Document processes and secure knowledge
Hands-on guides for small and mid-sized companies, concrete and ready to put into practice. New articles are added regularly.
Where to start
Three routes through the guides, depending on what is on your plate right now.
You are starting from scratch
Then begin with the guide to process documentation: it explains how to capture an as-is process, what belongs in every step and how the raw material turns into a work instruction people actually use. The templates in the "Documenting processes" cluster build on exactly that.
Process Documentation: How to Document Processes →Knowledge in your company hangs on individuals
Then the bus factor is your entry point. The articles in the "Securing knowledge" cluster show how to make single points of failure visible, in which order to dissolve them and what to do when someone has already handed in their notice, including a handover plan and proper holiday cover.
Bus Factor: How to Calculate and Raise It →You are hiring or handing over
Then start with the org chart and onboarding: who is responsible for what, what an onboarding plan for the first 90 days looks like and what belongs on the checklist for week one. If you want to know what AI really takes over along the way, the answers are in the "AI & automation" cluster.
How to Create an Org Chart: Online, in Word & Template →How wissa.ai captures your knowledge
An AI interviews the people who know the workflows and writes the documentation from their answers. Every statement carries a footnote with the interview it came from. The free trial package lets you try a first interview.
Create accountChecking and approving incoming invoices
- Purpose: Check incoming invoices, approve them and book them on time
- Frequency: ongoing, monthly closing
- Tools used: Invoice list (Excel), DATEV
Recording incoming invoices
Sort post and email, record in the invoice list “In the invoice list I fill in date, supplier, amount and status.”Martina Krüger · Interview 1 · Question 2
Still open
- being asked What triggers the booking in DATEV?
- being asked Who checks when Ms Krüger is on holiday?
Documenting processes
From as-is process to SOP: how to create documentation people actually use.
Work Instruction Template (Word) & Example
A work instruction template as a Word download: every field, a filled-in example from metal fabrication, writing rules and how it differs from an SOP.
Read article →As-Is Process Mapping: Methods and the Step to To-Be
As-is and to-be process mapping: interviews, workshops, observation and self-documentation compared, and how the as-is process becomes the to-be process.
Read article →Process Analysis: Methods, Steps & Example
How to conduct a process analysis: goals, a five-step approach, methods from weak-point analysis to process mining and an example from a mid-sized firm.
Read article →Process Documentation Template & Sample (Word)
A process documentation template for Word: every field of a process description, a filled-in sample from a machine builder and what makes it work.
Read article →Process Documentation: How to Document Processes
How to document processes step by step: what process documentation contains, how to capture business processes and keep them current.
Read article →How to Create a Process Map: Example & Template
Create a process map in six steps: management, core and support processes, an example as a graphic, the ISO 9001 view and a PowerPoint template.
Read article →Quality Manual: Structure & Template for ISO 9001
How to write a quality manual under ISO 9001:2015: is it still required, which structure works, and how process descriptions and SOPs feed into it.
Read article →SIPOC Diagram: Scope a Process in Five Columns (Template)
Create a SIPOC diagram in 5 steps: suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers, with a manufacturing example and a template to copy.
Read article →Swimlane Diagram: Map Processes by Role (Template)
How to create a swimlane diagram in 5 steps: lanes, roles and handoffs, compared with flowcharts and BPMN, with a worked example and a copyable template.
Read article →How to Write an SOP: Standard Operating Procedure Example
How to write a standard operating procedure that holds up in daily operations: a standard outline, an SOP example and tips for keeping it current.
Read article →Securing knowledge
Bus factor, knowledge silos, resignations: how knowledge stays in the company when people leave.
Bus Factor: How to Calculate and Raise It
What the bus factor is, how to calculate it for your core processes with a simple matrix, and what knowledge loss really costs your company.
Read article →Tacit Knowledge: Examples & Methods to Capture It
What tacit knowledge is, examples from everyday work, and which questions make experience-based knowledge explicit - with an interview guide.
Read article →Knowledge Silos: How to Prevent and Break Them Up
How to prevent knowledge silos: spot where knowledge sits with one person or one team, and five strategies to share it across the company.
Read article →Knowledge Transfer Plan for Departing Employees (Template)
A knowledge transfer plan for the notice period: a week-by-week template, a handover checklist and questions that capture what a departing employee knows.
Read article →Succession Planning: Hand Over Key Roles With Knowledge
Succession planning for key positions: the steps, a plan with an 18-month timeline and how to keep your predecessors' experience in the company.
Read article →Skills Matrix: Template & Example for Your Team
How to build a skills matrix: five proficiency levels, a template to copy, a worked example and ISO 9001 competence evidence, plus how to plan cover.
Read article →Vacation Coverage Plan Template & Deputy Rules
A vacation coverage plan template with a copyable deputy table, a 20-minute handover, a dry run before time off and a worked example.
Read article →How to Build a Knowledge Base: Structure, Steps, Software
How to build a knowledge base and structure it: a five-step rollout, a sample structure to copy and software from wiki to AI interview.
Read article →Implementing Knowledge Management: 7 Methods
How to implement knowledge management in a company: five steps, seven knowledge management methods compared and the mistakes to avoid.
Read article →Knowledge Transfer: 7 Methods Compared
Knowledge transfer in companies: seven methods from handover interview to AI interview, with effort, strengths and limits, and how to choose one.
Read article →Organization & onboarding
Org charts, roles and onboarding: structures that match reality.
Onboarding Plan Template (Excel): The First 90 Days
A free onboarding plan template in Excel for the first 90 days: four phases, a weekly table, a worked logistics example and tips for upkeep.
Read article →Employee Onboarding Checklist: Process from Day 1 to 90
An employee onboarding checklist in five phases from preboarding to day 90: the onboarding process with named owners, two metrics and an Excel template.
Read article →How to Create an Org Chart: Online, in Word & Template
Create an org chart online, in Word/PowerPoint or with org chart software: a 6-step guide, responsibilities by role and a free template.
Read article →RACI Matrix: Clear Roles and Responsibilities (Example)
How to create a RACI matrix in 5 steps: R, A, C and I explained, accountable vs. responsible, an example with six roles and a template to copy.
Read article →Job Description Template & Example (Ready to Copy)
A job description template to copy plus a filled-in job description example: every section from job purpose to deputy, matched to the real work.
Read article →AI & automation
What AI delivers in process documentation and analysis today, and where people stay in charge.
AI Process Documentation: Capture Processes Automatically
AI process documentation: an AI interviews your team and writes step-by-step documentation itself, current and with a source for every statement.
Read article →AI Process Optimization: Approach, Examples, Limits
AI process optimization for SMEs: where AI improves workflows, how AI process analysis works, and why documentation comes first.
Read article →Process Automation: Methods, Tools and How to Start
Process automation for SMEs: methods from workflow to RPA and AI, which processes fit, a complete ROI calculation and a six-step approach.
Read article →Process Digitization for SMEs: A Practical Guide
Process digitization step by step: key terms, which processes to start with, a 7-step approach, e-invoicing and GoBD - and when consulting pays off.
Read article →Process Optimization: 5 Steps to Better Processes
Process optimization in five phases: definition, methods like Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma and value stream mapping, and an approach for SMEs with an example.
Read article →Frequently asked questions about process documentation
How do I document a process properly?
In four steps: capture the as-is state the way it really runs day to day; name the roles and systems for each step; record exceptions and handovers; have the result reviewed by the people involved. The guide on documenting processes walks through every step in detail.
What belongs in process documentation?
The trigger, the steps in the right order, the responsible roles, the systems used, the handover points, the known exceptions and the result. Anything beyond that is extra and usually the first thing to go out of date.
How often does documentation have to be updated?
Whenever a step changes, and once a year as a check. With a fixed trigger for changes, the documentation stays reliable and the team is happy to look things up in it.
Where do I start when the knowledge only exists in people's heads?
With the single points of failure: note down which task comes to a halt when a particular person is away. That list is your running order, starting with the tasks only one person has mastered.