The Power of Documentation
You head out for another day at the office and arrive to find your head process runner has given two weeks’ notice. While losing a star us always a hit, are you prepared to train and replace or lost in the wilderness? Documenting the background, structure and process steps of what is done each day can be the difference for you. Good documentation provides a training tool, a change impact guide and a good source for educating management on the current state.
For Training – It is a good source for you or a replacement to see the detailed steps and not miss anything. It also educates on “the why” of what is done. This is a critical factor in doing something well.
As a change impact guide – When things like data sources, other processes or systems change, this can show how your processes will be impacted and what is needed to maintain status quo.
Educating management – especially if you get some new management, this can be a way to show them how things are currently done, that you know your business and to help explain your current workload.
The best documentation includes the following areas: (These vary with the size of your business, the complexity of the tasks and the magnitude of the impact).The Purpose – Why the process exists and how it impacts the business. This can be anything from a simple sentence to several paragraphs depending on complexity.
The background of the process – This may not be needed for the simplest of processes. But for the bigger ones, it is the methodology and development of the process. How it came into existence and what was done to test/ validate its necessity.
A summary of the process and a simple process map overview – Have something on one page that can show anyone (not just the experts) the basics of what happens in the process.
The data sources – Detail all of the sources used in the process. Whether those are spreadsheets, data files, information from outside sources or manual input of “human knowledge”.
A detailed process flow and map – This should include where this process fits in the business flow, what it depends on and what depends on it and any critical timing.
Detailed instructions for each step – Think of it as a mini user manual. Sometimes it is a line or two, sometimes several pages.
People involved – Who are the decision makers, the providers and receivers of the information and repots.
The Information Tamer specializes in this type of work, from user manuals to detailed process maps. It is often remarkable to see how much is discovered in the course of creating these items. You can learn that some processes are outdated, no longer needed. You may learn that some can be automated and combined. We have even seen an occasion or two when poor information was being provided due to a missing step. I strongly believe in the power and critical nature of documentation at any company.
