A process doc template for a small team should be short enough that the docs get written and the same shape every time so that they get read. Trigger, steps in the order they happen with the role and the system at each, the exceptions that most often break it, and the output that says the process is done. The process documentation template on this site costs a set of docs in that shape and prints the payback; this page is the shape.
Trigger and output first
What starts the process and what exists when it is finished frame the doc and keep it from wandering into the neighbouring process. An order arrives; a shipment leaves. A candidate accepts; a starter is on payroll.
Steps with the role and the system
Each step in the order the work happens, naming who does it and where. A step a paragraph, no more; the template estimates the pages from the steps so the length is known before the writing starts rather than after.
Exceptions, two or three
The line out of stock, the invoice that does not match, the candidate who fails the check. Written as what to do, not what went wrong. The exceptions are what an experienced person knows and a new one does not, and they are why the doc is worth more than a diagram.
Costed before it is written
Processes, average steps, hours to write and review, the rates, runs per month and minutes saved per run: the template turns those into hours, cost, monthly saving and payback in months, so the docs are written in the order they pay back.
Questions people ask about process doc template
Is there a free process doc template?
The process documentation template on this site is free with no account and prints the plan and the payback; the written docs saved with sign-offs are the paid product.
How short can a process doc be?
A page, for a process of eight steps. The shape is what matters; the length is the process's.
Should the doc include a diagram?
Only when more than three roles are involved. The written steps are what people follow.