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Did you know that, essentially, any child can demonstrate just how important up-to-date process documentation is? This is exactly what happened to a colleague who couldn’t find his keys one morning. Hadn’t he placed his bunch of keys on the shelf in the hall the night before, as usual? And yet there they were: nowhere to be found. Essentially, my colleague had developed a well-organised routine that had worked reliably. However, he hadn’t taken one variable into account in his process: his child. This illustrates once again that process documentation should not be drawn up without consulting the people involved.

The key is the missing key

Come home, take off your shoes, put your keys away. That’s how my colleague always did it. He had a designated place for them: a bowl on top of the shoe cupboard. That was the routine, and it was crystal clear to the person carrying it out. The process went just as smoothly the next morning: put on shoes, take the keys. But suddenly, the key was nowhere to be found. Yet the process description was correct, and the storage spot was clear. It was just that not everyone involved had been made aware of the process. This led to the child seeing the key and thinking: ‘I’d better put the key away, otherwise it might get lost.’ Fortunately, the key was found quickly and the cause was clarified. However, in a business, processes are far more complex and involve many more people. Consequently, faulty process documentation can have disastrous consequences.

Many companies draw up procedural documentation simply because it is a legal requirement. Or because their tax advisers have told them it is a legal requirement. Processes are then recorded, responsibilities described, systems listed and documents drawn up. Eventually, this results in a file which, ideally, is complete and up to date. But does it help the people who work according to these processes on a daily basis? After all, it is not enough for process documentation simply to exist. It only becomes valuable when employees can access it, understand it and, where possible, act in accordance with it. What sounds obvious is rarely put into practice in reality. There is often a huge gap between the documented target process and the reality of day-to-day work. For example, a colleague’s process stated: „Place the keys in the tray on the shoe cupboard.“ And his colleague – excuse me: his child – simply thought: ‘Put the key away.’ A completely different process, which was not intended to be carried out in this way.

Good process documentation is communication

Process documentation should therefore not be viewed as an archiving task, but as a communication tool. A good process does not merely answer the question: „What do we do?“ It also makes it clear who does what, when it happens, what information or systems are required, what happens in the event of deviations, and who needs to be informed of any changes. The perspective of those who will later be carrying out the process is particularly important here. Anyone who has been familiar with a procedure for years can easily overlook information that is by no means obvious to others. Therefore, the aim should not be to produce the most comprehensive text possible, but to achieve a shared understanding.

However, even the clearest process description is of no use if nobody knows where to find it. Process documentation stored on a server that only a few staff members can access is practically useless. Equally useless is documentation that nobody knows where it has been filed. Process knowledge must be available where people need it. This is particularly true in the case of cover arrangements, when onboarding new staff, or when processes are only carried out occasionally. No one should have to rely on happening to find the person who knows how „we normally do it“. This is also where the business benefits of good process documentation become apparent: knowledge is freed from individual minds and made available to the organisation.

A documentary is never really finished

Process documentation is never complete. Everyone involved in drawing it up needs to get used to this. However, this is not a bad thing, as it means that a company is a living, breathing organisation. Processes change over time; staff come and go, develop their skills, move to different departments or are promoted. Every now and then, new software is introduced or a new law is implemented. Process documentation is therefore not created as a one-off snapshot to be filed away, but as a tool that continually accompanies and supports the company and its staff. Naturally, the first question to be answered is: „How do we do it today?“ However, documentation must also address the question: „How can we do it better tomorrow?“ Only when employees can read, question and jointly develop processes does documentation give rise to genuine organisational knowledge.

Such a digital document, which can be used as a tool, is created using specialised software such as Opti.Tax. With the help of the hsp solution, hundreds of law firms and businesses consolidate processes, responsibilities, tasks, documents, supporting evidence and approvals into a single collaborative workflow. To this end, Opti.Tax provides a standardised structure to safeguard knowledge in a traceable manner, maintain transparency regarding processing statuses and ensure that workflows can be repeated. In addition, specialists can use the integrated Opti.Tax Cloud to exchange tasks, queries, documents and feedback with all stakeholders. Anyone interested in creating dynamic process documentation with Opti.Tax can Book a free, no-obligation consultation here save.