How To Create Process Maps For Your Business on The Open Source Marketer Blog

How To Create Process Maps Do you own a business or a job? According to Robert Kiyosaki, if your “business” doesn’t function when you’re not around, then you don’t have a business, you’ve created a job.

Creating a real business involves setting up systems with replaceable parts. As an example, if a software developer leaves your company, then you need to have a method for hiring a new one to replace them. As part of the system that’s in place to run your business, you won’t be the person to do the hiring. Your hiring manage will take care of hiring a replacement.

As Internet Entrepreneurs, we should be looking remove ourselves from every part of our business that does not add value to our bottom line. We shouldn’t be spending hours setting up a server when we can pay a professional to do it for us. We shouldn’t be setting up databases, configuring software, laying out graphics, writing copy, and on and on. We should be doing the high level stuff that we can’t outsource to others. I know this is hard to accept, but deep down you know it’s true.

Admittedly, I am the worst. Letting go and depending on someone else to do the things I know I have the ability to do absolutely drives me nuts. It doesn’t just frighten me, it challenges my confidence that I will be able to effectively manage other people and that is what really gets under my skin. You know what I’m talking about. I know you do.

What About The Creative Process

Now, all that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be under the hood dreaming up great technical solutions or coming up with the next piece of Internet magic that will set the world on fire. It simply means that when you have released your inner genius, turn the day to day pieces over to someone who is willing to exchange their time for money. Let them worry about flipping the switches so you can go create something else new and exciting.

Great. Cool. Fine. Fantastic. But, how do you get from where you are today to where you want to be as the owner of a business that can function without you? Part of the answer is to create process maps. Process maps layout the actual steps to accomplish something within your business.

You can create process maps for setting up software, installing servers, creating sales funnels, you name it. The process maps can then be handed off to professionals you hire to perform the tasks. Once you have created these process maps you can actually increase your productivity exponentially.

A Simple Example

Let’s suppose you create a process map for researching a niche topic to create an ebook, performing keyword research for the niche, and installing some niche store software. With those things in hand you can effectively hand one set of process maps to three different people and have each of them perform their tasks without your involvement.

Now let’s say you spent the day at the lake with your family. Then at the end of the day you check your email and you receive your ebook materials, keyword lists, and a notification that your store software is all setup. You would be getting three times the productivity while being at the lake as you would receive if you spent all day doing those same tasks yourself.

So, how do you create one of these process maps?

Begin with a single word that describes the process to be mapped.
Create branches for any supporting topics of the processes off your topic.
Continue to identify branches off the first level of branches until every branch is expanded to its smallest parts.
Review each branch to include any gaps as you analyze the entire process map.
Include notes to detail each part within the branches.
Move any parts that may not have been placed in the right order.
Regularly review the document to make certain the map still matches your business processes.

You can create this map on the back of a napkin to rough things out on the fly, but for long term success I recommend that you use a software tool to layout the finished product. In particular, if your looking for a simple, low cost solution that can be easily shared with other then you should consider creating process maps using Gliffy.com.

Gliffy is a web based a tool that makes it easy to create, share, and collaborate on a wide range of diagrams. You can create everything from process maps to floor plans, web designs to electrical diagrams, or mind maps to organizational charts. Everything is simple drag and drop and you can even post the diagram to your blog using the cut-and-paste code that they give you.

You might want to do some more research to determine the best way to layout a process map for your operations, but it will be time well spent because you will then be able to hand that process off later to someone else and you’ll be free to do other things that will direct affect your earning potential.

Process map maker,

Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarleter.com