Step 1 of 8
Step 1: business process mapping
Business process mapping means drawing, step by step, how your company sells, produces, delivers, invoices and gets paid. It shows what already works, what's missing and what only lives in your head. It's the base for everything else: you can't make independent what you haven't seen.
No commitment. No cost. 45 minutes.
Focus regions: Eastern Townships (Estrie) · Montérégie · Centre-du-Québec · Mauricie · Quebec City region (Capitale-Nationale) · Montreal · Laval · Laurentians (Laurentides). 1 regional partner.
5articles to go further
This step is part of service 1: Automate and augment. The three services together deliver the best result.
What you'll have at the end
- A one-page map of your 10 to 15 key processes
- The list of missing or informal processes
- For each process: who does it, with which tools, and where it gets stuck
How to do it
- Write down everything you do during a normal week
- Group the tasks into processes: sell, produce, deliver, invoice, hire, purchase
- Draw each process from trigger to result, with the people involved
- Mark in red every step that goes through you
- List what's missing: what a buyer expects to find that doesn't exist
Step 1 articles
Go deeper
Step 1 · Map your processes
Mapping your small business's processes in one week
Business process mapping for a small business fits in one week: a day-by-day method, a concrete example and a checklist you can start on Monday.
Read the article →Step 1 · Map your processes
The processes most small businesses are missing
Missing business processes tend to be the same everywhere: pricing, collections, onboarding, delegation. Here's how to spot them before a buyer does.
Read the article →Step 1 · Map your processes
Taking inventory of everything you do in a week
An owner task inventory shows what still rests on you. A simple grid, an example, and what to do with each line once the week is over.
Read the article →Step 1 · Map your processes
The key processes a buyer will examine
Key business processes are the ones a buyer examines first: sales, operations, collections, team, numbers. Here's what to prepare before you sell.
Read the article →Step 1 · Map your processes
Simple tools to map your processes
The most useful process mapping tools for a small business are often the simplest. Which to pick, in what order, and the traps to avoid.
Read the article →
Frequently asked questions
- How many processes should I map?
- Start with the 10 to 15 that bring money in and out: sales, quoting, production, delivery, invoicing, collections, purchasing, hiring. The rest can wait.
- Do I need special software?
- No. A whiteboard, sticky notes and a spreadsheet are enough to start. What matters is involving the people who do the work.
- Will my employees realize I want to sell?
- Not necessarily. Mapping processes is a normal improvement project. You decide when and how to talk about succession.
Do it with a pro
You can do it all yourself. With us, it gets done faster, and better.
We and our regional partner implement each step directly in your business, while you keep running it.
No commitment. No cost. 45 minutes.
Focus regions: Eastern Townships (Estrie) · Montérégie · Centre-du-Québec · Mauricie · Quebec City region (Capitale-Nationale) · Montreal · Laval · Laurentians (Laurentides). 1 regional partner.