Business process design
Redesigned workflows that cut handoffs, waiting and re-keying, then the tools to run them.
Invoice approval
Example · times in hours
- Receive invoice90%
- Key into ERP85%
- Match to PO80%
- Approve95%
- Pay98%
- Lead time
- 7.0 d
- Activity ratio
- 0.5%
- Rolled %C&A
- 57%
Mostly waitingDark bar: work. Light bar: waiting. Right: percent complete and accurate.
What we build
Business process solutions
We map how work flows today, redesign it to remove waiting, handoffs and re-keying, then build the workflows and automation to run it.
Approvals and requests
Replace email and paper approvals with tracked, rule-based workflows.
Onboarding
Customer, supplier or employee onboarding with fewer steps and clear status.
Finance operations
Invoice processing, expenses and month-end close with less manual work.
Case handling
Service requests and cases routed to the right team with deadlines.
Document capture
Data taken from invoices, forms and emails automatically instead of re-keyed.
Employee self-service
Requests for leave, equipment and access handled in one tracked workflow.
How to get started
Three steps to a plan for business process design
- 1Tell us what you needUse the project form or book a call. A few sentences about the goal is enough to start.
- 2Free technical consultationWe go through your goals, users, existing systems and constraints with you.
- 3Your planA detailed plan covering the right tech stack, architecture, timeline and budget. Then you decide.
How it works
The same process, redesigned
Switch between the current and redesigned invoice approval to see steps, handoffs and waiting fall.
Supplier invoice approval
- Steps
- 6
- Handoffs between teams
- 4
- Manual steps
- 6
- Waiting time
- 9 days
Where the time goes
Our value stream analysis measures work and waiting at every step. Adjust the waiting to see lead time and flow efficiency change.
Customer onboarding
Working Waiting
Lead time
4.7 days
Process time
1.5 h
Process cycle efficiency
1.3%
Removing waiting, through automation, parallel steps or fewer approvals, shortens lead time far more than working faster.
Process cycle efficiency = process time ÷ lead time, a standard Lean measure.
Our approach
How the work runs
Map as-is
Walk the process with the people who do it, and measure volumes and timings.
Find waste
Waiting, handoffs, rework and re-keying, quantified.
Design to-be
A simpler process with fewer steps, clear ownership and rules for exceptions.
Automate
Workflow, integration or RPARobotic process automation: software that performs rule-based tasks in user interfaces, as a person would. only where it removes waste.
Measure
Lead time, error rates and throughput against the baseline.
What we'll need from you
Having these ready keeps the work moving.
A process owner
Someone who can approve changes to the process.
Frontline staff
People who do the work, for mapping sessions.
Data
Volumes, timings and system access for measurement.
Platform access
Environments on your workflow or automation platform.
Who's on the project
Our team, working with process owner from yours.
Your side
Our side
Process consultant: Maps processes and leads redesign workshops.
Services
Business process services
Process assessment
Current processes mapped with the people who run them, timings measured and waste quantified, with process miningReconstructing real processes from system event logs (case ID, activity and timestamp) to find delays, variants and deviations from the intended model. where logs exist.
Process redesign
Redesigned processes in BPMNBusiness Process Model and Notation, the standard for drawing process diagrams., with clear ownership and rules for exceptions.
Workflow automation
Workflows, integrations and RPA built on Power Automate, ServiceNow, Salesforce or Camunda.
Rollout and measurement
Standard operating procedures, training and a dashboard against the baseline.
Deliverables
What you receive
Each deliverable is signed off at the gate that closes its phase. Click one to mark it accepted.
In your hands
What the documentation looks like
Every project ends with documents your team can run with. Here is an excerpt of one of them.
Invoice approval, to-be
BPMN model v1.2 · owner: Head of Finance Operations
| Step | Owner | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| Capture and match PO | System | Minutes |
| Approve exceptions | Budget holder | 1 working day |
| Payment run | Finance | Twice weekly |
Invoices within 2% of the PO and goods receipt are approved automatically; others route to the budget holder.
Measuring success
How success is measured
What we report on in business process design projects. Which measures apply, and their targets, are agreed with you at the start.
Work out the flow
For one step, from your own figures
Activity ratio
5.0%
Process time ÷ lead time
Rework
15%
Work sent back, from %C&A
Lead time
Time from a request arriving to it being completed.
Activity ratio
Process time divided by lead time: the share of time spent working on a request rather than waiting.
Percent complete and accurate (%C&A)
The share of work a step receives that it can use without correction or rework.
Handoffs
Number of times work passes between people or teams.
Cost per transaction
Staff time and system cost per request processed.
How we automate
After the redesign, we choose the automation for the systems involved. Choose one to compare.
Route, approve and track work.
- Request
- Rules
- Approvals
- Tracked outcome
- Fits when
- Approvals, requests and handoffs between people.
- What it needs
- Clear rules, owners and exception paths.
- The trade-off
- Visible, auditable processes; people still do the work at each step.
Common choices: Power Automate, ServiceNow, Salesforce Flow
Readiness check
Are you ready for
business process design?
Five questions, about a minute. You'll see what to settle first and a sensible starting point.
Entry criteria: Business process design
Give each criterion a status. The gate decides from all of them.
- 1.Is there a specific process that's causing pain?
- 2.Can the people who run it give time to mapping?
- 3.Do you know rough volumes and timings?
- 4.Is there an owner who can approve process changes?
- 5.Is there a workflow or automation platform in place?
How to start
From first call to production
Start where you are. Each step ends with a decision, so you commit to the next one only when it makes sense.
Engagement roadmap decision gate
- Free technical consultation
- Current-state assessment
- Pilot
- Rollout
- Adopt and improve
Free technical consultation
One or two sessions
Talk through the goal, the users, the systems involved and any deadlines.
Delivered at the gate
- A clear view of scope and priorities
- A recommended next step
- A plan covering stack, architecture, timeline and budget
Estimate the value
What it could be worth to you
Enter your own figures. The formula is shown, and the estimate can go with your enquiry.
Staff time freed by a simpler process
Business process design · your assumptions, with the formula shown
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| 3,000 | |
| 40 min | |
| 40% | |
| $40 |
Staff time freed
$32,000
a month
Formula: Requests × minutes each ÷ 60 × share removed × hourly cost
Add to my enquiryBuild or buy
When you don't need
a custom build
Part of the free technical consultation: when an existing product covers the need, we recommend it instead of a custom build. These are the options we weigh, alongside the tools you already have.
Option C: tailored
Recommended when
- The process spans several systems and teams
- Exceptions and rules are complex
- The process needs redesigning, not just digitizing
- Measurement against a baseline is required
Full scope
In your industry
Where it applies
What this work delivers in the industries we serve.
HealthcareWorkflow automationAutomating intake, referrals, prior authorization steps and document processing to cut manual work.
EducationProcess digitizationReplacing paper and spreadsheet processes for approvals, timetabling and records with workflow tools.
Real EstateTransaction managementDeal pipelines, document collection and e-signature, so agents, clients and brokers can see each transaction's status.
Technologies and standards
Chosen for your project
Workflow, orchestration, RPA and process mining platforms. Choose one to see what it's best for.
| Platform | Best for | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow | Approvals and flows across Microsoft 365 and connectors | Low-code |
| Workflow | Service requests and case workflows across IT, HR and operations | Platform configuration |
| Process orchestration | Executing BPMN models across systems and people | Developer-led |
| RPA | Rule-based tasks in systems without APIs | Robots on screens |
| Process mining | Finding delays and variants from event logs | Analysis |
| Process mining | Process and task mining in Power Automate | Analysis |
Microsoft Power Automate: Cloud flows for approvals and integrations, and desktop flows for robotic process automation, within Microsoft 365 governance.
Process modelling
- BPMN 2.0.2
- SAP Signavio
- Microsoft Visio
- Lucidchart
- Value stream mapping
Workflow
- Microsoft Power Automate
- ServiceNow
- Salesforce Flow
- Camunda
Automation
- UiPath
- Power Automate Desktop
- Azure AI Document Intelligence
Process mining
- Celonis
- Microsoft Process Mining
Next workstream
Line-of-business apps
Build the tools the new process runs on, on the right platform.
Previous: Human-centred designSteering committee packWorkstream 04
Line-of-business apps
Deliver phase
Build the tools the new process runs on, on the right platform.
Questions
Common questions
about business process design
Do you use RPA?
Where it fits. We use robotic process automation (RPA) for stable, rules-based tasks in systems without APIs, direct integration where APIs exist, and redesign first where the process is messy.
Do you use process mining?
Yes, where your systems keep event logs, such as ERP and CRM. It shows how your processes really run, with the variants, delays and bottlenecks, before we redesign them.
How do you measure improvement?
Against a baseline we take before any change: lead time, process time, activity ratio, percent complete and accurate, and volume handled per person.
How is a transformation engagement priced?
Assessments and pilots are delivered as fixed-price engagements; rollouts are usually delivered by a dedicated team, wave by wave. The free consultation ends with a plan covering scope, timeline and budget.
More in Digital Transformation
How it connects
- FeedsLine-of-business appsRedesigned processes often need an app to run them.
- Pairs withChange managementNew processes change daily work; adoption needs support.
- Pairs withCustomer experienceFaster internal processes show up as better customer journeys.
Planning business process design work?
Start with a free technical consultation: a detailed plan covering the right tech stack, architecture, timeline and budget for your project.
Start a project