From Chaos to Clarity: A Practical Guide to Building Processes That Actually Save You Time

Illustration of the DMADV Framework from Six Sigma, detailing the process steps: Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify, aimed at process design improvement.

If you're a founder or small business owner, chances are you’re buried in the weeds.

You’re handling sales one hour, fixing an ops issue the next, and by the end of the day—some critical task has slipped through the cracks.

This isn't a capacity problem. It's a systems problem.

To help teams cut through the chaos, we use a simplified version of DMADV—a process design framework from Six Sigma. It’s not theoretical. It’s built to solve real operational problems and make your work repeatable, reliable, and scalable.

Here’s how it works.

1. DEFINE — Start With the Problem, Not the Process

Skip the templates. Start by answering this:

• What task is draining your time?

• Where are you consistently dropping the ball?

• What needs to be done the same way every time?

  
  

Example:

"I need a clear way to onboard new wholesale accounts. Right now, it's inconsistent. Pricing gets miscommunicated and we lose deals."

2. MEASURE — Understand What’s Actually Happening

Document how it works today—even if it’s messy.

Look at:

• Time spent

• Missed steps

• Complaints

• Redo's

Example:

“Onboarding takes anywhere from 1 to 6 days. Some reps skip the pricing sheet. Others forget to confirm payment terms. I step in almost every time.”

3. ANALYZE — Pinpoint What’s Really Going Wrong

Now identify what’s breaking the process.

• Are there clear instructions?

• Do tasks rely on you personally?

• Are there missing tools or templates?

Example:

No checklist. No standard doc. Sales reps are creating their own approach. Nothing is documented.

4. DESIGN — Build a System You’ll Actually Use

This is where you fix it. Keep it simple and scalable.

You might use:

• A step-by-step checklist (Google Doc, Notion)

• A pre-filled onboarding template

• Automations in your CRM or email tool

Pro tip:

Design the process for what your business will look like in 6–12 months. Build for scale now.

Example:

A furniture brand creates a 4-step onboarding flow in Trello, with linked templates for each step—pricing sheet, credit terms, intro email, and order form.

5. VERIFY — Test It. Tweak It. Lock It In.

Run the process live.

Does it save time? Are any steps unclear? Does it remove your involvement?

Iterate until it works without friction. Then, document it. Train your team. Move on to the next high-impact area.

Real-World Example: How This Works for a Small Brand

Business: A small DTC skincare company expanding into wholesale.

Problem: Every time a new wholesale account signs on, the founder has to personally email PDFs, approve pricing, and answer redundant questions.

Solution: They build a new onboarding process using DMADV:

• Define: Inconsistent onboarding = delays + lost deals.

• Measure: 4–6 back-and-forth emails per account.

• Analyze: No pricing doc, no automated intro email.

• Design: They create a standard Notion page with pricing, product images, and terms. Automate the first email using Mailchimp.

• Verify: Over the next 5 signups, onboarding time drops from 4 days to 1.

  
  

The Biggest Myth About Processes?

That you need to be “big” to build them. In reality, process is how you get big.

Even solo founders can build systems that reduce mistakes, free up time, and make the business scalable. If you're stuck in the daily grind, this is where to start: fix one high-friction process. Systemize it. Then keep going.

Need help identifying where to begin? That’s what we do.

Let’s bring order to the chaos.