RevOps Framework Deep Dive: Process Definition

Recently, we published the Hyperscayle RevOps Framework. Hyperscayle defines revenue operations as the design and execution of Go-To-Market (GTM) processes and systems across the lead-to-cash lifecycle.   

To us, this includes marketing operations, sales operations, customer success operations, channel operations, and finance operations. Ours is a holistic view, not thinking in terms of silos bolted together, but rather as steps of a unified process. We created the Hyperscayle RevOps framework to further structure our approach. 

The categories of our framework include leadership alignment, process definition, team structure, systems & tools, and data foundation. These five categories cover all facets of a holistic RevOps program, and Hyperscayle uses this framework to organize our efforts and prioritize the right things for our clients.  

Each of these categories is a weighty topic, so this article is a deep dive into RevOps process definition. 

RevOps Process Must Come First

We believe in “Process First.” This is one of the most important principles for Revenue Operations and (unfortunately) one of the most forgotten. Companies often try to solve problems by buying new technology or adding team members without first ensuring their business process is set up correctly. It’s one of the most common mistakes we see people make.

Don’t take it for granted that you have all your RevOps processes figured out. It’s important to take the time needed to revisit processes and make sure they are documented, understood, and followed.

It all starts with getting alignment on processes and the definitions within them. For example, if you are trying to track something as simple as a pipeline, everyone across the RevOps function (marketing, sales, customer success, and finance) must be aligned on the stages of a deal and what they mean. Without this alignment, your pipeline numbers will be off, and what you see won’t reflect reality. This also causes mistrust in data and reporting.

Another great example is alignment on how SDRs or BDRs handle leads from marketing. If there’s no alignment on lead handoffs process or any feedback loops on the quality of leads, new opportunities can be missed and the marketing team lacks understanding of what works and what doesn’t. These issues negatively affect an organization’s ability to scale.

Define RevOps Processes to Enable Scale

Repeatable processes are critical for any organization focused on growth and scale. A repeatable process is one that is well-documented, frequently communicated, and easy to follow. With repeatable processes in place, new team members come up to speed more quickly and you can also make sure any outside help also follows a consistent process.

We see plenty of examples where organizations have hired quickly, which causes processes to break down as each person adds their own flavor and personal experiences to the process. While nobody is being malicious, these deviations make processes tricky to measure. Documenting repeatable processes helps solve this.

Hiring new people always involves ramp-up time. It can take weeks or months for them to start adding productivity and driving value. One way to reduce this ramp-up time is with well-defined and documented processes that they can quickly understand and adopt. Lowering the ramp-up time for a single employee by one month can reduce the cost of that person significantly.

For example, if a fully burdened employee costs $120k per year and you reduce ramp-up time by one month, that represents 10k in savings. Multiply that by multiple months for multiple hires over the course of the year, and the savings start to add up quickly. The investment to create and document these processes is generally around two weeks of work, so the benefit becomes pretty straightforward.

Great RevOps Documentation is Everything

Taking the time to carefully document business process is critically important. Great documentation can be a big challenge (and frankly it’s not the most fun thing), but until processes are adequately documented, they won’t be consistently adopted and followed.

When we think about documentation, it’s not just about capturing the process itself. It’s also important to have a mechanism in place for how to change and evolve processes as you grow. It’s natural (and necessary) to revisit documented processes and make updates to workflows. The important thing to capture initially is the WHY behind a process, so adjustments are made with that context in mind.

As teams grow and responsibilities change, capturing the business reasons behind a process can help updates and adjustments happen more quickly and make sure that the adjustments still support the original business case.

Take for example a $50M ARR software company putting in their first CPQ system. The requirements are correctly scoped, the implementation is completed on time and on budget, and the sales reps are happily making accurate quotes. However, the RevOps team is so busy celebrating a successful project that they fall short on documentation, creating only the bare minimum to document their quote to cash business process or the technology architecture.

In the near term, things seem ok, but as the sales team grows and new hires learn how to do quote to cash from the veterans, rather than a documented process. Like a photocopy of a photocopy, the process gets blurrier with each generation. The business keeps evolving as well, adding new SKUs, new geographies, new approval rules, etc. Pretty soon, every salesperson is doing quote-to-cash differently, and making any official changes to the process becomes painful. If they had documented the process, used it to train new hires, and updated it as the business changed, they would be in far better shape.

The Bottom Line on RevOps Process Definition

Putting process first is the most important RevOps principle and the most commonly forgotten. Any technology, no matter how elegantly architected, is only as good as the process it’s implementing.

Far from mere bookkeeping, a well-documented process is an enabler of growth. It allows new employees to ramp up quickly and execute consistently while enabling the business to pivot and grow without introducing compounding inefficiencies. So, the next time you kick off a RevOps project, put the process first and document it well!

Click here for a review of our overall RevOps framework, and articles exploring the other categories that make it up.