Operations - Developing Processes for a startup

I'd be leery of implementing or prescribing a process just to have a process. If one of the people there has had good experience with a process for a particular activity then I'd try those out. The key is flexibility IMO. Too many times the process becomes the output and in small organizations that is death.

I am not advocating no process - but I think you have to start small and grow it - not the other way around.

Figure out what the major risks are for your company or what things you really don't want to see happen or what things you would like to see happen and then figure out the "process" that will result in the desired effect. I would do this in order of highest priority and also lowest hanging fruit. Get the most bang for your buck.

The 5 whys (or is it 6 whys?) is worth looking up on google. Of course - that comes up after you've encountered a problem and are looking for a fix.

Another key is to pick and choose/prioritize your battles - with few people you can't do everything.

After re-reading your question and my answer it appears I have done nothing to help. I think we need additional information about what activities you want to target? I can recommend soem development process books/resources, but have no suggestions for other activities.

I have over 10 years of experience in setting up large scale multi-million dollar Operations in US(Seattle), Mexico, and India. I have setup CMMI level IT projects, established business processes and help them achieve a stable state.

Let me know if you want me to help you out.

Vivek (contact - vivek dot sp at gmail dot com)

I would suppose it depends on what type of business model it is you are offering. If you are lets say selling product to the masses then a process for returns, chargebacks etc would be beneficial. But if you are seeking to expand internal process ie; deliverables, load testing etc Surely your head IT person has a method they utilize today even if its loose. Begin with an outline on a whiteboard and add to it until you can get a formalized "best practice" overview. I agree with other previous statements in with you only know specifically the need and product offering so without specifics it can tough to give you concise information. But we advise to initially keep it loose as your model may twist and turn with client demand. getting too heavy in process may make you lose the treeline by becoming entrenched in the forest so to speak. Best of luck to you.

Get your sales pipeline and prospect/client data under control. It's not easy. When you know what it takes to turn prospects into clients, knowing when to grow, how to train, and how much you can compensate staff is much easier. You want to know if you're leaving money on the table. Are people following-up? You can start to identify/quantify what is working and be able to notice when it is not (before it's too late.)?

Billing, shipping, payroll and customer service can be much easier to manage if they don't have to constantly adapt to a chaotic sales process. You're small and growing and will constantly be adapting the way you do things but that doesn't mean is has to be a mess all the time.

I have been building and running operations in startups my entire 14 year career. One I am most proud of I got to help build out from 20 to 120+ in 2 years I was there (high-end software development company). I currently doing exactly the same thing for company I am in here in Cambridge, MA. So no, I am not available :-)

I am running a blog on building capital-efficient well managed startups and small businesses. I mostly write about lessons I have learned (and some lessons of others).

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