A business process is that efficient movement of financial, technical and human resources that together give operation to an organization with a company structure.
A company is a system that works in an integrated way thanks to people who perform functions at all levels:
- Support employees who work directly with customers.
Its functions are part of an organizational structure built to meet an operating objective and which in turn is supported by available resources to make it possible: budgets , technology and information systems, and highly qualified professionals willing to resolve technical questions; as lawyers, accountants, engineers, or psychologists.
Designing these processes is an art that management must, by obligation, previously analyze, so that they are perfectly intertwined and this system works in the most efficient and operational way possible.
What could be a business process?
Seeking the positioning of the company at the national level, for example, will require a challenging business process that involves improving the performance of all areas: process efficiency, commercial actions, marketing , human resource incentives , influential leadership and assertive financial investments. . All as a whole and articulated will make the business process result in positioning the company as the best at a national level, whether in profitability or in consumer appreciation.
How is a business process designed?
To design a business process it is necessary to evaluate the resources that are needed. For example:
- Profile of the professionals who will participate in the process
- Profile of the professional who will lead the process; What technical, social and personal skills should you have?
- Financial resources for the operation of the process; budget.
- Technical resources for the operation of the process; equipment and technologies.
- Estimate how long the business process should take; months or years.
- Communicate the objective of the process at all levels of the organization.
If the above points are clear, “going down” the process will be simple and aligning it is the great task of management and middle managers.
A question that serves as an indicator to know if the process has been communicated in the best way is to go to an employee of the lowest levels and ask “why are we making all these changes?”. If the employee responds the same as one of the managers, then the strategy has been effectively implemented at the internal communication level, a key point to achieve the success of any business process.
This factor is sometimes forgotten by managers, who focus only on the financial and commercial aspects and forget how important it is to communicate ideas to achieve the commitment of the people who work in the company.
Lastly, it is important that each person knows what their contribution is in the business process, how they contribute their work to the fulfillment of the objectives, since this will empower the work of all employees, feeling part of the missions and challenges that the company decides front facing.
Other meanings of business process
The concept of process in general is very broad. In the case of the economy and the company the same thing happens. Therefore, we can find different texts on the subject that offer different meanings.
Of these alternative meanings, one of the most widely used talks about the business process as an economic process. That is to say, the process that goes from the company is created to its extinction. This meaning of business process would also be valid.
So when we talk about business process, we must take into account the context. If we are in a business context, of objectives, goals or tasks, the business process will probably be referred to as discussed so far. On the contrary, if we are in an economics text that talks about macro factors and talks about the business process, it is probably referring to the life cycle of a company.