Process map maker

Laying it out left to right keeps the main path obvious and makes rework loops, which double back, impossible to miss.

The mistake worth avoiding: mapping the process as it should be

Map the process as it is done today, including the workarounds, before anyone draws the improved version. A map of the official process hides exactly the steps that cause the trouble: the spreadsheet someone keeps on the side, the email that has to be chased, the approval that is skipped when the approver is away.

The easiest way to get the real version is to follow one actual case from start to finish and write down every step it went through. The gap between that map and the official one is usually the most useful thing the exercise produces.

Mapping it out

1. Open the template and retype the steps to match how the work is actually done today.
2. Be honest about the rework loop. Most processes have one, and it is usually the point.
3. Put the decision points in as diamonds and label both exits.
4. Add the time each step takes to its label, if you know it.
5. Mark the steps that add nothing for the customer in a different colour.
6. Draw the intended process as a second diagram and put the two side by side.

Why map a process

• Finding the step where work sits waiting
• Writing down a process before you try to change it
• Comparing how it works now with how you intend it to work
• Training, audits and any certification that asks for documented processes

What to look for once it is drawn

Rework loops

Any arrow going backwards is work being done twice. Count how often it fires before you try to remove it.

Waiting, not working

Time between boxes is usually far larger than time inside them, and far easier to cut.

Approvals that never say no

An approval step that has rejected nothing in a year is a delay with a job title.

Steps nobody owns

If you cannot name who does a step, that is the step that gets dropped.

Process map questions