In this article, I am going to examine what the process is. In fact, the word process is one of the most used words in management and business, and it is not difficult to find some examples of process definition. Just search the same phrase in Google to find various definitions of the process.
Process application in business
The process is so embedded in our conversations that most of us, even without knowing its exact definition, can usually use it correctly. Check out these combinations:
- Content creation process
- The production process of car spare parts
- New product development process
- Payment process after ordering the product
- Proforma invoice issuance process
- The process of resolving conflicts and disputes in the management of a project
As you can see, even if you cannot define the word process, you still understand and understand the above terms quite well.
Process refers to the way work is done. The term process can be applied to commercial or non-commercial activities, governmental or non-governmental organization activities, and even to the way of working in a small team.
Using the word process implies that a specific work has a clear framework and process and definition and must always be done based on a predetermined path.
A specific start and end point can be defined for a process.
For example, when we say that we have defined a customer complaint process in our company, we usually mean that:
- We have anticipated that customers may have complaints.
- We have taken into account what kind of activity and channel to complain about.
- We have specified the process to be followed when the company receives a complaint.
- It is determined how and where reports are recorded at each stage.
- It is clear, finally, what kind of results are envisaged for the complaint
The opposite meaning of this sentence is clear. When we say that the customer complaint process is not defined in our company, it means that every time a customer raises a complaint, it is not clear what exactly should be done, what should be done, and what will happen in the end.
Waste of resources, inefficiency, reduction of transparency, disorganization and reduction of control power and increase of discretionary actions are only examples of the consequences of not accurately defining the processes in an organization.
Important components of the process
The most important components of a process are as follows:
- input
- Outcome / Output
- Activities (Tasks/Activities)
- Events
- Decision Points
In the following, we briefly discuss each of them:
input
Basically, every process has one or more inputs. For example, when we talk about the customer complaint process, the initial input of this process can be filling the complaint form on the website or sending a complaint letter.
In some organizations, the complaint process may require the delivery of some documents. But in some other organizations, such documentation may not be received at the beginning of the process.
For example, when complaining about defective goods, you may need to provide proof of purchase. But when you complain about the low quality of the Internet, you do not provide documentation, and the service provider, after receiving the complaint, reviews its internal documentation and reports.
Output and Outcome
For each process, one or more outputs can be defined. The output may be the presentation of a report, payment or transfer of money, delivery of a product or any other achievement at the end of the process.
Of course, complex processes may have different outputs depending on different inputs and factors, and different scenarios may be formed in them.
For example, the output of the cash delivery process by the ATM machine can be money delivery or an error notification of not having cash or other errors.
Activities (Tasks / Activities)
As a rule, converting inputs into outputs requires a chain of activities.
For example, part of the process of paying car accident damages by insurance companies is to visit the car. Or, part of the process of buying a SIM card from mobile phone operators is to send identity documents.
It is common to describe very simple activities with the term Task and slightly more complex activities that have smaller and smaller parts with the term Activity.
Events
Every activity needs time to be done. That is, it starts at a specific moment and ends some time later, but the event is defined at the moment.
For example, consider the process of buying goods from an online store. One of the activities can be checking the inventory of the warehouse. This process may take a few seconds or a few minutes. After it is determined that the item you are looking for is available, an event has taken place and that is the confirmation of the inventory.
An event is just like a tick next to one or more activities, indicating that those activities have finished. This concept is very similar to the term Milestone in project management.
Decision Points
Most processes do not have a linear form. That is, you cannot say that, for example, they start from the first step and go through the second to tenth steps in order and one after the other and reach the end.
For example, think about the customer complaint process. After the preliminary investigations, you reach the point of decision. This means that you have to go through different paths based on whether the complaint is acceptable or not.
The points where you have to choose between different paths are called decision points.
Process map
Naturally, when the processes are complicated, it is more logical to use the graphic display pattern and drawing diagrams to show the processes instead of writing them in text format.
These types of diagrams, which look very similar to the flowcharts we draw for algorithms , are known as process maps.
Obviously, the right software for drawing a process map can be different depending on the complexity of the processes. But a handy tool for common tasks is Visio software. Just select BPMN Template in this software.
Process definition
Business processes are a set of activities that have one or more inputs and their output creates value for the customer of the process.
In fact, it can be said that business processes are a set of activities that are logically related to each other and are carried out to achieve a specific achievement in business, and finally, a set of processes together form a business system. They are building.
An important feature of the process
The processes have two important features that we will discuss below.
Process customers:
Every process has a customer or customers who receive the output of the process or benefit from that output. These customers can be internal or external.
Process position:
Processes are usually independent of the official chart and organizational structure and are not limited to the boundaries of different departments; In other words, each part of a process may be implemented and followed in a different department or department of the organization.
Process oriented approach
Now that we have reached this point, we can talk about the process view or process-based approach.
An organization, company or business can be viewed and analyzed in different ways. One of the oldest methods we all know is the organizational chart.
Although the organizational chart is one of the most common tools to show the overall framework of the organization, it reflects and displays very little information about what is really happening in the organization.
You may think to yourself that what is meant by the weakness of the organizational chart is the same classic discussion that is often raised in the management of organizational behavior. Because one of the criticisms raised about the organizational chart is that the organizational chart does not reflect informal relationships.
But we are talking about something else here: the organizational chart does not reflect even the formal relationships in the best possible way.
The fact that we know that there are marketing and sales and advertising units in an organization is a valuable point. But the more important point that is not reflected in the organizational chart is what exactly is the process for designing and implementing an advertising campaign and in which stages of the process are each of these units involved.
Therefore, when we talk about the process, we mean that instead of looking at the position of people and departments in the body of the organization, we pay attention to what really happens and what is done in an organization or company or a business. What path and process is defined for each task.
In process management, we do not only focus on what is done, but also pay attention to the important point of how everything is done.
Putting all these processes together is what is called an organization or a business.
Business process management
When we have a process view of the organization and business, we can define and implement mechanisms to control the execution of each process correctly. We can also check the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes and plan to improve the processes.
Business consultants, with a process perspective, can diagnose the complications of a business in a more accurate way, and managers can design and implement organizational transformation projects in the form of Business Process Re-engineering or BPR.
A process view can help you to identify the right and appropriate indicators and record and measure them in the bottlenecks and key points of different processes.
Remember that marketing and sales automation can be useful for us when we first know what our processes are and then want to automate them.
In short, it can be said that the process view helps us to see problems and challenges from a different angle in different management fields and to discover and create more effective solutions.
In the end, I can say that the concept of process in any branch of management provides us with new capacities for thinking and analysis. what is your opinion ?
