How do you produce/offer your services and products for sale?

Operational processes are how you produce/offer your services and products for sale.

A key element of comprehensive performance management is the development of a documented quality system. This is a ‘blueprint’ that states how the business is run and will assist business leaders and staff to reduce the possibility of mistakes.

The business should have documented procedures or work instructions in place where their absence could detrimentally affect the outcome of the service/task.

These instructions should also identify any record keeping requirements, including the records that must be kept and for how long.

The formal documentation of business processes has historically been lacking in smaller organizations.

However, increasing competition and sometimes, contractual requirements, are now forcing businesses to document their systems to obtain business funding and the formation of strategic alliances.

This is also an essential step if you have longer term plans for selling, licensing or franchising your business.

• Stream-line your processes to minimize rework and waste-lean approach
• Ensure those involved in producing the products/services have a clear understanding of the steps, the outcomes and standards to be attained for each stage
• Help your staff to know the difference between effectiveness and efficiency
• Have documentation that will assist new staff to carry out their work 
• Provide and practice a robust method of problem-solving for improvements
• Have documentation for key roles so that your business could continue smoothly if staff left suddenly.