Process Mapping
What is it?
Process mapping is a general term for illustrating the steps in a workflow. Visualizing workflows turns abstract processes into tangible models, making it easier to identify gaps, and align teams. Creating a process map helps teams understand, analyze, and optimize processes by making them more transparent, structured, and actionable.
Process maps can be lightweight or more detailed. For instance, a flowchart is a simple process map that illustrates the steps in a workflow. However, many commonly used process maps capture additional values and draw associations between the steps in the process and the value under examination. For instance, a Swimlane Diagram could associate the steps in a process with different teams in order to show which team handles each step.
Types of Process Maps
Examples of commonly used process maps include User Journeys, Service Blueprints, and Value Stream Mapping. Each format includes the details needed to support a different kind of analysis.
- Journey Maps are often used to demonstrate how users experience a product or service over time. The map correlates the steps in a customer journey with the emotions and pain points they experience along the way.
- Service Blueprints map out the behind-the-scenes processes that support a customer’s journey. The diagram will show the frontstage (customer-facing) and backstage (internal systems) aspects of the process to reveal the impact of internal processes on the customer experience.
- Value Stream Maps support work flow analysis. They associate work flow steps with details like time per step or cost per step in order to surface bottlenecks or inefficiency.
Every process map template was designed by someone seeking to learn more about a process. Feel free to experiment with existing models, modify conventions, and add the details that will best support your analysis.
Process Mapping as a Team
It can be time consuming for one person to investigate and document a complex process , but process mapping can be done accurately and efficiently as a collaborative workshop.
- Consider designating an experienced facilitator to guide the discussion.
- Choose tools that allow you to work effectively. Collaborative whiteboard tools like Miro and FigJam make it easy to work with teammates and stakeholders.
- Select a process map that is appropriate for your goals.
- As a team, agree on a set of conventions that everyone understands or select a standard format.
- Work together to capture the steps in the process and related details.
- Invite stakeholders and process experts in order to ensure that the process map is accurate and comprehensive.
How to use them?
Process maps are typically deployed as a part of the product design process. Designers use process maps to understand end-user experience. During problem discovery, process mapping can help teams uncover pain points in the current state process. This information can help teams orient where they want to focus their efforts. They can also serve as a way to identify a baseline you can measure future state solutions against.
Process maps should be living artifacts. As changes are introduced to the processes or system, teams should re-evaluate their maps and understand what pain points or process changes exist with the newest iteration of workflows. Continually revisiting process mapping helps teams identify the biggest bottlenecks at any point in time. This is an important factor for teams operating under the Theory of Constraints philosophy where continuous improvement efforts are centered around the “weakest links” in the system.
Process mapping can also be used to drive alignment - either on the current state process when there are silos of roles and information, or to produce a future vision of a process and drive alignment around what that vision more tangibly looks like. Future-looking process maps can serve as a prototype for feedback on changing human behaviors before implementing changes to a product or service.
Why do it?
Creating process maps makes it easier for a team to analyze processes and align on improvements.
Process maps:
- Clarify Workflows: Working with your team to refine a visual model will reveal complexity and reduce ambiguity.
- Identify Pain Points: Having a concrete model to analyze makes it easier to spot complications and inefficiencies.
- Improve Collaboration: Instead of arguing about the finer points of the process, rally around a well-structured map.
- Drive Process Improvement: Identifying key issues makes it easier to prioritize, implement, and iterate on effective process improvements.