Process improvement plan template: Real-world examples and performance KPIs
At a glance
A process improvement plan provides the framework to remove inefficiencies, cut costs, and deliver measurable ROI.
Tracking KPIs such as completion rate, cycle time, and drop-off rate helps teams monitor progress in real time.
Automation turns plans into execution with structured workflows, client portals, and audit-ready visibility.
Moxo goes beyond internal automation, enabling secure collaboration with clients, vendors, and partners in every workflow.
When you need a plan
Leaders typically realize they need a process improvement plan when inefficiencies begin to drag down revenue and client satisfaction. According to Forbes, citing IDC, companies lose 20 to 30 percent of revenue each year due to poor processes.
Warning signs include missed deadlines, bottlenecks, compliance gaps, and declining client experience. For instance, a financial firm might struggle with client onboarding delays when documents arrive scattered over email. By using Moxo onboarding workflows, document requests and approvals are automated, and progress is visible in dashboards—eliminating costly stalls.
Real-world examples and performance KPIs
A process improvement plan only works when it connects real problems to measurable outcomes. Here’s how leading teams across industries put structured improvement plans into action — and the KPIs they use to track results.
1. Finance — Invoice processing optimization
The challenge: Manual invoice approvals delayed vendor payments and caused reconciliation errors.
The improvement: Introduced a digital workflow with automated routing, validation rules, and audit-ready approvals.
Key KPIs:
- Invoice cycle time (days to approval)
- Error rate reduction (%)
- On-time payment rate (%)
2. HR — New hire onboarding standardization
The challenge: Each department followed its own onboarding process, creating inconsistencies and delays.
The improvement: Built a unified onboarding workflow with standardized forms, training milestones, and IT access triggers.
Key KPIs:
- Time to productivity (days until role readiness)
- Completion rate of onboarding tasks (%)
- New hire satisfaction (survey score)
3. Customer service — Escalation and SLA management
The challenge: Missed SLAs and unclear ownership in handling complex escalations.
The improvement: Implemented automated escalation workflows with defined ownership, SLAs, and root cause tracking.
Key KPIs:
- SLA compliance rate (%)
- Average time to resolution (hours)
- Escalation recurrence (%)
4. Procurement — Vendor onboarding and compliance
The challenge: Fragmented vendor documentation led to compliance risk and slow approvals.
The improvement: Built a vendor onboarding flow that integrated document collection, background verification, and approval routing.
Key KPIs:
- Vendor approval turnaround time (days)
- Compliance documentation completion (%)
- Vendor satisfaction (survey rating)
5. Operations — Internal audit readiness
The challenge: Audit preparation required manual data gathering across departments.
The improvement: Created a centralized audit workflow for document submission, reviews, and sign-offs with version control.
Key KPIs:
- Audit cycle time (days from initiation to closure)
- Number of missing evidence items
- Compliance accuracy (%)
Across industries, the most successful process improvement plans combine workflow automation, clear accountability, and data-backed KPIs. Measuring the right metrics ensures improvements don’t just get implemented — they get sustained and refined over time.
How to set KPIs for your process improvement plan
Defining the right KPIs is what separates cosmetic changes from measurable progress. When setting performance metrics for your process improvement plan, focus on clarity, relevance, and traceability.
- Align KPIs with business objectives
Every KPI should connect to a strategic goal — reduced cost, faster delivery, improved compliance, or better customer satisfaction.
For example, “Reduce invoice approval time by 30%” ties directly to financial efficiency, not just activity tracking. - Balance leading and lagging indicators
- Leading indicators predict performance (e.g., % of tasks completed on time, automation coverage).
- Lagging indicators measure outcomes (e.g., reduced error rates, higher NPS).
Tracking both ensures you see early signals of change before results show up.
- Use SMART criteria
KPIs should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Example: “Cut claim settlement cycle time from 7 to 4 days within two quarters.” - Automate data collection
In Moxo, KPIs can be embedded directly in workflows and dashboards. Each action — approval, escalation, or completion — feeds real-time data to performance reports. This eliminates the need for manual tracking or disconnected spreadsheets. - Review and refine continuously
Improvement is cyclical. Set review checkpoints (monthly or quarterly) to assess whether KPIs still serve their purpose or need recalibration.
The best KPIs don’t just measure performance — they drive behavior, accountability, and smarter decisions. With embedded dashboards and live data, Moxo turns KPI tracking into an integral part of everyday operations.
Plan template (objectives, KPIs, owners, timeline)
Every process improvement plan needs four core elements:
This template applies across industries. In healthcare, objectives may focus on reducing patient intake errors. In consulting, the focus might be on faster deliverable approvals. In logistics, KPIs may track vendor compliance timelines. Moxo document collection workflows make it simple to track who owes what, when, and why.
KPI examples by function
These KPIs act as the pulse of continuous improvement — revealing where workflows succeed, where they slow down, and how incremental refinements compound into lasting gains.
Run the plan in Moxo
Most plans live in spreadsheets or PowerPoints, but they rarely get executed consistently. Moxo changes that by turning your plan into a living system.
Instead of chasing tasks over email, you build the workflow in Moxo Flow Builder. Each participant—internal staff or external client—gets notified at the right time. Automations handle repetitive handoffs, while dashboards track where work is stalling.
A law firm, for example, digitized its case intake process in Moxo. Instead of chasing clients for missing files, they used automated Magic Links to request uploads, set SLA thresholds for approvals, and tracked everything with auditable trails. The firm reduced administrative hours and became audit-ready.
Reporting & reviews
Improvement only sticks when you measure results. Moxo Management Reporting provides:
- Completion percentages for each process
- Cycle times to identify delays
- Bottleneck analysis by team or role
- SLA alerts when thresholds are missed
- Segmentation to compare performance across groups
For compliance-driven industries, Moxo security controls ensure every action is logged with audit trails, role-based access, and SSO/MFA. This means leaders not only see performance but also prove accountability to regulators.
Build it in Moxo (step-by-step)
Flow Builder (forms, file requests, approvals, eSign)
Design your workflow with drag-and-drop steps. Use prebuilt templates for client onboarding, document collection, or vendor approvals.
Controls (branches, decisions/milestones, thresholds/SLAs)
Set branches for exceptions and milestones for approvals. Add SLA thresholds so Moxo sends alerts if a step stalls.
Automations & integrations (CRM/ERP/DMS, DocuSign/Jumio/Stripe)
Sync workflows with CRM or ERP systems. Automate signatures with DocuSign, ID verification with Jumio, or payments with Stripe.
Magic Links for external participants (clients/vendors/partners)
External users act instantly via Magic Links. Clients upload documents, vendors approve contracts, all without logging in.
Management reporting (completion %, duration, bottlenecks)
Leaders track progress with Moxo dashboards. You can see completion %, average duration, and bottlenecks across processes. Export insights for quarterly reviews or audits.
Comparison and decision factors
Moxo not only enables automation but also provides compliance-grade auditability and client-facing portals, bridging gaps left by other approaches.
How Moxo helps
A successful process improvement plan depends on execution, visibility, and accountability. Moxo provides the infrastructure to design, automate, and monitor improvement plans from start to finish—ensuring every objective is actionable and measurable.
Build your improvement plan with templates
Using Moxo’s no-code workflow builder, teams can transform static plans into live workflows that define ownership, milestones, and approval paths. Ready-to-use workflow templates help standardize improvement plans across departments, ensuring consistency and faster rollout.
Automate and stay on track
Moxo’s workflow automation keeps every step of the plan on schedule. Automated reminders, escalations, and status updates prevent delays and maintain momentum throughout the improvement cycle.
Collaborate and track progress
Through branded client portals, teams and stakeholders can review actions, exchange files, and provide updates in real time. Document collection workflows maintain version control, keeping improvement documentation organized and audit-ready.
Measure KPIs with real-time reporting
With performance dashboards, leaders can monitor KPIs such as process cycle time, error rate reduction, and overall improvement ROI. These insights help validate which changes are working and identify areas for further optimization.
Maintain compliance and reliability
All improvement plans operate under enterprise-grade security, including SOC 2, GDPR, and encryption standards. Audit-ready logs ensure every action and decision remains traceable for governance and accountability.
With Moxo, teams move from theoretical planning to real-time process improvement—executing plans, measuring outcomes, and scaling best practices across the organization.
Move in the right direction
A process improvement plan sets the direction, but execution determines success. Organizations that rely on static plans often struggle to sustain long-term results. Embedding workflows, dashboards, and compliance controls into your plan turns improvement into measurable, repeatable progress.
With Moxo, teams can connect planning, execution, and reporting on a single, secure platform that unites internal stakeholders and external partners.
Get started with Moxo to see how you can operationalize process improvement and achieve lasting, data-driven results.
FAQs
What is the difference between a process improvement plan and workflow automation?
A plan defines objectives and KPIs; automation executes them. With Moxo, you can do both in one place.
Can I start small with Moxo and expand?
Yes. Many teams begin with document collection or client onboarding workflows, then scale across departments.
Which KPIs should I track in external workflows?
Completion %, cycle times, error rates, and drop-off rates. Moxo dashboards make them easy to monitor.
How does Moxo differ from project management tools?
Project management tools track internal tasks. Moxo client portals handle secure, external workflows with clients and vendors.
Is Moxo secure enough for regulated industries?
Yes. Moxo is SOC 2 compliant, GDPR-ready, with encryption, role-based access, audit trails, and SSO/MFA for enterprise compliance.
