Process Does Not Have To Be Just A Simple Checklist

An example of a simple process – a checklist – is a list of things that need to be packed for a holiday.

However, processes are not just checklists. Within a process instance, we can, in addition to keeping track of a list of tasks, record different kinds of information.

In the following example, you can see part of my process – the implementation of a software system. In addition to the classic steps/tasks, there is also a summary of the price offer that the client has agreed on (see the Finances section).

Once Procesoid alerts us that it’s time for billing (you can see that this step has a reminder set to 2018/08/14 – on that date, Procesoid would have automatically sent us an email reminder), we have all the billing data in one place (the agreed on prices, extra work, etc.).

In Procesoid, the individual steps of a process may have the following types:

• Step – just a basic box to check offSection – a graphic divider of the individual process phases
• Text – a simple text value, such as a contact person in the process describing a contract. If you insert a link into a document (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) in a Text step, Procesoid will recognize it, and will display an icon next to the text box so that this document can be opened directly.
• Note – a multiline text, e.g. billing information or a mailing address
• Yes/No – similar to Step but this is used when the Step is ambiguous. For example, evidence of whether the client was satisfied with the contract. The Yes/No step has an “unanswered” status (no option is selected). You can return to this state (after choosing one of the values) by clicking on the selected value again.
• Stars – one to five stars, e.g. a more specific version of the previous example – How satisfied was the client?
• Number – a numeric value – e.g. the number of support issues per day in a process mapping the quality of the user support
• Date – a step to note a specific date, e.g. a specific date on which you and the client have agreed on for the completion of a contract
• Time and date – similar to the previous type but together with the time – e.g. the agreed on time and date of the meeting with the client

When you start creating your first process – start simple. Just make a list of tasks that need to be accomplished in order for the activity to be completed successfully. However, this isn’t the end. The magic of processes is that we can constantly optimize them. When you improve the process later on, do not limit yourself to just boxes to be checked off. Add steps to record additional data. It is important to remember that a process instance is not only a description of the workflow, but also a valuable source of information that can be used for future analysis and further optimization.