Tips On How To Process Map

Eventually, organizations that are on the lookout for ways to improve their systems come to the question of how to process map in their business most effectively. It really is a formidable task for first-timers and that is why there are business process consultants who are available on a short or long term basis to guide the company to doing just that.

Process mapping may sound complicated and highly technical but it is really just a method of illustrating or displaying the different work processes being used by an organization to achieve its goals. For manufacturing companies, it is the description of how raw materials arrive at the warehouse - how these are processed to come up with the finished product - and how the product reaches the company’s consumers.

It is simply a drawing, represented by boxes or triangles depending on the method used, that represent the work flow, or the business processes from start to finish.

There are high level process maps (medium image) that are used to scope Six Sigma projects and detailed process maps (zooming in or homing in) that are used in the analysis and improvement of processes. But whatever map is used, it should conform to the test of a good process map such as:

  • Does it allow easy understanding of the whole workflow by newbies or people unfamiliar with the mapping process?
  • Does it contain additional or new information that are related to the Six Sigma process?

Companies that are hesitant to use process maps because they do not know how to create one can make sue of their existing computer programs like Power Point or Excel or they can take a step forward and take advantage of process mapping software like the iGrafx, SigmaFlow and Microsoft Visio.

Even households do simple process mapping in terms of making graphs or diagrams of things to do or things to buy. However, business process mapping is more complicated and it is done through flowcharts to depict the series of events or steps taken by an organization to achieve a purpose.

Some companies prefer the Frank Gilbreth system of process mapping which was first used as early as the 1900s. It visualizes activities that are wasteful and those that add value to the final product and it is also very simple and easy to use. Here are some tips for going about process mapping:

  • Identify the Product - Since process mapping shows the events leading to the creation of a product or the accomplishment of a task, the user should identify the product in the flowchart and what is being done to the product.
  • Set the Boundaries - Some organizations have complicated workflows and the user should identify the boundaries between each process. This is a key step to gaining clarity.
  • Know Where There Is Value Added - The user should identify if a certain event is capable of adding value to the product. There are several considerations before one can classify an event as adding value to the products such as the additional costs involved. If the customers are willing to get the product even with additional payment (for that cost) then it may have added value to the product. However, if the customer does not even notice that such a step was eliminated then it has not added any value and it can probably be dispensed with.

Using flowcharts and diagrams in process mapping has often allowed easy identification of the essential parts of a whole-company system. It has also allowed organizations to realize why some of their processes are highly effective and why others are not working optimally.