There are multiple career paths and methods to become a process coordinator. This position is a relatively new role and is typically found in large corporations with far-flung operations across a range of sectors or services. The primary role of a process coordinator is to document current business and operations procedures. Accurate and well-written information is essential to the organization for a range of reasons.
At the local level, proper documentation and operational manuals are central to training new staff, covering during vacations, overseeing each position's responsibility, and meeting legal requirements. As a manager, a comprehensive understanding of the process provides the data required to determine where inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and delays occur. Executives need to be able to review a flow diagram to understand the impact of new policies or decisions on the actual business process.
There is no formal post-secondary education designed specifically to become a process coordinator. Instead, he or she typically has an undergraduate degree or diploma in business, management, or a related field. In specialized field, employers may require education that is unique to the industry. For example, a large manufacturing firm may require a professional mechanical engineering designation to become a process coordinator.
Experience is an important consideration for most employers when looking for a process coordinator. This can be divided into two types of experience: analysis and documentation experience, and working experience. Both are important and can be very helpful in this role.
Analysis and documentation experience includes tasks such as interviewing staff, creating flow diagrams, determining process inefficiencies, and writing process manuals. Communication skills are critical to this aspect of the role and can be gained in a business analysis or technical writer position. Writing clear, concise instructions and learning to ask the right questions to obtain the most information is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. These skills can be applied to a range of industries, providing broader career options once you become a process coordinator.
Working experience completing the actual process is the most common type of experience for process coordinators. This career often starts with a request to write or contribute to an operations manual for a specific process. Comprehensive understanding of the process is required, along with an understanding of where this fits into the larger picture. The creation of a clear, accurate manual can be the first step on the path to become a process coordinator.
