What is process documentation?
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Process documentation is the written record of how a process is carried out: its purpose, the steps in order, who does each one, the inputs and outputs, and the rules and exceptions. It can take the form of SOPs, checklists, flowcharts or work instructions, and it is only useful if it is kept up to date.
In more detail
Teams document processes so that work does not depend on one person’s memory: to train new people, to keep quality consistent, to hand work between teams and to show auditors how things are done. Undocumented processes drift, and the knowledge leaves when the person who holds it does.
Choose the format for the use. A flowchart shows how a process moves between people. An SOP explains a routine task. A checklist puts the steps in front of the person doing the work and records that each was done. Whatever the format, give each document an owner and a review date, because people stop trusting documentation once they find it out of date.
Example
A customer refund process might be documented as a one-page SOP explaining the rules and limits, a flowchart showing who handles each stage, and a checklist the support team completes for every refund.
Process documentation in CheckFlow
In CheckFlow the Library keeps templates, knowledge base articles for SOPs and guides, files and Data Sets in one place, in folders with permissions. Templates run as checklists, and every save is a new version, so the documentation and the work stay the same thing.
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Templates with a live demo
Each one opens as a live checklist you can try without signing up.
Run your next process as a checklist.
Build it once as a template, then run it with owners, due dates and a record of every step.
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