What is Process Documentation?

Summary

This video from Technical Writer HQ, led by founder Josh, delves into process documentation, a critical tool for business efficiency. It outlines the steps to document a business process, from defining its scope and establishing boundaries to detailing each step and identifying stakeholders. The video emphasizes the importance of process documentation in achieving consistency, streamlining operations, and facilitating future improvements. It also offers practical tips on creating effective process documentation, including the use of visual aids and keeping documents up-to-date.

Takeaways

• 📋 Process documentation involves creating a detailed step-by-step description of any business process, such as recruitment, invoicing, or order processing.
• 🧠 A business process is any set of activities that helps a business operate and grow, with specific goals and consistent outcomes.
• 📑 Process documentation is key for optimizing and streamlining workflows, making processes repeatable and improving business outcomes.
• 👥 Documenting processes clarifies the roles of everyone involved, making sure that responsibilities are properly assigned and understood.
• 📝 Writing a process document requires defining the process, describing the scope, setting boundaries, and listing process steps.
• 🔄 Documenting processes helps stakeholders understand how things work and provides opportunities for feedback to optimize the process.
• 🎨 Visual aids like flowcharts, diagrams, and swim lane diagrams are useful tools to make processes clearer and easier to follow.
• 📊 Measuring and monitoring process steps can help identify areas for improvement and track the efficiency of the process.
• 🛠 Tools like Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, and Excel can help create and organize process documentation more efficiently.
• 🔄 Process documents should be treated as living documents, regularly updated as new improvements or technologies are implemented.

Q & A

What is process documentation?

Process documentation is a detailed step-by-step description of any type of business process. It serves as a comprehensive guide that describes a process flow and specifics, functioning as a focused process mapping tool for employees involved in the process.

Why is it important to document business processes?

Documenting business processes is important because it helps stakeholders understand how a business or technical process works, allows for critical input for improvement, and instills consistency. It also aids in process optimization, efficiency, and is essential for future proofing and streamlining.

What are some examples of business processes that need documentation?

Examples of business processes that need documentation include the recruitment process, invoicing, order processing, HR procedures, accounting, and financial processes.

How does process documentation help in optimizing processes?

Process documentation helps in optimizing processes by providing a clear and detailed description of each step, allowing for the identification of inefficiencies, and suggesting areas where automation or other improvements can be made.

What are the steps involved in creating a process document?

The steps involved in creating a process document include defining the process, describing process scope, establishing process boundaries, determining process inputs, listing and describing process steps, organizing steps into an optimal sequence, listing stakeholders, visualizing the full process, keeping future modifications in mind, and adding measurements and control points.

How can process documentation be improved?

Process documentation can be improved by using tools like Lucidchart and Microsoft Visio, making it concise, updating it when needed, storing it in a centralized location, using visual aids, synchronizing with company standards, creating templates and style guides, and creating individual documents for different processes.

What is the role of visual aids in process documentation?

Visual aids in process documentation play a crucial role in making the documentation visually appealing and easier to understand. They help explain metrics and numbers more effectively and can include flow charts, diagrams, screenshots, and color coding to represent different activity levels.

Why should process documentation be treated as a living document?

Process documentation should be treated as a living document because it evolves as the business processes evolve. Continuous updates ensure that the documentation remains relevant, accurate, and useful for all stakeholders involved in the process.

How can process documentation help in the implementation of new technologies or automation?

Process documentation helps in the implementation of new technologies or automation by providing a clear understanding of the current process flow, which allows for easier integration of new systems and ensures that any changes are well-documented and communicated to all stakeholders.

What is the significance of involving stakeholders in the process documentation review?

Involving stakeholders in the process documentation review is significant because it ensures that all perspectives are considered, identifies any missing steps or errors, and helps in refining the process for better efficiency and effectiveness.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Process Documentation

The video introduces the concept of process documentation, emphasizing its importance in business operations. The speaker, founder of Technical Writer HQ with over 10 years of experience, outlines the video's agenda, which includes explaining what process documentation is, how to write a process document, and its benefits. The speaker encourages viewers to subscribe and engage with the content. A business process is defined as a set of activities essential for daily operations and growth. Process documentation is described as a detailed, step-by-step guide that helps in understanding and improving these processes. The video uses the example of restocking inventory in an online grocery store to illustrate the need for documenting each step of a process.

05:01

🔍 Steps to Documenting a Business Process

This section details the steps involved in creating a process document. It starts with defining the process and its purpose, followed by describing the scope, which includes the number of tasks and the impact on business outcomes. The video then explains the need to establish process boundaries, detailing the start and end points, and the triggers that cause the process to begin and conclude. The next steps involve identifying process inputs, listing and describing the steps, organizing them into an optimal sequence, and identifying stakeholders and their roles. The importance of visualizing the process and creating a mental flow chart is highlighted, along with the need for clear and concise captions for illustrations. The speaker advises against overly complex diagrams and suggests breaking down complex systems into subsystems for clarity.

10:06

🛠️ Enhancing Process Documentation

The video continues with advanced steps in process documentation, such as keeping future modifications in mind, adding measurement and control points, and reviewing the documentation with stakeholders. It emphasizes the importance of testing the process and making necessary adjustments. The speaker suggests using process documentation tools, making documents concise, updating them regularly, and storing them in a centralized location. The use of visual aids, synchronization with company standards, and the creation of templates and style guides are recommended to improve documentation. The video also advises on optimizing cost, creating individual documents for different processes, and using existing documents to reinforce the documentation.

15:06

🌟 Conclusion and Call to Action

In the concluding part, the speaker summarizes the discussion on process documentation, highlighting its necessity for ensuring business processes are future-proof. The speaker, Josh, invites viewers to like and subscribe to the channel for more content on technical writing and becoming a better writer. He expresses excitement for the viewers' careers in technical writing and looks forward to meeting them in future videos.

Keywords

💡Process Documentation

Process documentation refers to the detailed step-by-step description of any type of business process. It serves as a comprehensive guide that outlines the process flow and specifics, which is crucial for understanding and optimizing the way a business operates. In the video, process documentation is highlighted as a means to improve efficiency and consistency within an organization, as it helps in identifying roles, responsibilities, and the flow of activities from start to finish.

💡Business Process

A business process encompasses any activity or set of activities that a business relies on for its day-to-day operations. These processes are essential for the survival and growth of a company. The video uses examples like the recruitment process and invoicing process to illustrate how documenting these can lead to streamlining and optimization, which are vital for business success.

💡Process Mapping

Process mapping is a technique used to visually represent the steps involved in a business process. It helps in understanding the flow of activities and identifying areas for improvement. The video emphasizes the importance of process mapping as a tool for creating a focused guide that can be used by employees to understand and improve their processes.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the context of process documentation are individuals or groups who have an interest or are affected by the business processes. The video mentions the need to involve stakeholders in the documentation process to ensure that their perspectives and requirements are considered, which is crucial for the overall success and acceptance of the documented processes.

💡Optimization

Optimization, as discussed in the video, involves improving business processes to make them more efficient and effective. Process documentation plays a key role in optimization by providing a clear understanding of the current process, which can then be analyzed and improved. The video gives examples of how documenting processes can lead to the identification of bottlenecks and opportunities for automation.

💡Consistency

Consistency in business processes is about ensuring that activities are performed in the same way every time, leading to predictable outcomes. The video underscores the importance of process documentation in achieving consistency by providing a standardized guide that all employees can follow, which helps in maintaining quality and reducing errors.

💡Automation

Automation is the use of technology to perform tasks that would otherwise be done by humans. The video mentions automation as a key component of modern industry, where process documentation is necessary to define and describe processes in a way that makes them suitable for automation. This can lead to increased efficiency and reduced manual effort.

💡Technical Writing

Technical writing is the practice of creating clear, concise, and accurate documentation for technical or specialized audiences. The video is presented by the founder of Technical Writer HQ, who uses his experience in technical writing to teach viewers about process documentation. Technical writing is crucial for ensuring that process documentation is understandable and useful to its intended audience.

💡Documentation Tools

Documentation tools are software applications or platforms that assist in creating, managing, and storing process documentation. The video suggests using tools like Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, and Excel to aid in the documentation process. These tools can help in creating visual aids, organizing information, and maintaining consistency across documents.

💡Visual Aids

Visual aids in process documentation include diagrams, flowcharts, and other graphical representations that help in understanding complex processes. The video emphasizes the use of visual aids to make documentation more accessible and easier to comprehend. Examples from the script include creating flowcharts for a first-time user experience, which helps in visualizing the process from start to finish.

💡Centralized Storage

Centralized storage refers to a single, organized location where all process documentation and related materials are kept. The video suggests storing documentation in a centralized location for easy access and management. This ensures that all team members can find and refer to the latest versions of documents, which is essential for maintaining consistency and efficiency.

Highlights

Process documentation is a detailed step-by-step description of any type of business process.

Documenting a process helps define it, making it easier to understand and improve.

A business process is an activity or set of activities essential for a company's day-to-day operations.

Process documentation should have purposeful goals, be specific, and have consistent outcomes.

Examples of business processes include recruitment, invoicing, and order processing.

Process documentation helps assign responsibilities and identify the flow from start to finish.

The importance of process documentation lies in its ability to provide a clear understanding of how a business or technical process works.

Process documentation aids in optimizing processes and instilling consistency among stakeholders.

To document a process, one must first define the process and its purpose.

Process documentation includes creating usage tutorials, policy papers, operation checklists, and visual media.

A flow chart is a useful tool for visualizing and documenting a business process.

Process documentation involves listing and describing each step in the process.

Stakeholders should be identified and their roles defined in the process documentation.

Visual aids such as diagrams and flowcharts can enhance the clarity of process documentation.

Process documentation should be treated as a living document, subject to updates and improvements.

Using process documentation tools like Lucidchart and Microsoft Visio can streamline the documentation process.

Conciseness and clarity are key when creating process documents.

Process documents should be stored in a centralized location for easy access and management.

Visual aids and color coding can be used to explain metrics and differentiate between process steps.

Synchronizing documentation with company standards ensures consistency and professionalism.

Creating templates and style guides can help standardize process documentation across an organization.

Process documentation is a mandatory practice that ensures future-proofing of business processes.

Transcripts

What is process documentation?

Hi there.

In this video, we'll go over what process documentation entails, how

to write a process document, and the benefits of having documented processes.

And just so you know, I'm the founder of Technical Writer hq, and I have

over 10 years of technical writing experience that I'll be using to teach

you what process documentation is.

But before we fully dive into it, make sure to hit that subscribe button,

like this video and activate Notifi.

That way you don't miss any of our future videos, and you'll always be

first aligned to receive instructional content from top writing experts.

Now, let's go ahead and jump in.

Before we jump in and answer the question of what is process

documentation, we need to first understand what is a business process.

A business process is any activity or set of activities.

That a business depends on for its day to day survival, and

if streamline or optimize, it helps the company with growth.

For example, the recruitment process, invoicing process, order processing.

These processes should have purposeful goals, be as specific as possible,

and have consistent outcomes.

The act of documenting a process defines process documentation.

It is a detailed step by step description of any type of business process.

Moreover, it is a series of preliminary documents that are

used to describe a process flow and specifics in a comprehensive manner.

It functions as a more focused process mapping guide from the perspective of

the employees invested in the process.

This real life example may come to your head when thinking about process

documentation, any kind of process that occurs in an organization, for example,

restocking of the inventory is a process.

And within these process, what role does each of those involved play?

We have to document that one by one in which we can identify the

flow from start to finish so we can properly assign responsibilities.

For example, Sarah had an online grocery store.

Her stock came in each morning, a vegetables and fruits for the day.

Therefore, every activity that occurred in the completion of the

process had to be first documented.

First.

The trucks came.

Robert was in charge of unloading and storing them.

Then James had to count the numbers and enter them into the

grocery management system each day.

Once that was done, it was the website managers who had to play their role.

They uploaded data to their online store for the arrival of Fresh Doc

and Facebook and other outlets were also updated day in and day out.

These were some of the activities that were part of the restocking process, and

the goal here obviously is to document everything so it can be repeatable.

Similarly, there are other processes within organizations

that need to be documented all the way from HR to accounting, to

finances, to whatever that may be.

We must know the why of something to know its importance.

So why is process documentation needed?

It helps all major and minor stakeholders get a solid understanding of how

a business or technical process works, and the purpose is to open

the process to all stakeholders and invite critical input for process.

So something can't be improved if people don't know how it works.

Doing this helps departments optimize processes and instill

consistency in the stakeholders.

Streamlining processes and making practical work more efficient is the focus

of the global industry at the moment.

Automation, machine learning and agile processes are at

the center of this movement.

However, in order to optimize a process, you need to define,

describe, and document it.

Many documents are created in process documentation to open up

a process for all those involved.

These include usage tutorials, policy papers, operation checklists, visual

media, so screenshots, flow charts, and diagramming process maps, virtual

workflows, and links to other sources.

So processs can be showed in a variety of format.

Let's now take a business process example of a first time user experience and

how to document it using a flow chart.

It starts with a user visiting the website.

Then the user registers next.

They get started with the product.

They set up a planning board.

They add items to this planning board and last they purchase.

This is a great example of a process that takes a user from

start to finish in the sales cycle.

It's essential to know the stats for creating or writing a process.

The first step is to define the process before you begin to develop

documents, decide on which process you should document first as a priority.

Once you've done that, define it clearly and with as much detail as you can,

include the purpose of the document, how it will benefit the company, and how the

process itself can be improved over time.

Then create a separate document with these details in it for

guidance during the primary.

Process documentation.

Now we come to step number two of this document writing process

says to describe process scope.

Once you have a clear description of the project and its purpose,

we're gonna find the short and long-term scope of the project.

The project scope consists of basic details of the number of tasks and whether

the task will cover a single business or technical process or a series of process.

The scope should also be its own separate document, especially for more

complicated processes that will have a bigger impact on business outcomes.

The third step of writing the process document is to

establish process boundaries.

In this step, you have to describe the parameters and boundaries

of the actual process, including the starting point and endpoint.

As well as what causes the process to start and end.

Make sure to define each trigger in detail.

This will allow all the stakeholders to plan excessive processes around

this one and gauge of the process can be streamlined via automation.

Additionally, define the start and endpoint of each depth of the process.

This will allow the technical staff to see if the number of steps can be

reduced to reach the final outcome.

That's already been decided.

The four step is to determine the process inputs, and.

In this step, you have to explain the number and types of resources needed

to perform each step of the process and the quantitative outcome of each.

This will help the finance and resource management team members

determine how they should structure the resource input for maximum gain.

It'll also help project the cost to benefit ratio for each process step.

So in short, it helps everyone in the long run, especially process owners and company

leadership, will be able to track these numbers for current process optimization

and make smarter process decisions.

Now, let's go ahead and dive into the fifth step.

And this is to list and describe the process steps.

Once you have the process foundation, start brainstorming the activities

and operations needed to complete each step of the process while documenting.

Some companies take this step before establishing process boundaries.

This may be according to their own standard operating procedures, although

it's preferred to establish boundaries first, so that any step doesn't take

up more time and resources than.

The brainstorming part of the process should include all the

people who have extensive know-how of the company's business needs,

documenting SOPs and all the different processes that are currently ongoing.

And the next step here is to organize the steps into the optimal

sequence to create a smooth workflow.

To do this, consider which step follows which, and come up with

ways to reduce the gap between each step by implementing more efficient.

While doing this, make sure to identify which steps logically

follow each other and which go together as parallel activities.

Make sure to group the ladder ones together, and in case a step contains more

than one activity or two closely conjoined ones, break it up into two steps.

The seventh step of the process documentation is to list stakeholders.

Describe all the staff members involved in the process and process documentation.

Make sure to define their roles in the process.

And mention their official titles as well as their individual progress

while listing the personnel.

Make sure to clarify each person's roles according to their referential

capacity in case they want to reference a document at a later date.

An important part of creating an effective document is step eight

here, visualizing the full process and optimizing it from a visual standpoint.

This will create a mental flow chart of the process in your mind, as well as

maybe something that you can actually.

As well as improve the readability and clarity of the entire process

for everyone involved in case of documentation is graphic savvy.

Create a uniform image of the full process in your mind and make all

the charts, metrics and diagrams according to one design principle And

just a tip here, it's often helpful to write the caption before creating the

illustration, then create the illustration that best represents the caption.

This process helps you to check that the illustration matches the.

Good captions have the following characteristics.

They're brief.

Typically, a caption is just a few words.

Also, they explain the takeaway after viewing this graphic, what

should the reader remember and they focus a reader's attention.

Focus is particularly important when a photograph or diagram

contains a lot of detail.

Highly complex technical illustrations to show processes like the

following, tend to discourage most.

So you need to find a way to avoid this, and we'll talk

about this in just a second.

Technical writers have a tendency to do this as they explain

user journeys, product, vision, organization, hierarchy, and many

more other process oriented documents.

Just as you avoid overly long sentences dry to avoid visual run-ons.

As I rule a thumb, don't put more than one paragraph's worth of

information in a single diagram.

, I can already hear you saying, but real life technical systems can be vastly

more complex than the example here.

And you're right, but you probably don't feel compelled to explain real life

complex systems in a single paragraph.

So what's the trick here?

The trick is to whittle visual clutter into something coherent

and helpful so you can organize complex systems into subsystems like

those shown in the example here.

When you do this, everything becomes much more easier to understand.

The idea is after showing the big picture, then he wants to provide

separate illustrations of each subsystem.

And in that way, when someone can look at the different subsystems, they can easily

add that up into the entire system itself.

And step nine, it is time to keep future process modifications in mind.

It's important to mention any and all steps that might be exceptions to

the ones listed in the documentation.

This is a future proofing method that opens a process up to streamlining

in the future if a new tech product or automation measure comes up.

Process owners need to be able to implement that into the process

without causing extensive revisions.

And for step 10, which says to add a measurements and control points in

this step, identify the areas and the process that are the most prone to.

And insert control points to help keep process personnel, monitor,

and modify the process as needed.

Additionally, create measurement procedures that determine the

overall effectiveness of the process.

This will enable key stakeholders to track the performance of the

process and implement improvements that best suit the workflow.

Once you have a full process at hand, bring together all

the stakeholders and review the documentation sent in step number.

Make the process map open to suggestions and critiques, and look for any

missing steps, miscalculations and any steps out of order or general errors.

And once it's finalized, test out the process and check if anything

is missing or if it's consuming simply more resources than necessary.

It may take some time to cover all these desks, but you'll see in the end

that these steps were worth your time.

The last step in writing a process document is to take

the completed process document.

Sent and send it to technical experts for review and optimization.

Your process documents are a living entity as they guide the process along

and make everyone involved aware of what the process will look like at every stage.

Make sure that you treat it as a living document and continue to

make adjustments to it as you find more streamlined activities as well.

Again, the idea of processes is to always focus on improving them as much as you.

Now let's dive into how you can improve your documentation process

and generate more efficiency.

So number one, use process documentation tools such as Lucidchart

and documentation software such as Microsoft, physio and Excel.

And number two, make it concise.

Create documents are as streamlined and to the point as possible.

If something can be removed without affecting the overall

quality of the process or the.

Then simply remove it.

And number three, update when needed.

In case a process requires a new step, or you have discovered a more

efficient way to complete a step.

Make sure to implement the update in the documentation on time.

And number four, store in a centralized location.

Always have a centralized storage location for all your process documents

and supplementary documents, such as diagrams, case studies, and more.

There are a number of process documentation tools that.

Access to singular cloud storage as an enterprise package, and you

could easily find them via Google.

You have things like Document 360, you have FrameMaker, and

number five, use visual aids.

Make the documentation visually appealing and use graphics to

better explain metrics and numbers.

Furthermore, use color coding in multiple platforms to explain

at different activity levels.

And six, synchronize with company standard.

Make sure that all documentation is unique to the company's

operational standards and processes.

Customize the design of the documentation according to the

company design standards as well.

So this may be using their corporate logo using the correct branding colors.

So find out what these things are.

And number seven, and at swim lane diagrams, which means distinguish

the different roles, process, steps, timelines, and resource.

By adding swim lane diagrams where appropriate, and we cover

that earlier by breaking out diagrams into smaller subsets.

And number eight, try optimize cost cutting.

Look for more cost effective activities and programs that

don't affect the quality of the documentation or the intended outcome.

And nine, create templates and style guides.

If you have a documentation process that has worked for you

or one that you have recently.

Use that as a template or create a dial guide out of it to help

recruits start using it immediately.

And the last way to improve your process documentation here is

to create individual documents.

Instead of compiling everything into one big document, create multiple

smaller ones for different processes.

If you think one process deviates from another, even slightly,

create separate documentation for.

In addition to the above, use any existing documents to reinforce your

documentation and added value to it.

Existing documents could include interview transcripts, case studies, records, field

diaries of project stakeholders, and any other documented process knowledge

that has been accumulated over time.

Regardless of how many processes are ongoing at any one time process,

documentation should be a common and mandatory practice at any.

It's one of the best ways to ensure that all business processes have

some measure of future proofing.

And there we have it.

We just finished discussing process, documentation and

everything that comes with it.

And if you enjoyed this video, make sure to go ahead and like it and subscribe

to our channel so you can keep up to date with all the videos that we put

out on this channel about technical writing and becoming a better writer.

And again, my name is Josh.

I'm the founder of Technical Writer hq.

And I'll be seeing you on some of our following videos, and excited for you

in your career as a technical writer and becoming the best writer you can be.

Cheers.