"Great things are done by a series of small things."
Vincent Van Gogh is credited with this great saying and it applies to so many of our day to day activities. A process is generally a small thing ... a series of these small things done well can produce great things. Processes, documented and followed, ensure consistency and a clear understanding of how the great thing was achieved and can be replicated.
Take a cake recipe for example ... a simple process with many small steps. Following the documented process, step by step, should produce the desired cake. However, processes should be dynamic and consistently reevaluated to ensure they are fit for purpose. If your cake is not quite as great as you hoped it would be, you might tweak the temperature or the amount of sugar next time around. This needs to be documented so that you remember these small changes to your process ensuring you are more likely to achieve the greatness you are looking for.
Good process design is much more important in a business environment. Following processes ensures staff safety, consistent customer experience, efficiency, reliability, and guaranteed replication of the action. Some requirements are mandated by law. Not having appropriate processes in place, can make meeting your legal requirements more challenging. Consider, are your processes achieving greatness?
