INTRODUCTION

TO OFFICE
MANAGEMENT
OVERVIEW -BUSINESS
PROCESS
PROCESS

 A sequence of interdependent and linked

procedures which, at every stage, consume one
or more resources (employee time, energy,
machines, money) to convert inputs (data,
material, parts, etc.) into outputs. These outputs
then serve as inputs for the next stage until a
known goal or end result is reached. A set of
activities or tasks that help companies produce
consumer goods or services.
 Example –
• accounting
departments involves
several individual tasks
or activities a company
will use to move financial
information through the
company’s internal
processes.
BUSINESS PROCESS
Significance
 • can help companies determine whether they
have any redundancies or unnecessary tasks in
their business operations.

 • can provide some flexibility when owners and

managers need to make a change to operations,
review the process model and find the best way to
add or subtract activities when implementing new
processes
What Is a Business Process?

 At its core, a business process is a repeatable

collection of steps a company uses to accomplish
a goal. Good processes are crucial to making
progress toward your goals and improving your
business’s operations.
 The purpose of a business process is to help your
company reach a specific target. If you want to
accomplish things as a business, processes allow
you to take repeatable, consistent steps forward.
A good process meets three
essential criteria:
 Repeatability: All processes must be designed to be repeated. A
process that you don’t intend to repeat is an action plan instead
of a true process. It’s the difference between routine purchases
and buying a new facility.
 Transparency: Processes also need to be trackable, allowing
you to monitor them for success. A good process has built-in
data-tracking steps, allowing you to compare performance and
efficacy over time.
 Agility: Processes that are set in stone don’t hold up in the real
world. A process should be adaptable to multiple situations so
small changes to the work environment don’t cause delays.
Furthermore, a good process should be easy to update in case
of more significant or permanent adjustments.
Business Process vs.
Business Function

 Business processes are often confused with

business functions. These concepts are similar
but should not be confused with each other.
 A business function is a collection of related
activities performed by a particular department in
your business. The activities that make up a
business function are interconnected and difficult
to separate. For instance, a critical business
function is human resources, the management
and organization of your staff, and hiring policies.
 Meanwhile, a business process is a collection of activities
designed to achieve a specific outcome. Unlike a function, the
activities aren’t necessarily directly connected to one another.
Instead, they come together to support a single end result. For
instance, your company may have a staff retention process that
includes work done by HR, maintenance, and management with
the intention of reducing turnover.
 At its core, a business function consists of tightly related
activities with a general goal, and a business process is a
collection of loosely related tasks with a specific target. A well-run
company involves both business processes and functions. In
fact, many functions will be involved in multiple processes. The
HR function will be involved in hiring processes, retention
processes, and disciplinary processes, as well as many others.
The Importance of Business
Processes

 Locating opportunities for improvement: When

developing methods and procedures, you must
examine your current tactics. In the process, you will
both identify existing problems and have the
opportunity to fix them. For instance, if your current
processes rely on out-of-date technology, you can
revise them to include modern alternatives.
 Reducing costs: By developing faster and more
efficient processes, you can also reduce your
company’s expenses. You will both save on direct
material costs if you discover ways to minimize waste
and indirectly save on payroll as your employees waste
less time on inefficient methods.
 Working toward long-term goals: A critical
step in rewriting your current methods is
identifying the tasks your staff must
accomplish during their daily routine. You can
develop new processes that include actions
that progress toward your company’s long-
term goals. Taking daily steps toward your
targets increases the likelihood that you will
achieve those goals in a timely fashion.
Examples of Business
Processes

Operational Processes
 Operational processes are the most
fundamental parts of a business because
they’re directly responsible for creating and
delivering products and services.
 Product Development
 The product development process involves creating and improving
your offerings over time. This process looks different at every
business, but the basic structure is the same:
 A market opportunity is identified that the company can address.
 The development team brainstorms solutions to the problem.
 A few promising solutions are chosen for development.
 The demos are tested to see how they work.
 One version is chosen for release.
 The released version’s success is monitored.
 This process repeats whenever the company wants to improve or
update its current products or release something entirely new.
Manufacturing

 Once your offerings have been developed, it’s time to

produce them. The manufacturing process is usually one
of the most obvious and well-designed business
processes. It typically involves steps such as:
 Sourcing materials
 Transporting materials to the manufacturing location
 Following a predetermined order of steps to transform the
materials into a product
 Packing the product for delivery
 Bringing the packed product to the pickup location
Delivery

 The delivery process may or may not be simple,

depending on your business’s structure. It may be nothing
more than bringing products to an on-site showroom, or it
may require navigating international shipping laws. This
process will look different for product-based and service-
based companies.
 For instance, a product may be shipped to a wholesaler,
to a retail store or directly to the consumer, and a service
may be performed on your premises or at the customer’s
location. Developing a well-thought-out delivery process
can reduce wasted time, money, and effort regardless of
your specific business model.
Sales Processes

 Businesses need to sell their products, or they

won’t succeed; the sales processes are the
procedures businesses use to make sure they
bring in revenue.
Sales

 The sales process is the collection of steps a

company takes to discover a lead and convert
them into a loyal customer. The overall sales
process includes several subprocesses, such as:
 Lead generation
 Lead qualification
 Contacting leads
 Negotiation
 Closing the deal
 Nurturing current customers
Marketing

 Marketing may be considered part of the lead

generation sales subprocess, but it’s
significant enough to warrant its own
department in many businesses. In the
marketing business process, your goal is to
build trust in your brand and brand loyalty.
Marketing may also involve subprocesses
focusing on different types of advertising,
such as social media, search engines, and
physical ads.
Customer Service

 The customer service process is part of the

nurturing sales subprocess. Providing your current
customers with excellent service encourages them
to buy from you again in the future. The customer
service process may involve learning what
problems customers often face, trying the most
common solutions, developing new solutions for
unusual situations, and following up to make sure
everything works.
Supporting Processes

 Supporting processes include the business

procedures and departments that are critical
to the operation of a business but aren’t
directly connected to sales or product
delivery.
Accounting

 Managing your organization’s current assets and

debts is fundamental to remaining solvent.
Furthermore, accounting is essential for
maintaining compliance with the Internal Revenue
Service and other government regulations. The
accounting process looks similar for many
businesses, requiring in-depth record keeping,
careful monitoring of bank accounts, loans, debts
and assets, and staying up to date on legal
requirements.
Maintenance

 Your maintenance and janitorial teams are critical

to your business despite not directly contributing
to sales. Instead, they perform essential upkeep
that prevents future expenses. The vital tasks they
perform keep your equipment and office from
breaking down. Maintenance includes:
 Routine cleaning for your office
 Regular upkeep on manufacturing equipment
Management Processes

 Management processes are the actions

necessary to keep everything else running
smoothly.
Management

 There may be dozens of individual teams and

departments in larger businesses. These teams can
lose their connection with one another and the
company’s ultimate goals if they aren’t being managed
carefully. The management process is intended to keep
larger groups of people on track. An example of the
management process may involve:
 Scheduling regular meetings with individual teams.
 Scheduling regular meetings with department heads.
 Monitoring results from different employees.
 Assigning projects and work to appropriate teams.
 Rewarding strong performers and working
with weak employees to improve their results.
 The specific order and frequency of these
steps can vary depending on your company’s
management style. However, building a
consistent management process helps your
staff know what to expect and enables you to
develop a coherent company culture.
Finance

 The process of financing is different from that of

accounting. Whereas accounting is responsible for
tracking the assets and debts a company has,
financing is the process of negotiating and
managing additional funds and assets. The
finance process involves applying for funding,
negotiating terms and conditions, and following up
with those terms to remain in good standing. This
keeps the organization’s finances in check and
ensures every department has the funding
necessary to do its work.
Onboarding

 Onboarding new staff is essential if you want your

employees to perform at their best from the start. The
onboarding process includes steps such as:
 Training employees on new technology.
 Educating them on safety and security procedures.
 Getting them onto your payroll and into other company
systems.
 Onboarding can be overlooked in smaller companies and
departments, but it’s critical for getting new staff integrated
into your business. Building a better onboarding process
saves time and money by reducing mistakes and keeping
your entire team on the same page.
List of Business Processes
 Hiring - the method by
which you construct your
company staff.

 examine how your

company receives and
processes resume

 filter out of candidates to

reach the ones you want
to interview
List of Business Processes
 Manufacturing - reviewed
periodically to ensure its
efficiency.

 be certain that you have a

detailed understanding of
the manufacturing process
used by your outsourced
company,

 you must have some idea of

the quality control
procedures used
List of Business Processes
 Quality Control - a
company-wide business
process that is
implemented in every part
of the organization.
 used to reduce the amount
of defective product that
gets shipped to customers

 Can significantly increase

the quality of all of your
business processes.
Motivation

 Say something
about the picture.