A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process
In a process improvement project, the focus of the business process design phase is to streamline the process: to understand and measure the requirements, and to eliminate the risk of losing value through inefficient or inappropriate activities.
http://www.rivers-family.info/resources/RivCom-WhatIsBPD-WhyShouldICare.pdf
There are three types of business processes 1  : Management processes, the processes that govern the operation of a system. 2  Typical management processes include  corporate governance  and  strategic management 3  . Operational processes, processes that constitute the core business and create the primary value stream.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process
Output: Business process models The output of a business process design project is a streamlined, comprehensive, easy-to-use model of the ways in which a business delivers output to its customers. One of the key purposes of process modelling is to provide a “process view” of the business.
http://www.rivers-family.info/resources/RivCom-WhatIsBPD-WhyShouldICare.pdf
One of the decisions that needs to be made early in the project is what kind of analysis is needed – strategic (“top down”) or tactical (“bottom up”): • A strategic perspective is higher level (i.e. managers) and seeks to understand the processes that make up the business and deliver its value.
http://www.rivers-family.info/resources/RivCom-WhatIsBPD-WhyShouldICare.pdf
”a business process is a series of steps designed to produce a product or service. Most processes (...) are cross-functional, spanning the ‘white space’ between the boxes on the organization chart. Some processes result in a product or service that is received by an organization's external customer. We call these primary processes. Other processes produce products that are invisible to the external customer but essential to the effective management of the business.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process
Business processes flow across the departments within an organisation In this case, the work flows through several internal departments. However, from the customer’s point of view, a single process has taken place. Process composition A business process is made up of a hierarchy of activity levels.
http://www.rivers-family.info/resources/RivCom-WhatIsBPD-WhyShouldICare.pdf
Business processes can be seen individually, as discrete steps in a business cycle, or collectively as the set of activities that create the value chain of an organisation and associate that value chain with the requirements of the customer.
http://www.rivers-family.info/resources/RivCom-WhatIsBPD-WhyShouldICare.pdf
Agreed @narnia219! This is where a business process analysis can come in handy. Having someone on the inside review the company's processes, or even contracting that work to get a fresh perspective, can really identify areas for improvement. Plus, from the customer's perspective, it's always nice to know your opinion matters.
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-business-process.htm
A business process is a series of activities occurring within a company that lead to a specific end. Most often, it focuses on meeting the needs of the customer and delivering a good or service that will fulfill that need. This process is actually often a collection of interrelated processes that function in a logical sequence to achieve the ultimate goal.
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-business-process.htm
what is business processes
A business process is a series of steps designed to produce a product or service.