A business process consultant works out how work really moves through your business, agrees a better way with the people who do it, and then fixes the gaps between people and systems: who hands what to whom, what gets typed twice, and where jobs, orders or bills sit waiting. A good one gives you things you can keep using: process maps, a prioritised list of problems, written procedures, and a costed plan. Some, including us, also do the fixing (connecting systems and automating repetitive work). Before you hire anyone, ask whether they look at systems and people together, whether they'll tell you when a cheap product or a setting change is enough, whether the price is fixed, who does the work, and what you own at the end.
What the work looks like, step by step
Most process work follows the same five steps, whatever the consultant calls them. Here's what you should actually get at each one.
1. Understand and map how work flows now
The consultant sits with the people who do the work and follows real examples from start to finish: last week's orders, a job from quote to invoice, a supplier bill from arrival to payment. The aim is to capture what really happens, workarounds included, not what the procedure manual says.
What you get: a current-state process map, usually a swimlane diagram with one lane per person or team and the system used at each step. Our business process mapping guide shows how these are drawn if you want to try one yourself.
2. Agree the better way
Once the map is on the wall, the problems are usually obvious: work waiting in someone's inbox, the same details keyed into the job system, a spreadsheet and Xero or MYOB, approvals stuck with someone who's out on site. The consultant should work through the fixes with your team, not hand down a redesign. Some steps get removed, some get an owner, some move into a system.
What you get: a future-state map and a prioritised list of changes, each with a short reason, a rough effort and who it affects.
3. Fix the gaps between people and systems
The gaps are often between systems: an integration that only half works, a report rebuilt by hand every month, an order that has to be retyped from email. Sometimes the fix is a setting in Xero or MYOB, a marketplace app, or a change to who enters what. Sometimes it's a custom connection.
What you get: the changes themselves, plus written procedures (SOPs) for the new way of working, so it doesn't depend on one person remembering it.
4. Automate what's worth automating
Not everything should be automated. A step that happens twice a year, or changes every time, is better left to a person with a checklist. The candidates are the repetitive ones: re-keying between systems, chasing approvals, supplier invoices, regular reports, reminders and alerts.
What you get: a short list of what to automate first and why, then a fixed quote for each piece, or the work done if the consultant builds as well as advises.
5. Measure
You should be able to tell whether it worked, without needing a dashboard: "month-end closes before the 5th", "no invoices are re-keyed" or "the job report and the accounts agree".
What you get: a few agreed checks, written down before the work starts, and a review once the changes have bedded in.
What the deliverables should look like
Ask to see an example of each deliverable before you sign. Useful ones look like this:
- Process maps that the people doing the work recognise as accurate. If your team looks at the map and says "that's not what we do", it's not finished.
- A prioritised list, not a long report of everything that could be better. Each item should say what the problem is, what fixing it involves, and roughly how big the job is.
- SOPs written in plain language, short enough that someone will actually read them. Our SOP guide shows what a usable one looks like.
- A costed plan that separates quick wins from bigger projects, and says which ones need new software and which don't.
How long it takes
It depends on how many processes, people and systems are involved, and how quickly your team can make time. Mapping one troublesome process is a much smaller job than reviewing the whole business, and the fixing usually takes longer than the mapping. Be wary of a timeframe given before anyone understands what's involved, and of a consultant who can't give one after a proper first conversation.
For reference, our Process & Systems Audit starts with a 2-hour discovery session over video, and the written report typically follows within 5–7 business days, then a 30-minute walkthrough call.
Questions to ask any consultant before hiring
These work for any consultant, including us.
- Do you look at systems and people together? Some consultants only draw processes; some only build software. Most problems in growing businesses sit between the two, so you want someone comfortable with both the workflow and the systems it runs on (Xero, MYOB, your job, stock or CRM system and the spreadsheets in between).
- Will you tell me when a cheap product or a setting is enough? Ask when they last recommended doing less.
- Is the price fixed, or open-ended? A fixed quote for a defined piece of work is easier to manage than an hourly rate with no end point. If the first step is a paid discovery, ask what you'll have in your hands at the end of it.
- Who actually does the work? The person in the sales meeting may not be the person mapping your processes. Ask who will be in the room and who will build anything that gets built.
- What do I own at the end? The maps, the report, the SOPs and any code or configuration should be yours, whether or not you keep working with them.
- Do you sell or resell software? Fine if they do, but you should know if a recommendation earns them a commission.
Red flags
- The answer is decided before they've looked. "You need a new ERP" in the first meeting, before anyone has mapped anything.
- A big report and nothing else. A long document full of observations, but no clear first step and no costs.
- No time with your staff. If they only talk to the owner, the map shows how the owner thinks things work.
- Vague pricing with no end point. Day rates that keep running and no agreed deliverable.
- Promises nobody can keep. Precise savings or percentage improvements quoted before they've seen your business.
When you don't need a consultant at all
You probably don't need a consultant if:
- The problem sits inside one product. If the fix is a feature in Xero, MYOB or your job system that nobody has switched on, the vendor's support team or your bookkeeper can often sort it.
- A standard connector does the job. If two popular systems have a well-supported marketplace app between them and your process is fairly standard, try that first.
- You know exactly what's wrong and who should fix it. Sometimes the honest answer is a clear decision and an afternoon with the process mapping template.
If you're not sure, our business process improvement guide walks through what you can do yourself first. And if the real issue is that nothing is written down, start with no documented processes.
Mapping, automation or the audit: which one to start with
We offer process work in a few forms, and the right one depends on how clear the problem already is.
- You know which process is the problem, but not exactly what's going wrong inside it. Start with business process mapping: we map that process with your team and give you a list of what to fix.
- You know exactly which repetitive task is wasting time. Go straight to business process automation: re-keying, approvals, supplier invoices or regular reports, built around the systems you already use.
- The work flows badly across several teams, and you want it redesigned and fixed, not just automated. That's workflow optimisation: mapping, redesign, procedures and the system changes to make it stick.
- You're not sure where to start. That's what the $5,000 Process & Systems Audit is for. We map your key processes and systems, show where work and data get stuck or retyped, and give you a written report with quick wins and a prioritised roadmap. The report is yours, whether you work with us on the next steps, do it yourself or take it to someone else. See the Process & Systems Audit for what's included.
Everything other than the audit is scoped and given a fixed quote after a free initial chat.
Frequently asked questions
What does a business process consultant do?
They work out how work actually moves through your business, find where it gets stuck, duplicated or depends on one person, and agree a better way with your team. Depending on the consultant, they may stop at a report or go on to fix the processes and systems themselves.
What's the difference between process mapping and process improvement?
Mapping is drawing how the work happens now. Improvement is changing it: removing steps, giving each step an owner, connecting systems and automating repetitive work. Mapping is usually the first part of improvement, not the whole job.
How much does a business process consultant cost in Australia?
It varies widely with the size of the business, the number of processes and systems, and whether the consultant only advises or also builds. Ask for a fixed quote for a defined deliverable. Our Process & Systems Audit is a fixed $5,000; other work is scoped and quoted after a free initial chat.
Do I need a consultant or just new software?
If the problem sits inside one product, better use of that product or a new one may be enough. If the problem is the hand-offs between people and systems, new software on its own tends to move the problem rather than fix it. Our post on fixing the process before you buy the software covers this in more detail.
If you'd like to talk through where your processes are getting stuck and which of these options fits, book a free initial chat.