A business horror story. I was a purchasing professional for many years in the tech industry, first in biotech, then in semiconductors. We bought special filters from a company for several years, and then we abruptly stopped.
The filter quality slid from best in the industry to worst in a matter of months. We contacted the company but got no answer or improvement, so they lost our business.
Curious, I asked other filter suppliers for the inside scoop. It turns out they had one employee who fabricated the filters and he left the company. That employee or his manager never documented the filter assembly process.
An undocumented manufacturing process destroyed the company. If this story isn’t a good reason to document your business processes, I don’t know what is. The good news is there are many tools to help your small business keep up your documentation.
What to look for when considering process documentation apps? Easy access for all, online including mobile-friendly, integrates with other essential tools you use, and it’s user-friendly.
BPM or business process management has a multitude of software available to automate the documentation process. An internet search turns up a deluge of apps, to be accurate. How do you locate the perfect one for your company?
Handy dandy sites such as GetApp and Capterra allow you to sort by company size, industry, number of users, and price point to quickly locate the best apps for your company.
Only a few clicks and your documentation project is rolling to a happy ending.
Author: Kris Keppeler, writer for Crossing Genres, and The Must Go List on Medium.com, and Does This Happen to You? on Channillo. Follow her @KrisKKAria on Twitter.
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