick overview of the key processes and stakeholders in place.
The understanding from these documents is going to serve as a basis for your interview sessions with the various stakeholders to understand how things work in your client’s environment. Bonus points if you can pick up jargons from the text and use it during the interview.
#3. Send over the list of questions before meeting
Identify the common themes in your questions and categorise them. This can help you determine the number of sessions you need or if you need separate sessions with separate teams.
The questions will provide your client with an understanding of the objective of the meeting. It helps them have a mental gauge of how much time to spend elaborating on each pointer during the session. Having the questions can also help them manage their expectations and also have a sense on the meeting’s progress (“Are we ending yet?”).
By helping your clients understand the angle you are approaching from, the interview process will be a lot smoother as you spend less time trying to explain yourself and your questions.
#4. Identify the key person involved in the operations (e.g. front-line employees)
These are the people who execute the very activity you are trying to understand.
It’s always better to have a first-hand understanding on what’s happening on the ground rather than relying on the policy/management’s idea of what they THINK is happening on the ground. The executor will give you insights into the challenges and limitations faced for the process you are examining.
In your communication, repeat after them show that you are listening and confirm that your understanding is correct too.
#5. Do a end-to-end one sample observation
As much as possible, observe the end-to-end process that a single activity or product goes through.
In the interview session with the executor, key details may be left out by accident because they are so accustomed to the daily work that particular activity feels like second nature to them.
Most humans are visual creatures. Being involved and witnessing the process in a visual format will be much easier for your comprehension and evaluation.
#6. Manage expectations
Give them an idea on your next steps. Will you be arranging for another session, or will you be emailing them with more questions?
Signalling before departure helps give them a heads-up and appear as less of a surprise if you need their help on other matters later on.
Putting it altogether
With all the information that you have, quickly document them for your ease of reference later on.
Swimlane approach
If your understanding is heavily process-oriented with multiple parties involved, you can try documenting it in a swimlane approach.
The Swimlane approach will help you identify:
- Various parties involved in the process, and
- Actions taken at each point (oval = start/end, diamond = decision, rectangle = action)
It serves as a powerful visual tool to help you have a full comprehension on the end-to-end of a single process. Some accessible tools to help you create a swimlane are Draw.io (free), Microsoft Visio or even your trusty Microsoft Powerpoint.
5W1H approach
Alternatively, if you are working with a lot more details where the swimlane wouldn’t suffice, try documenting using a 5W1H framework.
The 5W1H questions (who, what, when, where, why, how) will help you have a detailed understanding of the process and identify areas that you have missed out in your previous session with your client.
Before you go, always remember to adopt a multi-pronged approach (via documentation, via management, via executor, via your process observations) in understanding your client’s environment. Do not expect to have a comprehensive understanding after a single session.
There will be multiple versions of understanding over the same process because different layers of management will have a varying degree of involvement and understanding. As you start to examine the process from multiple angles you will come to realise the role of exceptions and the true process that is being followed through. With that understanding you can keep a lookout on areas for improvement.
