Project success depends on well-defined business processes and workflows. Businesses that document core processes – from project approvals and resource allocation to quality checks – reduce errors and accelerate delivery.

Workflows automate those steps, ensuring consistency and freeing teams to focus on value-adding tasks.

In this article, you will learn how to define, document, and automate processes to drive better project outcomes with Microsoft 365 and BrightWork.

What is a Business Process?

A business process is a set of steps that teams follow to achieve a goal, such as approving a project proposal, onboarding a new employee, or procurement. Every business relies on processes to get work done in the right order.

Business process management (BPM) refers to how a company creates, edits, and analyzes processes. These processes can be reviewed individually and together to fully understand their impact on the business.

By standardizing who does what and when, organizations improve consistency, reduce rework, and gain real-time visibility into work across teams.

Benefits of Business Process Management

Business processes help organizations to:

• Standardize ways of working
• Reduce errors and rework
• Improve productivity
• Respond quickly to customer requests
• Streamline collaboration within and between teams
• Approve projects and proposals easily
• Ensure compliance with regulations
• Improve risk management.

 

Key Characteristics of Business Processes

Let’s review five defining characteristics of a business process.

1. Duration

A business process has a fixed start and endpoint, along with a defined number of steps.

2. Repeatable

Business processes are repeatable and predictable. A business process can be executed multiple times by different people and deliver the same results. New employees are welcomed in the same way. New suppliers go through the same review process.

3. Value

A business process should add value to the organization, helping to improve productivity and efficiency across teams.

Every step of a business process must contribute to the overall success of that process when it is used. There is no room for unnecessary steps.

4. Improvement

Once defined, it’s easy to improve business workflows and optimize processes to improve outcomes, for example, reducing the time between a verbal offer to a new employee and sending the final contract.

5. Workflow Management Software and Tools

Documenting business processes requires end-user input. However, the modern ecosystem for automation extends beyond just BPM tools.

Dedicated workflow management software, such as SharePoint Designer, Power Automate and BrightWork 365, no-code platforms, and integrated collaboration tools are often used to bring these processes to life. As we’ll see below, workflows automate your business processes with little input needed from users.

A business process is not task management or project management. Task management is the key to project management, and projects are one-off endeavors.

However, business processes impact the ways of working and information flow, which in turn influence project outcomes. We’ll review this relationship in more detail later on.

6 Steps for Creating a Business Process

Developing a clear business process is important for maintaining consistent and efficient operations in your organization.

A structured approach enables you to identify key activities, assign responsibilities clearly, and spot areas for improvement. Use these seven steps as a practical guide to document, test, and refine your processes effectively.

1. Pick one process

Choose a high-impact process that occurs regularly, such as new project requests or invoice approvals. Think about the purpose of the process, why it was created, and the measurements of success.

2. Document the steps

Next, note the main steps and tasks of the process. Begin with a simple list of tasks and outcomes, adding more as needed.

When documenting the process, it helps to:

• Include the trigger and end events. When does this process begin and finish?
• Identify who owns each step or task.
• Check for data points used in the process.
• Note any forms used to input information.

 

Once you’ve completed the first draft of the process, ask end-users for their input to make sure you’ve covered the main steps.

3. Test the process

Review the draft map with stakeholders and end-users to confirm accuracy. Make notes about the process, especially any ideas for improvements or questions about particular steps.

4. Automate and optimize

Use Power Automate workflows with SharePoint to streamline handoffs and approvals.

5. Share the process

When ready, share the newly documented process with your team to test and gather feedback.

6. Repeat as needed

Repeat this approach as needed for existing and new processes. Creating a visual representation of the process is the final step. A workflow diagram or flowchart maps task dependencies, clarifying the sequence for all team members and making the process easier to follow.

For extra clarity, use Business Process Modeling Notation, an internationally recognized series of shapes and symbols.

Having covered the basics of business processes, it’s time to learn more about workflows, a tool for completing processes.

What is Workflow?

A workflow is an automated sequence that executes the steps defined in a business process. Think of business processes as strategy, with workflows as the practical instructions for delivering that strategy.

Workflows enforce the correct order of tasks – sending notifications, collecting approvals, updating status – often with zero manual intervention.

In Microsoft 365, you can build workflows with BrightWork 365 or Power Automate to ensure projects move smoothly from initiation to completion. Workflows have four key characteristics worth noting.

1. Steps

Workflows follow a series of predefined actions aimed at completing an action. Steps can be linear (completed one after the other) or parallel (executed at the same time).

2. Time

Workflows have a fixed duration and are triggered by a particular event, for example, logging a new project task.

Workflows can run at any time and as often as needed. Typically, workflows are linear; users move forward from one step to another.

3. Repeatable

Like a business process, workflows are repeatable and deliver consistent results.

4. Measurement

Workflows are measured by completion rate, particularly when using automation software.

Workflows are made up of four elements. Let’s take a closer look at each component using the example of a vacation request.

• Actors – people or software responsible for the task. In this instance, a team member needs to submit a vacation request, and a team manager is responsible for reviewing this request.
• Activities – the task that is performed, often represented as a step. Here, this includes logging the vacation request using a form in an online portal.
• Results – the desired outcome of each step, i.e., the request is approved or rejected.
• State – the movement between steps. In this case, the request moves from ‘new’ to ‘approved’ with just a few clicks.

 

Workflows are key to executing projects. By automating key elements such as gathering feedback on a document and task tracking, you can streamline administrative tasks.

This creates more time to focus on the project itself! Workflows standardize project work, helping to keep everyone on track with their work.

Of course, workflows can be used in any part of an organization at any time, not just during projects. It’s likely you are using workflows every day without realizing it!

So far, we’ve covered business processes, workflows, and how these two elements work together. As mentioned above, both business processes and workflows can influence project outcomes. Let’s take a closer look at this.

How Processes and Workflows Support Projects

A project is a temporary, one-off endeavor with a specific goal, scope, budget, and deadline.

Well-defined processes set the environment for project tasks, and workflows automate routine project steps, like change requests, document reviews, and status updates. Together, they ensure teams move efficiently from project planning through delivery.

The following are a few examples of business processes with direct impact on project outcomes:

• New project request management, which defines a process for reviewing and approving new projects.
• Gathering requirements
• Document approval
• Risk management
• Resource management.

 

General processes such as vacation requests and new vendor selection can also help or hinder your projects.

How Workflows Impact Employee Performance

Well-defined processes and workflows improve accountability by clearly defining roles and responsibilities.

This clarity improves employee performance by reducing confusion and wasted effort. It also leads to better job satisfaction and helps prevent employee burnout by creating a more predictable and less chaotic work environment.

The differences between projects, processes, and workflows can be summarized as predictability, measurements, and optimization.

1. Predictability

When considering workflow vs. business process, both are based on repeatable, consistent steps towards an end goal. It doesn’t matter who uses a workflow or follows a process – the results will always be the same.

Projects tend to be more complex and unpredictable! While a project manager will develop a strong plan, it’s impossible to account for every unknown challenge that can arise during project execution.

As such, project teams need to be flexible, quickly responding to new priorities and requirements. Recurring projects are unlikely to face similar issues as previously completed projects, making every project new!

2. Metrics of Success

Completion is a key metric of success for business processes and workflows. Projects are often measured within the triple constraints – time, cost, and quality. Did the project deliver the desired outcome to a high standard, on schedule, and within budget?

The story of a successful project is complex, incorporating numerous metrics like issues, risks, open tasks, costs, and % Complete. To make this data actionable, teams should set specific goals and metrics for their workflows. Using dashboards to monitor progress and performance in real-time allows for data-centric decisions and continuous optimization.

3. Optimization

Another key difference between projects, processes, and workflows is optimization. Projects focus on delivering change, while processes and workflows enable ongoing improvement.

Project teams are tasked with creating something – a product or service – that will add value to the organization. Once the deliverable is complete, end-users can make improvements. This can lead to more projects, including specific workflow projects that refine these new processes.

After a project is finished, the team can use a post-mortem to document valuable lessons and suggest improvements for future projects.

Next Steps for Workflow Process Improvement

In this article, you’ve read about business processes and workflows, and how these elements can influence project outcomes.

To recap, a business process is a set of steps performed by an individual or a group of individuals to achieve a goal. A workflow is a set of instructions for executing these steps, frequently relying on automation to reduce errors.

Starting with the approval process through to resource management and supplier contracts, business processes and workflows can streamline projects. After all, teams want to get to work quickly and shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel for every project task!

If you are consistently struggling to deliver project outcomes, take a look at the supporting business processes and workflows.

Steps to Improve Workflow Efficiency

To enhance workflow efficiency, you should conduct a detailed workflow analysis of your current procedures. This involves identifying bottlenecks and areas for improvement. Based on this analysis, consider these actions:

• Invest in a business process management tool if manual methods are causing delays.
• Ensure end-users fully understand how to use existing processes and workflows.
• Document any new processes required for your projects.
• Improve existing workflows with automation where possible.
• Determine if your project team needs additional, specific workflows to succeed.

 

Using Power Automate to Support Workflows

If your organization uses SharePoint for project management, explore Power Automate workflows for project management to get started with automation.

It’s about creating the right environment for your projects. Need expert guidance on workflow automation? Contact BrightWork and let us assist your team.