You might not notice them, but business processes are everywhere. They exist in everything from simple tasks such as invoicing and documenting expenses to larger projects like new business tenders and organising events.

How tasks are carried out you carry out can have a bigger impact on a business than you might imagine. Yet processes are often overlooked and can be based purely on habits and ‘we’ve always done it like this’ ways of working.

We want to help you become a better Assistant by helping you upgrade your business processes to improve your time management and efficiency at work.

Where to start

The first step is to record your processes by writing them down or drawing them out on paper, including every part of the process and why it is necessary. This will help you to get a ‘helicopter view’ of how you do things and identify where there are opportunities for improvement.

Inefficiencies take up valuable time, so look for tasks that could be done in a more efficient way. Could automation help? Are you duplicating work? Is everything you do still required? Are you using the right software? These are all questions that will help you to reveal where your processes can be streamlined.

Look further into the business

Once you’ve done this for your own business processes, you can add real value to your employer by examining how the business as a whole operates. To do this, you will need to involve those who carry out each task to get their input.

Collaborating with others is key to success because not only do they understand their own areas of responsibility better than anyone else, but they also need to be on board and part of the process. Remember to make it clear that it’s not about looking for faults. It’s about looking for opportunities to improve that will make their roles easier, more productive, and could ultimately give them more job satisfaction.

The impact of improved business processes can go all the way to making a business more successful. It’s something that’s worth doing periodically to make sure you’re still operating in the best way possible and can only help to increase your value to your employer.