open the own business it's very exciting, everything is new, feeling of accomplishment when doing new things and meeting new people. However, as time goes by, things change and finally the excitement passes and the entrepreneur begins to notice the routine.

This may be the time to improve the company. Whether in customer service or in the way to deliver the product. Going through the planning of purchases, as well as the organization of administrative and financial management. Finally, the routine processes of a company ensure that even delegating functions to employees, these processes will be carried out in the same way that customers are already used to.

Thus, this publication suggests 4 simple steps, so that all processes are not lost with new hires or with the rotation of existing employees.

1 – What are the sectors of your company?

As small as the company is and does not have employees, it is necessary to define sectors. This action is essential for the organization and for the healthy growth of the business. A mind map can help to define the sectors, to later make a simple organizational chart, as in the example below:

Pizzeria

Sectors: Customer Service, Production, Purchasing, Finance.

2 – What are the necessary functions for each sector of the company?

Okay, if reading has reached this topic, there is probably interest in improving the company. Therefore, after defining the organizational chart, it is important to think about which functions are performed in each sector of the company, that is, which positions will be needed in the respective sectors, as in the example below:

3 – What activities should be carried out in each sector?

At this point, the list with all activities has possibly already been created. So it's time to describe in detail all the responsibilities of each role. This process can take time, you don't need to be in a hurry, but it is important that the description is objective and clear. 

as in the example below:

4 – What are the processes of each activity?

This is the most important part, it is possible to describe each activity. It's worth thinking of this step as an investment, which will significantly increase your chance of success when delegating functions. In addition to contributing to standardization and optimizing time when training new employees.

So get to work, now is the time to think through all the activities in detail. If the activity is “Check ingredient stock” for example, describe how the check should be carried out, develop a checklist that certifies that the processes will always be followed in the same way. Run tests on this routine for frequent improvements. In this activity, it is possible to create a quick checklist, where the employee must periodically check to avoid the lack of basic ingredients, as shown below:

When following this simple method, in all activities and in all sectors of the company, it may be necessary to create an operations manual. Which in itself will be a great differential and will help the entrepreneur to plan and improve what really matters, the “beans and rice” of the service provided.

Article written by Marcos Fortuna

Executive Director of Two Dogs.