Poor documentation is one of the main reasons why many business processes don’t work as well as they should. Sometimes this is because nobody has thought to document the process, but more often, it’s because the documentation is out of date, or difficult to access, or inadequate.

This is a real dilemma for any business that wants to scale or grow. It’s hard to improve a process if you haven’t mapped it out properly. In addition, your business risks losing vital knowledge when employees who have the best understanding of the process leave. Conversely, an effective process documentation system can save your business time and money, enable more informed decision-making and lead to more strategic use of resources.

Discover how to make finance processes more efficient.

How to Make Your Process Documentation Better

There are several ways to improve your process documentation and, most importantly, encourage stakeholder buy-in:

1. Focus on simplicity. Avoid jargon and technical language if possible. If you need to use technical terms, include a list of definitions. Everyone who has a part to play in the process should be able to understand the document, so break instructions down into a step-by-step sequence. Ask yourself: would the document be comprehensible to a relatively inexperienced new hire, for example?
   

2. Use visuals. There’s nothing more off-putting than a dense wall of text. Use diagrams, graphics, and charts to ease understanding. A link to a ‘how-to’ video is ideal if you have the time to produce one.

3. Use standardised templates. When all your documentation has the same look and format, it makes it easier for your staff to know what they need to include and reduces the likelihood of mistakes. Standard templates improve consistency and make it easier to update information. 

4. Involve stakeholders from the outset. Get feedback from everyone who will be impacted, not just a handful of representatives. Include internal and external stakeholders, such as staff, managers, clients, and suppliers. 

5. Review, improve, and repeat. Once the document has been finalised and distributed to all stakeholders, ensure you have a formal review schedule in place. Make it easy for people to provide further feedback, for example, by encouraging messages via the office intranet, in order to encourage and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

6. Enable easy accessibility and collaboration. Staff should be able to view and amend documents from a centralised platform that can be accessed from anywhere. 

Reduce the administrative burden on HR

At Demeter, we have developed an AI-friendly technology platform that makes continuous improvement easier by standardising enterprise-wise visibility, all in one place. Our flexible, easily integrated software demystifies processes and creates a common language for improvement, enabling more effective communication and collaboration across your organisation. Key features include detailed reporting insights and ROI measurement, task automation capabilities, and a real-time process overview. 

We make process flow, so your business grows.

To take the first step towards improving business processes at your organisation, get in touch.