# Process mapping and systems planning [Read the public page](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/services/business-analysis) Map a business process before changing software. Process mapping, requirements and a practical plan for the change, agreed before anything is bought. Process mapping and systems planning turns a vague software problem into a defined scope. We document how the work happens now, where it fails and what a useful change must achieve, before you spend money on a new system. Perth based, with remote support across Australia. From $79 an hour ex GST, with the fee agreed before work begins. Call Josh C on 0408 530 303. ## What we can help with - Process and handover mapping - Requirements and constraints - Options and delivery priorities - Acceptance checks and responsibilities A request for new software often begins with a simpler problem. Work is being entered twice, approvals are unclear or the report arrives too late to be useful. Those details belong in the brief before a product is selected. We can help turn the current process into requirements and a practical next step. The documentation should be detailed enough for the decision without becoming an expensive exercise in describing the obvious. ## Follow one job through the business Take a recent customer enquiry and follow its progress through quoting, work and invoicing. Note where information is retyped, where a person has to ask for missing details and what happens when the normal sequence changes. A process map is useful when it records those actual handovers. The exceptions, approvals and record ownership often explain why a new app alone would not solve the problem. ## Use a real job as the starting point Walk through a recent job from enquiry to completion. Identify where information is entered, who makes decisions and where it has to be entered again. The exceptions often explain more than the ideal process. We record the steps and agree on the problem before discussing a new tool. A process issue does not always need more software. ## Define a result you can check Requirements should describe what a person needs to complete, the records involved and the constraints. Decide what success looks like and which cases must be tested. This helps a vendor or developer quote the actual work. Include access, reporting and ownership alongside the visible feature. They affect how the system will be maintained. ## Choose a workable next step The output can be a short improvement plan, a specification or a scoped implementation brief. Larger AI and automation work can be scoped through VibeZero, the AI agent business run by the same owner, with responsibilities agreed before any handover. ## A process change may be enough Clearer ownership, a better form or an agreed approval rule can sometimes address the issue without a new system. Where software is needed, requirements should describe the outcome and constraints rather than a preferred screen design. Decide what a successful change must demonstrate. Include data quality, access, reporting and the work needed to maintain it. Those requirements let a provider scope implementation with fewer assumptions. ## What the handover should include The agreed output can be a process map, requirement brief or prioritised improvement plan. It should record decisions, assumptions and questions still to resolve. If a specialist build follows, the implementation brief should include acceptance checks and responsibilities. Larger automation and AI projects can be discussed with VibeZero once the requirement is clear. ## Common questions ### Do we need a long specification? The detail should match the risk and size of the change. A small configuration job needs less documentation than a new system handling critical records. ### Will you recommend a product immediately? We first establish the process and requirements. Product choices follow that review. ### Is this useful before buying new software? Yes. Establishing the task, requirements and constraints gives the software comparison a useful basis. ### Can you help document a messy process? We can scope a review using actual examples and staff input. The output should identify unclear decisions and handovers rather than merely redraw them. ### Does the review include building the system? A review and an implementation are different scopes. We discuss the appropriate provider and build work once the requirements are understood. ### How much does process mapping cost? Work is charged from $79 an hour ex GST. We agree on the scope and fee before anything starts, so you know the cost before you decide to go ahead. ## Useful next steps - [Software review](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/services/software-optimisation) - [AI and automation](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/services/ai-automation) - [Fix the data before building another dashboard](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/blog/why-your-business-reporting-is-a-mess) - [Five useful Power BI views for a construction business](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/blog/5-power-bi-dashboards-every-perth-construction-business-needs) Reviewed 2026-10-07 - [Ask for IT help](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/contact) - [Check your IT basics](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/tools/it-health-check)