A business process is a series of repeatable steps taken by a team or company to achieve some sort of business goal: managing deliveries, assembling products, onboarding employees, etc.
The key aspect of a business process is repeatability – a process is not a one-time thing.
Let’s say the process is employee onboarding. To onboard an employee, your organization would have to…
- Prepare & hand out the right paperwork
- Assign them a role in the company
- Prepare all of their tech – access to communication, project management tools, etc.
- Prepare the workstation
- Introduce to their team & colleagues
- etc.
Every step here is structured and repeatable. No matter how many employees you hire, you’d have to go through the exact same steps. If a step is missed, it might lead to a very disoriented employee & an unproductive day. On the bright side, the process is very easy to map out or organize using software, maybe even turn it into a checklist.
The main benefit of business processes is that they streamline your business. You can, for example, tell your manager to go “onboard this new employee,” and maybe get some results. Or, they might forget to have them sign some critical document & end up getting sued within a year. With a structured business process, on the other hand, the manager knows exactly what they have to do step-by-step.
This, in turn, makes your business much more efficient…
- Clearer Responsibilities – Everyone knows what task they’re supposed to be working on. So, you won’t have employees working on the same task, for example, or a task being left undone because no one thought it was their job
- Fewer Errors – Since everyone’s on top of their work, there’s much less room for human error
- Higher Productivity – With the tasks communicated properly around the organization, your employees will end up being more productive, as less time is spent on organizational issues
- Lowered Costs – With the added productivity, employees will have much better “output,” as they spend less time on useless work and more on the tasks that really matter
Business Process Examples
There are countless business process examples all around – it’s something that can be found in every organization. Whether you’re a small startup doing content marketing or a giant corporation manufacturing state-of-the-art smartphones, you’re doing all this through business processes.
Client Onboarding Process
When onboarding new clients, an agency has to display professionalism, courtesy, and expertise. If you end up acquiring a big client, the last thing you want to happen is your team sitting there and wondering, “Ok, so what next?”
If you have a clear, defined client onboarding process, however, that’ll be a thing of the past. For the sake of an example, let’s look at the case with a marketing agency.
- Schedule an initial meeting. Get to know the client’s business, how the industry works, how’s the competition, etc.
- Assess company goals & assets. Know what your client wants from you, and how you can use their strengths to achieve those goals
- Define KPIs. The client will want to have a way to measure your progress, making sure that you’re bringing in results
- Create an action plan. What your team is going to do within the week, month, year, etc.
- Pitch the client. See if they like the proposed strategy. If not, start over. If they do, assign all the tasks to the right team members.
Content Marketing Process
Content marketing can be a very hectic mess unless you organize it into clear business processes. Unless you work on this, you’ll end up having 20 work-in-progress articles lost in limbo, a very confused designer, and a confused follower-base – desperately waiting for their weekly article.
Depending on your strategy, there are a lot of different ways to establish content marketing workflows.
For the sake of an example, let’s go through a very basic publishing process…
- The content writer takes up & finishes the first draft of an article. Includes descriptions of any custom images that are to be used in the article
- The marketer gathers influencer contact information, to be used for advertising and marketing once the article is done
- The editor proof-reads the article, makes points on grammar, style, spelling, etc.
- The designer creates custom images as asked, sending them over to the content writer
- The writer takes the comments into consideration, fixes any mistakes, and adds the images to the article
- The SEO expert makes sure that the article meets the right optimization best-practices & publishes the article
- The marketer uses a combination of advertising & email outreach to make sure that the article is read
Business Process Mapping, Improvement, Re-Engineering & Automation
Business processes are, essentially, the building blocks of any organization.
The thing is, though, that for a lot of businesses, the processes are unorganized and implicit. Everyone has a general idea of what’s going on and what needs to be done, but it’s not on paper or is not tracked through software.
To get most out of your business processes, there are 4 things you could do.
Business Process Mapping
Business Process Mapping is pretty straightforward – you probably have a pretty good idea of how your business works. If you’ve been doing it for a while, then you definitely know the ins and outs of it!
So, you’d want to put down all your processes on paper. You could either use actual paper for this, a flowchart software, or workflow management software. From then on out, you can use the graph to analyze or keep track of your processes.
As a given, the more advanced your tool is, the more benefits you’ll get. Workflow software, for example, in addition to allowing for mapping, also lets you keep track of the process in real time.
Business Process Improvement (BPI)
Once you have all the processes down, you’ll get an even better idea on how your business works. That would eventually lead you to initiate a business process improvement (BPI) campaign – from a top-down view, it’s very easy to spot weaknesses in your processes. Sometimes you’ll find tasks that are completely useless, others, you’ll find more efficient ways to do them.
In some cases, you’ll find that some tasks are completely useless and can be skipped. In others, you might find a much better, faster way to do them.
Business Process Automation (BPA)
One way to improve your business processes is to just put technology into the mix – and that’s where business process automation (BPA) comes in. Any task that is extremely menial – that is, too much manual labor – there’s a chance that software can do it much better and faster.
Say, for example, a team member has to email the person who’s responsible for the next step of a process. Rather than having to manually do it, business process management software (BPMS) could do it for them.
Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR)
In some cases, you’ll realize that your processes are just completely out of date. Rather than take something old and add up on it, it’s going to be much easier to just completely re-do them.
Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR) means taking your old processes and finding new ways to carry them out. This can be with the help of technology, for example. Instead of manually doing accounting in the form of a physical ledger, you could adopt some accounting software that makes the old process completely redundant.
A more recent example is using smart contracts for BPR. DNN, decentralized news network, powers it’s publishing system through smart contracts. The submitted articles need to be reviewed by different readers in order to select the best one and push it to the editors and ultimately to the publishers. Smart contracts can help you move the articles through the publishing pipeline, stage after stage, while reducing biases and increasing efficiency.
Conclusion
Now that you have a good idea of how business processes work, you might want to start mapping them out and possibly carrying out a BPI or BPR initiative.
And the best way to do that is through Workflow Management Software. Map, optimize, and streamline your processes with Tallyfy – simply by adopting software, you’re already taking the first step in making your processes more efficient.
Related Questions
What is meant by business process?
A business process is essentially the repeatable pattern of activities that transform something from a starting point to an end result. I’ve seen countless companies struggle with undefined processes—people doing the same things differently each time, creating inconsistency and headaches. At its core, a good process isn’t just a sequence of steps; it’s organizational wisdom captured and shared. When done right, it feels less like bureaucratic red tape and more like a helpful guide that makes everyone’s work life saner.
What is a key business process?
Key business processes are the mission-critical workflows that directly impact your bottom line or customer experience. Think of them as the difference between “nice to have” and “if this breaks, we’re in serious trouble.” For example, client onboarding is a key process that determines first impressions and long-term satisfaction. When I talk to our customers who’ve streamlined these vital processes, the relief in their voices is palpable—they’ve transformed anxiety-inducing workflows into confidence-building systems that let them focus on what matters.
What are the five business processes?
Rather than memorizing a textbook list of five processes, I find it more useful to think about business processes in terms of value flow. Every organization has processes that: create value (product development, service delivery), capture value (sales, billing), support value (HR, IT), protect value (compliance, quality assurance), and improve value (innovation, optimization). What fascinates me is how these categories interact—a hiccup in your support processes can quickly undermine your ability to create or capture value. That’s why taking a holistic view of your process ecosystem is so important.
What is the 5 step business process?
The traditional 5-step approach (plan, organize, execute, monitor, optimize) works fine in theory, but I’ve found it’s missing a crucial reality check. Between planning and organizing, there should be a validation step—a quick “does this actually make sense?” moment. I’ve watched too many teams execute perfectly planned processes that solve the wrong problem. At Tallyfy, we encourage an iterative approach where small tests inform your process design before full-scale implementation. This prevents the all-too-common scenario of building an elaborate process that nobody actually follows.
Why are business processes important?
Business processes matter because they’re the difference between scaling successfully and drowning in chaos as you grow. Without solid processes, your business becomes entirely dependent on tribal knowledge and heroic efforts. I’ve seen this firsthand—organizations where every customer interaction feels like reinventing the wheel, where simple tasks require Herculean effort, where new employees take months to become productive. Great processes aren’t about rigid control; they’re about creating the foundation that allows for consistency, improvement, and surprisingly, more meaningful creativity where it counts.
What makes a business process effective?
An effective business process strikes that delicate balance between structure and flexibility. It guides without suffocating. The best processes I’ve seen have three qualities: they’re simple enough that people actually follow them, they’re transparent so bottlenecks are immediately visible, and they’re adaptable enough to evolve with changing needs. And here’s something counterintuitive—truly effective processes often become nearly invisible because they reduce friction rather than creating it. When your team stops complaining about “the process” and starts having time for more meaningful work, you know you’ve created something effective.
How do you identify business processes?
Identifying business processes starts with following the value stream—where work begins, how it flows, and what it produces. But don’t make the classic mistake of only mapping the “happy path.” The real insights come from observing where things regularly go sideways. I like to ask teams: “What makes you groan when it lands on your desk?” Those pain points almost always reveal broken or missing processes. Another clue: look for where your team uses workarounds or shadow systems. These are clear signals of processes that exist on paper but don’t work in reality—prime candidates for process improvement.
What are the common problems with business processes?
Oh, where to begin? The most insidious process problems I encounter aren’t the obvious bottlenecks—they’re the invisible issues hiding in plain sight. “This is just how we’ve always done it” is probably costing your company thousands of hours annually. Silent handoff failures where work mysteriously disappears into the void for weeks. Zombie processes that continue long after they’ve stopped adding value. And my personal pet peeve: processes designed by people who never have to actually use them. These aren’t just operational headaches—they’re morale killers that make talented people start updating their resumes.
How can you improve business processes?
Improving processes isn’t about fancy methodologies—it’s about combining empathy with data. Start by actually talking to the humans who live with these processes daily. They know exactly what’s broken. Then, measure what matters—cycle times, error rates, customer impacts. I’ve seen companies transform operations not through grand redesigns but through a series of small, evidence-based improvements. The secret sauce? Making process improvement everyone’s job, not just a special project. When you create an environment where people feel empowered to suggest better ways of working, continuous improvement becomes part of your culture.
What role does technology play in business processes?
Technology should be the great enabler of processes, not their master. I’ve witnessed too many organizations invest in elaborate systems that force people to work around the software rather than having technology that actually serves their workflow needs. The best workflow automation software amplifies human capabilities—handling repetitive tasks, providing visibility, and connecting systems. But it’s critical to get the process right first. Automating a broken process just creates a faster disaster. Technology should bring your best-designed processes to life, not dictate how your team works.
How do you document business processes?
Traditional process documentation fails because nobody actually reads 50-page procedure manuals. Effective documentation is visual, accessible, and practical. I’ve become a strong advocate for what I call “living documentation”—process maps that are directly connected to the actual work. When your documentation is part of the workflow itself (rather than gathering dust in a shared drive somewhere), it stays current and useful. Focus on capturing the critical decision points and key information, not every microscopic detail. Remember: the best process document is the one people actually use when they need guidance.
How do business processes impact company culture?
Your processes speak louder than your mission statement when it comes to culture. I find it fascinating how processes silently communicate what an organization truly values. Cumbersome approval processes scream “we don’t trust you,” while thoughtfully designed workflows can demonstrate respect for people’s time and expertise. The companies with the healthiest cultures I’ve seen use processes as enablers of autonomy, not control mechanisms. They design workflows that help people do their best work rather than policing their every move. Your processes are constantly sending messages about what kind of company you really are.
What’s the difference between a process and a procedure?
The distinction matters more than most realize. A process describes the flow of work—what happens, in what order, with what results. A procedure details exactly how to perform specific tasks within that process. I like to think of processes as the highways and procedures as the driving instructions. You need both, but for different reasons. One common mistake I see is organizations confusing the two, creating rigid procedures when they need flexible processes, or keeping processes vague when clear procedures would help. Understanding this difference is crucial for creating effective operations manuals that actually guide work rather than collect dust.
How do you measure the success of your business process?
Measuring process success goes beyond efficiency metrics. Yes, time and cost matter, but I encourage looking at both leading and lagging indicators. Leading metrics might include process adherence or quality checks, while lagging metrics show business outcomes like customer satisfaction or revenue impact. The most overlooked metric? Employee experience. A process that makes your team miserable will eventually fail, no matter how well-designed it appears. The best measurement approaches balance quantitative data with qualitative feedback from the people who live with these processes daily—they’ll tell you what the numbers can’t.
What does Tallyfy believe about business processes?
At Tallyfy, we believe most organizations have the process problem completely backward. They spend months creating complex flowcharts and documentation that nobody reads, instead of creating simple, usable workflows that guide actual work. We’ve built our entire approach around the idea that processes should be living, breathing systems that help people rather than bureaucratic hurdles to jump. Our philosophy is that the best process is one that becomes almost invisible—it guides work naturally without creating friction. Most importantly, we believe processes shouldn’t just be documented—they should be trackable, improvable, and adaptable as your business evolves.
How do business processes relate to the real world?
“Tallyfy transformed how we manage client onboarding and policy renewals. It eliminated inefficiencies, reduced meeting times from hours to minutes, and helped us avoid costly penalties by automating key processes. We now have full visibility over tasks, and I no longer need to chase down updates—it’s all right there.”
“The considerable time savings to our service delivery time has had a direct impact on the performance of every employee and the number of clients we can serve. Decision making in our company is more efficient.” – Mario Alfaro, Manager – Soluciones Eficaces
These real-world experiences from our customers show that business processes aren’t just theoretical concepts—they’re the backbone of how companies actually deliver value to customers, reduce stress for employees, and create sustainable growth.
Why is process visibility so critical for business success?
Process visibility—knowing exactly where work stands at any moment—is the unsung hero of operational excellence. Without it, leaders make decisions in the dark, teams duplicate efforts, and customers get inconsistent experiences. I’ve seen companies transform their performance simply by bringing visibility to previously opaque workflows. It eliminates the dreaded “I thought someone else was handling that” syndrome and the endless status update meetings that consume so much productive time. When everyone can see the current state of work, accountability naturally improves, bottlenecks become obvious, and teams can focus on execution rather than coordination.
