5 steps to evaluate a business process

If you want to improve a business process – such as the management of a fleet of vehicles – first you have to effectively evaluate it. This can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t do it every day. Where do you start? What steps should you take? You don’t need any fancy tools. Just follow these five steps.

1. Identify key players

Step One is perhaps the most important step, yet the step most people tend to ignore. You need to establish a clear list of all your key players. Commonly referred to as a stakeholder, a key player is anyone or anything that impacts – or is impacted by – the process being evaluated. Having this list enables you to properly organise your efforts in the remaining steps.

2. Understand process details

Step Two is fun, messy, frustrating but eye-opening – especially if you are not intimately familiar with the process. Insert yourself into the process and figure out how it works. Document it in any way that makes sense to you. As you talk to your key players, make sure you not only discuss what they do but their experience and how they feel about it. Pay special attention to their frustrations, which can often point to the underlying problems.

3. Uncover expectations

What are the expectations of the end user and those performing the process? Perhaps it’s around quality, time or cost. Or maybe it is all three. Some expectations are documented while others are not. Don’t be afraid to dig for undocumented ones. For each expectation, you’ll want to note what they are, who they are important to, and why they are important. This information is essential for Step Four.

4. Measure performance against expectations

Now that you’ve uncovered the expectations, you can measure performance against them. Just how big of a problem is this for your customers? What will happen in the long run if you can’t meet their needs? For every expectation you noted in Step Three, find a way to measure your performance. Knowing where you are falling short will help you in Step Five.

5. Identify problems

You’ve made it to the end of the road. It is time to tie everything you learned together. Remember, right now your goal is to evaluate the business process and identify problem areas – not to find a solution. At this point, you should succinctly document what you learned, paying special attention to the things that don’t work well, cause frustration, don’t meet expectations or simply don’t make sense. This is your chance to uncover and prioritise opportunities for improvement.

Ask SG Fleet how we can help you evaluate your fleet processes and make improvements that will save you money.

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