How to Model Your Process and Get Your Business Flowing

Anna runs a small but growing creative agency. She’s built a business she’s proud of, delivering high-quality work to happy clients. But behind the scenes? It’s chaos.

Projects are at different stages, team members are juggling tasks, and Anna is stuck firefighting instead of focusing on growth. She’s constantly checking in, chasing updates, and wondering if anything’s falling through the cracks.

Right now, her business processes are mostly in her head—or scattered across emails, Slack messages, and shared docs. That worked when the business was small, but now? She needs structure.

A process map helps Anna see exactly how work gets done, where things slow down, and how to streamline the chaos. It also makes it clear who’s responsible for what, so she’s not the bottleneck in every project.

Here’s how Anna can map out her business processes in six simple steps—so she can take control, free up her time, and stop chasing tasks.

Step 1: Define the Goal of Your Process Map

Before she starts, Anna needs to get clear on what process she needs to fix.

✅ Are client projects getting messy, with no clear overview of what’s done and what’s outstanding?

✅ Is she getting pulled into every small decision because the team doesn’t know the workflow?

✅ Is she constantly following up on tasks or wondering what needs to happen next?

What’s the main thing making her feel stuck or frustrated? That’s the process to map first.

Step 2: List All the Activities Involved

Now it’s time to get everything out of her head. No need to worry about order yet—just capture every step.

She can jot everything down on paper, a spreadsheet, or a business process mapping tool—whatever feels easiest.

🔹 Example: If she’s creating an event flyer for a client, she might list:

• Gather the client brief

• Draft a design

• Write copy

• Get feedback

• Make revisions

• Prepare final artwork

• Send to print

At this stage, messy is fine—she’ll refine it in Step 3.

Step 3: Arrange the Steps in Order

Now, Anna puts everything into sequence—but doesn’t worry about who does what yet. She just lines up the tasks in the right order so the process flows properly.

A great way to do this is to write each task from Step 2 on a sticky note and move them around until the order makes sense. She could also use a mini whiteboard or a digital workflow tool.

If she prefers digital tools, she can also use a spreadsheet, project management software, or a task flow system to organise everything.

This step is just about getting the sequence right—in Step 4, she’ll add roles, responsibilities, and decision points.

Step 4: Map It Out Visually

Now that she has the tasks in order, it’s time to show how everything fits together—including who does what and where decisions happen.

🔹 Example: If she’s creating an event flyer, her process might split between:

• Her tasks – Drafting, designing, and revising.

• Client tasks – Providing details, reviewing, and approving.

• Freelancer tasks – Copywriting or illustration, if outsourced.

  
  

She can use colour coding, sticky notes, or a simple checklist to make it easy to see who owns what. Whether she prefers a whiteboard, a digital flowchart, or a business process modelling tool, the key is to make it easy to follow.

Step 5: Test the Process

Anna probably doesn’t have time for a full test run—but the next time she works on a similar client project, she can print or share her process and use it in real time.

✅ Does the order make sense?

✅ Are any steps missing or unclear?

✅ Is it obvious who’s responsible for what?

She’ll also likely need a checklist or a simple dashboard to track progress—so she doesn’t have to keep chasing updates.

Step 6: Refine & Improve

Once Anna has tested the process, she tweaks it as needed.

• Did anything slow things down?

• Were there unnecessary steps?

• Can she simplify, automate, or delegate anything?

🔹 Example: She realises client feedback takes longer than expected, causing delays. A simple fix? Set clear approval deadlines or add an extra revision cycle upfront so it’s built into the schedule.

A good process is a living document—she’ll keep refining it so her business runs smoother and smarter over time.

Ready to take this further?

This is just the start. In the next posts, we’ll break down each step in more detail—so you can build a process that works for your business, not against it.

🚀 Which process in your business feels the messiest right now? Drop a comment or message me—I’d love to hear!

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