Business process optimization for SMEs
Simplify first, automate second
We rebuild your business processes from the ground up — steps, lead times, re-keying, controls — then automate what genuinely deserves it. The goal is not to add another tool, but to remove unnecessary work and make the outcome measurable.
Your processes grew faster than your organization
In a growing SME, processes are almost never designed: they accumulate. A step added after an incident, a control added after an audit, a spreadsheet added because the software would not do the job. A few years later, nobody knows why the workflow is so long — it simply became that way.
- —The same information is keyed in two or three times, into tools that do not talk to each other.
- —Lead times keep stretching and nobody can say which step causes it: everyone sees their own link, not the chain.
- —Controls were added incident after incident and are no longer proportionate to the risk they were meant to cover.
- —The process depends on two or three people who «know how it works» — and it stops when they are away.
- —You have already bought tools, but they were laid on top of the existing process without ever questioning it.
How we run an optimization
Measure what exists
We record the real process — not the one in the procedures: volumes handled, time spent per step, rework rate, waiting points. Without those orders of magnitude, an optimization cannot be steered, only debated.
Simplify
Remove, merge, reorder, parallelize. This is the step that produces the most gain for almost no technical cost: most of the time lost sits in steps that no longer have a reason to exist.
Make it reliable
A fast but unpredictable process is worth nothing. We stabilize business rules, edge cases and controls so the outcome is the same whoever runs it.
Automate and track
Whatever is still repetitive after simplification gets automated with the right tool, and instrumented: a handful of indicators is enough to see whether the gain holds over time or the process drifts back.
The methods we draw on
No single method fits every process. We pick from the proven ones depending on the problem at hand: slowness, errors, dependency on one person, or unit cost.
- Lean
- Hunt down waste — waiting, re-keying, back-and-forth, document overproduction — and keep only the steps that create value for the customer.
- BPMN mapping
- Formalize the real process and its variants in a notation readable by business and IT alike, so everyone discusses the same object.
- Variability analysis
- Six Sigma inspired: work out why the same process takes two days once and three weeks the next time, and close the gap.
- Low-code automation
- n8n, Make or Power Automate to remove the remaining repetitive tasks and connect your tools, once the process itself is sound.
- D1 Diag
- Our conversational assistant: an employee describes their process in plain language, the AI spots friction points and suggests optimization options.
What you get
- The target process described step by step, with what was removed, merged or automated — and why.
- Expected gain and implementation effort costed per workstream, so you arbitrate on orders of magnitude.
- Business rules and edge cases written down, so the process no longer depends on one person.
- The tracking indicators and the dashboard that goes with them, to check the gain still holds six months later.
- Change support for your teams: an optimized process nobody applies produces no gain at all.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between process optimization and process automation?+
Optimization means reworking the process itself: removing steps, reordering, clarifying rules. Automation means having software carry out tasks. The two complement each other, but the order matters: automating a badly designed process industrializes its flaws and makes every later fix more expensive. We optimize first, then automate.
Where do we start when everything seems to need reworking?+
With a process that is both frequent and irritating: invoice chasing, order handling, client onboarding, monthly reporting. Frequent, because the gain multiplies; irritating, because the teams will back the change. You measure the result on that first scope, then extend the approach with a concrete case to show internally.
How long does an optimization take?+
On a bounded process, expect a few weeks between recording the current state and running the target process. On a scope spanning several departments, we split the work into batches so the first gains land before the end — an optimization that delivers nothing for six months loses the teams' support.
Do we need ISO certification or a quality system in place?+
No. A formal quality system helps, because part of the processes is already documented, but it is not a prerequisite. Many of the SMEs we work with have no process documentation at all: we then start from observing the actual work, which is a more reliable source than written procedures anyway.
Do we have to change our ERP or line-of-business software?+
Rarely, and it is generally the last option to consider. Most of the gain comes from removing steps, clarifying rules and connecting the tools you already own. Replacing an ERP is a heavy project that deserves to be decided on its own merits, not as a side effect of an optimization initiative.
How many people do we need to involve?+
Few, but the right ones: those who actually run the process. Expect roughly one hour of interview per person involved, half a day of framing with management, and a closing session. We work from what exists and never ask your teams to produce documentation upfront.
Do you work outside the Paris region?+
Yes. D1 Consulting is based in Paris and works across France. Interviews and workshops run perfectly well remotely; we do prefer being on site for the observation phases, which surface the workarounds nobody mentions spontaneously in a meeting.
Let's look at one of your processes
A one-hour first conversation is enough to identify which process to start with and estimate what it costs you today.
Book a free assessment