Optimizing Business Processes to Boost Efficiency

My name is Nata Shchedrina, and I’ve been a COO at various companies in the affiliate marketing sector for over five years.
 I’ve long considered writing this article on optimizing business processes, and for good reason.. In conversations with colleagues and former employees, I’ve noticed a common trend—people are dissatisfied with the organization of work within companies, the speed of decision-making, and other aspects of their professional life. They also sometimes struggle to understand their own responsibilities and those of their colleagues.

Companies invest resources in building corporate culture and a loyal employer image, offering perks like snacks, parties, and numerous benefits. Yet, due to non-transparent processes, employees may remain dissatisfied with their work conditions.

Imagine business as a journey. Just like any successful journey requires a map—like Google Maps—business processes are the routes on this map. By following these routes, a company knows exactly how to reach its goals, whether increasing profits, expanding its market, or improving product quality.

Clearly defined routes help avoid many roadblocks like traffic, repairs, and detours. Similarly, well-developed business processes help avoid unnecessary steps, reduce time and resource costs, and decrease the likelihood of costly mistakes.
Without this map, we risk getting lost, and wandering off course. In business, if a process doesn’t exist or isn’t clearly defined, it leads to inefficiency and rising costs.

If your company has been around for some time, you likely have established processes like partner and client searches, deal closures, onboarding, performance reviews, product development, etc.  However, as the team grows and the business model becomes more complex, these processes can also become more complicated and less efficient. Without control, chaos can ensue.

Every process should have a responsible person—someone who ensures compliance with rules and procedures. At a company level, this role is usually meant for the operations manager or director; at the team level, department heads or other leaders take this on.

Processes should be documented, transparent for all involved, and adaptable, allowing them to change with market conditions. The team needs to discuss processes, allowing everyone to contribute to optimization. The process should not be set in stone when first created by a manager.

When should you start describing processes? Ideally, from the first days of the company’s existence. In practice, this often happens when a company encounters problems or starts incurring losses. Even then, use these issues as a trigger for process reviews.
I sometimes use the “three questions” approach to solve the current problem and outline the process: 

There are many methods for diagnosing and optimizing business processes (SWOT, Six Sigma, Benchmarking, etc.), but I prefer combined approaches and follow Agile principles for flexibility and quick adaptation to changes. There is no one best method for every process and team, so it’s worth observing, communicating, and setting the right goals. Ideally, measure KPIs and see how they evolve with process changes.

Regardless of the tools you use, the key is to ensure they align with your needs and are implemented at all organizational levels. It’s not just about using the tools, but also ensuring their correct application at every level.

Examples of tools I use: 

• Project management software: Trello, Asana, Jira.
• Data analysis tools: Microsoft Power BI, Tableau.
• Document management systems: Google Drive
• Process automation: Zapier, Make.
• CRM systems: for managing client relationships.
• For visualizing complex processes, I use tools like Miro or Figma Jam to create flowcharts and mind maps.

• Partner Interaction. In some companies in our field, I noticed a lack of clear processing flows for partners/affiliates and the necessary tools. Implementing a CRM system would significantly enhance interaction processes, better control department work, and prevent losing key partners. I prefer custom solutions for convenience and security, but if there’s no time or resources, many ready-made solutions exist on the market.
• Domain Management. In one company, we frequently purchased domains and hosted websites and landing pages for buyers and affiliates. After a year, the number of domains had grown to thousands. We began missing payments, losing access and responsibility for the sites, which led to traffic and financial losses. Together with the developers, we created a simple, cost-effective in-house solution for managing domains. We implemented monitoring and notifications, assigned responsibilities for each process and domain, and consolidated all accesses in one place. After the release, we reduced costs for these resources by 70%.

When it comes to optimizing business processes, it’s important to remember that chaos arises where the same mistakes are repeated by employees, where responsibilities are not clearly allocated, and where there is no clear organizational structure. Conflicts and dissatisfaction among employees, as well as disproportionate growth in expenses in certain areas, are clear signs of the need for intervention.
The leadership’s task is to monitor such situations, identify them, and discuss them with the team. In extreme cases, when internal resources are exhausted, it’s possible to bring in an outsourcing specialist to conduct an analysis and propose solutions. 

Optimization is not a one-time activity but a continuous process. It’s important to monitor metrics and gather feedback from employees to assess results and make timely adjustments to the process. It is also crucial to share metrics with the team to ensure they feel involved in positive changes and continue to analyze and improve the processes they are participating in.