Process Optimisation

How do you document and improve how work gets done?

This page covers the methods for capturing, measuring, and improving processes. For terminology definitions, see Naming Standards.

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The Hierarchy

Four levels, from strategic to tactical:

STANDARD (Why)  →  PROCESS (What)  →  WORKFLOW (How)  →  CHECKLIST (Verify)

Level	Term	Question	Example
1	Standard	Why does this matter?	Brand Guidelines, Security Policy
2	Process	What needs to happen?	Marketing, Onboarding, Sales
3	Workflow	How do we do this activity?	Article Copywriting, Lead Qualification
4	Checklist	Did we do it right?	Quality Gate, Pre-publish Check

Full definitions: Naming Standards → Operations Terminology

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Work Charts vs. Workflows

Different tools for different questions:

Tool	Question	Maps
Work Chart	Who does what?	Capability → Demand
Workflow	How is it done?	Steps → Outcome

They work together:

1. Work Chart identifies WHAT activities exist and WHO does them
2. Workflow documents HOW each activity is performed

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Process Maturity

Track where each workflow sits:

Status	Symbol	Definition	Next Step
Gap	GAP	No documentation exists	Document the workflow
Draft	D	Documented but not validated	Test with real work
Failing	F	Documented but not working	Diagnose and fix
Approved	A	Validated and approved	Monitor performance
Needs Work	NW	Approved but degrading	Schedule review
Active Review	AR	Currently being improved	Complete review cycle

Audit Questions

For each process, ask:

1. Is this process common to all businesses?
2. What is the current state? (Use symbols above)
3. What triggers the process?
4. Who owns it?
5. How do we know it's working?

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Triggers

What initiates a workflow?

Trigger Type	Description	Example
Schedule	Time-based recurrence	Weekly content calendar
Event	Something happened	New lead captured
Threshold	Metric crossed a line	Bounce rate > 70%
Request	Someone asked	Customer support ticket

Document triggers in every workflow — if you don't know when to run it, it won't get run.

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Workflow Structure

Every workflow document should include:

1. Overview

Attribute	Description
Purpose	What outcome does this produce?
Trigger	What initiates this workflow?
Frequency	How often does it run?
Duration	How long does it take?
Owner	Who is responsible?
Output	What gets produced?

2. Prerequisites

• Tools required
• Access requirements
• Knowledge requirements

3. Inputs

What you need before starting.

4. Process

Phased steps with checklists at each phase.

5. Outputs

What gets produced, in what format, delivered where.

6. Success Criteria

How to know it's done right — quality metrics and performance metrics.

7. Failure Modes

Common problems and their solutions.

Reference implementation: Article Copywriting Workflow

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Improvement Methods

Process Mapping

Visualize the current state before improving.

• See the big picture and the details simultaneously
• Identify bottlenecks, redundancies, gaps
• Create shared understanding across team

More: Process Mapping

Process Modelling

Simulate changes before implementing.

• Test hypotheses about improvements
• Quantify impact of changes
• Reduce risk of failed changes

More: Process Modelling

Quality Assurance

Ensure consistent outcomes.

• Define acceptance criteria
• Build verification into workflows
• Create feedback loops for improvement

More: Quality Assurance

Checklists

The simplest, most powerful improvement tool.

• Reduce errors and oversights
• Improve consistency
• Enable delegation without loss of quality

Types:

• Do-Confirm: Complete tasks from memory, then verify against checklist
• Read-Do: Read each item, then do it (for unfamiliar or high-risk work)

More: Checklists

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The Improvement Loop

DOCUMENT → MEASURE → ANALYZE → IMPROVE → STANDARDIZE
    ↑                                         |
    └─────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Document — Capture current state as a workflow
2. Measure — Track performance against success criteria
3. Analyze — Identify gaps between actual and desired
4. Improve — Change the workflow to close gaps
5. Standardize — Update documentation, train team

Repeat continuously.

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Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Problem	Solution
Undocumented	Knowledge locked in heads	Document as workflows
Over-documented	Nobody reads 50-page SOPs	Keep workflows scannable
Never updated	Documentation drifts from reality	Review triggers, scheduled audits
No metrics	Can't tell if it's working	Define success criteria upfront
No owner	Nobody responsible for improvement	Assign ownership
Too rigid	Can't adapt to context	Build in decision points
Too loose	Inconsistent outcomes	Add checklists at critical points

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Subsections

• Checklists — The power of verification
• Process Mapping — Visualizing the current state
• Process Modelling — Simulating before changing
• Quality Assurance — Ensuring consistent outcomes

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Context

• Naming Standards — Canonical terminology
• Work Charts — Who does what (capability → demand)
• Marketing Activities — Reference implementation
• BOaaS — Business Operations as a Service