The words "Process" and "Procedure" are often used interchangeably in business. These two terms couldn't be more different from each other; both signify different aspects of the same entity.
In the world of business process management, the procedure of doing things often gets overlooked because of the minuteness of its nature.
With that said, it is not necessary for any business to look into detailing a procedure for executing anything because of the rise of automation. Automation software takes the procedure aspect into the background, leaving only the process aspect for the decision-makers to specify.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the adoption of business process management software is on the rise. It helps businesses boost customer satisfaction by up to 30%!
Additionally, with the availability of no-code platforms like Hubler, you can now develop your own business process automation software, customizing It to the needs of your business down to the last T.
However, it is essential to understand the difference in terms of business process vs. procedure first; let's dig into that.
A process can be defined as the collection of tasks, workflows, and activities arranged in a specific sequence to achieve an end goal.
In essence, each process has a starting point, called a "trigger," and an end point, called "outcome." A trigger initiates a process, and the flow of this process results in the outcome.
Processes can be of different kinds: simple, straightforward, complex, branched, and even parallel. It depends on the departments involved, and the objective required that defines how complex a process would be.
For example, the process for sending an automated newsletter to a client is simple: on the date of the newsletter release, you can set up a bulk email to deliver this newsletter to your clients.
A procedure can be defined as the instructional guide that helps a person or software complete each task involved in a business process.
These instructions are highly detailed and guide the executor (whether an automation software or a human professional) to accomplish the task successfully.
For example, for sending out bulk email newsletters to clients on the date of release, the procedure would detail the following:
As you can see, these are detailed, stepwise instructions for the process of sending out newsletters to clients via bulk email. This is the procedure to accomplish the process of mailing newsletters.
The difference between process and procedure is clear as day. The table shown below summarizes the major differences between process vs. procedure.
To understand process vs. procedure better, let's consider an example of the buyer lifecycle at a brand.
The process for a buyer lifecycle would include a seamless flow between acquiring and pitching your product, successful sales, and establishing customer loyalty. This is a very broad process, and each step constitutes its own detail.
There would be countless sub-processes involved:
All these sub-processes have a set of procedures and protocols that need to be adhered to in order to achieve the best results.
The procedures involved in buyer lifecycles are too many to count; however, a broad summary is as follows:
Process management automation has become an integral part of businesses today. It helps with saving manpower and time spent on executing repetitive tasks.
To that end, Hubler provides a highly customizable no-code platform for designing your own automation tool according to your needs. Without writing any code at all, you can deploy a full-fledged process automation solution within a matter of hours.
Business process vs. procedure has only one major difference - while the process looks at what is "happening" and in which direction, the procedure looks at "how" something is happening.
With Hubler, you can create custom processes and workflows to make your business more efficient.
