A business process register: map every process once

Key takeaways

A business process register is a single list of every recurring process in your business, with its trigger, output, owner, frequency and weekly hours. It takes an afternoon to build for a firm of 10 to 50 people. It is the input to every outsourcing decision, because you cannot choose which processes to move until you can see them all.

• One row per process, named by trigger and output.
• Record owner, frequency, weekly hours and systems used.
• Add the selection score and verdict once scored.
• Review it once a year and when a key person leaves.

What goes in a business process register?

Each row is one process. The columns are the facts you need to decide what to do with it. Keep it to one sheet: a register nobody opens is worse than none.

• Process name, written as trigger to output.
• Owner and the people involved.
• Frequency and weekly hours.
• Systems and data it uses, including personal data.
• Selection score, verdict and next review date.

• Which business processes should you outsource?
• What is a business process? A plain guide for SMEs

How do you build the register quickly?

Start from a standard list of business processes, then ask each team member which ones they touch and roughly how many hours a week. Merge duplicates and agree start and end points. Hours do not need to be exact; a range is enough to see where time goes.

• A list of business processes most small firms run
• Run a time audit to find what to outsource

How is a process register different from a task inventory?

A task inventory lists individual jobs, often dozens per person. A process register groups those jobs into the processes they belong to, usually 25 to 40 for an SME. Use the task inventory to find small jobs to bundle; use the process register to decide which whole processes to outsource, split or keep.

• Repetitive task inventory: list every recurring job once
• Outsource a whole process or just the tasks in it?

How do you use the register to choose what to outsource?

Sort by weekly hours, then score the top ten with the process selection score. Record each verdict in the register. The processes that score 8 or more and carry the most hours are your first candidates; the fix-first list becomes a short improvement plan.

• The process selection score: outsource, split or keep?
• Outsource, split, fix or keep: four process verdicts

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: building the register uncovers processes that two people do in parallel without knowing it, and processes nobody owns. Fixing those is often worth more than the first outsourcing decision.

• See client work
• BPO Solutions for UK businesses

Process register checklist

Before you rely on the register, check these.

• Every process has one owner.
• Start and end points are agreed.
• Weekly hours are recorded for each.
• Personal data use is flagged.
• The top ten by hours are scored.
• A review date is set.

• The process owner: who keeps an outsourced process healthy
• Processes with sensitive data: can they be outsourced?

Next step

Build your register, sort it by hours and send us the top ten. We will help you score them and tell you which processes are worth a closer look.