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Business owners often struggle in silence, never fully understanding what’s really happening beneath the surface of their operations

“They should work faster…” An owner recently shared that they felt their teams “should” be able to work faster. I’m not shocked when I hear this but you might be. It’s not that the owner is unhappy with the quality of work being done; they just sense there’s untapped efficiency potential.

In my experience, this thinking stems from the founder’s perspective: “When I did that job, it was easier” or “I was faster at this.” They might even be right but here’s the reality: if you’re this owner, you’re the only person in the business positioned to drive this change.

Most employees won’t proactively suggest process optimizations, and it’s not because they don’t care. They’re navigating personal relationships with teammates and usually avoid disrupting established workflows – even if they are a problem, because a human made them and most people worry that questioning another human is combative. With no disrespect – they likely lack the time, energy, and EI and change management skills needed to navigate and lead a team through the complex steps and emotions required to see meaningful process improvements through to completion.

Everything we do at Kaos Group is about processes to support the people. So how do you even begin to tackle a project like this? Are your personal opinions about your staff holding you back? Are you afraid they’ll feel threatened or maybe even quit?

Why Begin?

Let’s do some quick math, as my papa would say. Say you pay Pat $100K per year, which at 50 weeks and 40 hours per week means Pat makes $50 per hour. It’s commonly known that a minimum of 2 hours per day are lost to unproductive bottlenecks, disconnected processes, and workplace redundancies.

That means Pat is being paid $25K per year to be aggravated and annoyed.

Human behavior tells us that when you don’t address these frustrations, their happiness quotient decreases and they leave – or worse, you secretly hope they do because there’s nothing more toxic than the team member who constantly points out everything wrong with the business without any path to solutions.

The responsibility – and the opportunity – sits squarely with leadership.

The Relief Guide: 6 Steps to Start Process Mapping

Process mapping provides structure and structure provides immediate psychological relief (to stakeholders and team members). So, here are some ideas off the top of the top of my head on how you can start to process mapping: 

Step 1: Set the Stage Write out the project idea so you can communicate clearly to your team why you want to do this:

• Make life easier for everyone
• Become enlightened on the things they need or want to make their work days better
• Show genuine interest in their daily frustrations and ideas for improvement

Step 2: Gather Intelligence Ask staff to write down which process they would tackle and why. Have them consider:

• What part of your day makes you think “there has to be a better way to do this”?
• Which process do you find yourself explaining to others most often?
• What task do you dread because it’s unnecessarily complicated or time-consuming?
• If you could eliminate one bottleneck that affects your work, what would it be?
• What process causes the most back-and-forth emails or clarifying questions?
• Which workflow makes you feel like you’re doing the same thing twice?
• What would you fix first if you were training your replacement tomorrow?
• When do clients/customers seem most confused or frustrated with our process?

Step 3: Choose Your Starting Point Start with a process that your team chooses – not what you think needs fixing.

Step 4: Create the Framework Establish ground rules for how you’ll map the process as a team:

>> Current Process State First – map how things actually work, not how they should work

• • Consider creating two small teams to tackle different processes
  • Set expectations for participation and openness – see ground rules
    Designate one person in each group to take notes on all ideas and suggestions during conversations
  • Create a timeline and stick to it
  • Teams share their results and everyone weighs in to ensure all input has been acknowledged

>> Optimize Process State Second

• • This might be a different day’s event
  • Maybe smaller groups so there is more brainstorming 
  • Make sure one person in each group take notes on all ideas and suggestions during conversations
  • Each group shares their ideas
  • Then process steps are agreed on by the entire group

>> Ground Rules – must be followed to avoid common workshop pitfalls and create psychological safety for honesty. Without these guardrails, sessions will quickly turn into complaint sessions or people defending their current methods rather than objectively mapping them:

• • No blame or finger-pointing –  focus on the process, not the person
  • All ideas are valid during brainstorming – evaluation comes later
  • One conversation at a time – side discussions derail progress
  • Document everything – even the “weird exceptions” and workarounds
  • Time boundaries – stick to scheduled breaks and end times
  • Phone/laptop rule – decide if devices stay or go for focused participation

Step 5: Learn Together Watch Tom Wujec: Got a wicked problem? First, tell me how you make toast (over 1M views) video as a team: Tom Wujec’s “Got a wicked problem? First, tell me how you make toast.” Tom loves asking people and teams to draw how they make toast because the process reveals unexpected truths about how we can solve our biggest, most complicated problems at work.

Step 6: Execute the Session

• Have supplies ready (sticky notes, markers, flip chart paper)
• Order food for the team (nothing says “this matters” like good food)
• Block out adequate time (minimum 2-3 hours)
• Designate a facilitator who isn’t the owner (Yes, I’m available 🙂)

The moment you create your first process map, that knot in your stomach loosens and your team feels heard and empowered to improve their own work experience.

The Quiet Victory

What success looks like when systems exist

Success is beautifully quiet. A team member handles a complex situation using the documented process with an outcome you and they were both proud of. Next, new hires complete tasks without asking a single procedural question. Exciting, right?

The real victory is measured in what doesn’t happen: no dropped balls, no frantic texts during time off, no inconsistent client experiences. Pat, who was once frustrated by bottlenecks, now moves more easily through their day. The team member who used to constantly point out problems either does it less or becomes an advocate for more process improvement.

Your business operates maybe 2-4% more efficiently – you do the math on what 2-4% represents in dollars.

For a business with $900K in annual payroll, that’s $18,000-$36,000 in recovered productivity.

That money can fund fractional operational support – the kind of expertise that turns your initial 2-4% wins into systematic improvements across every function of your business. And equally as important, you’ve created a culture where efficiency isn’t imposed from above – it’s built from within by the people who do the work every day.

The path forward isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Even implementing one well-designed workflow can create a ripple effect of positive change throughout your business.

If this resonates, let’s talk.

You don’t need to know where to start – our Center of Excellence Assessments uncover gaps, highlight where you’re already doing well, and pinpoint exactly where you can begin to see immediate impact with measurable bottom‑line results.

It’s your move.