73 articles in this category
Value stream mapping is a lean management tool that helps visualize the steps needed to take from product creation to delivering it to the end-customer. As with other business process mapping methods, it helps with introspection (understanding your business better), as well as analysis and process improvement.
A business process transforms chaos into consistency - it's the repeatable series of steps that gets work done the same way every time. Learn how documented processes save 2 hours daily per employee while reducing errors by 48%.
A winning project proposal can make the difference between a promotion and being overlooked. Learn what to include in your proposal from organization details and methodology to risk management and costs, plus best practices for timing, problem-solving clarity, and tailoring to your audience.
Even a simple hot dog vendor manages purchasing, quality standards, hygiene, inventory, and change-making processes that all support the core activity. Without understanding full process architecture, businesses waste inputs, energy, time, and space on unnecessary steps that directly erode profits. Benefits include full overview of activities, simplification opportunities, cost cutting, faster response times, automation identification, easier training, and strategic insights.
Process documentation creates flowcharts showing exact steps needed to carry out a business process. This systematic approach helps companies train employees, identify inefficiencies, and enable continuous improvement. Unlike undocumented workflows where knowledge exists only in peoples heads, process documentation ensures consistency and preserves institutional knowledge across the organization.
Business process improvement tools fall into four categories: process mapping to visualize workflows, problem-solving techniques to find root causes, improvement methodologies like PDCA and DMAIC, and automation software to eliminate manual work and boost productivity.