How process mapping helps your business
Process mapping is useful for operational efficiency and process, product and service innovation.
When you make a product or deliver a service, you follow a sequence of steps. You can draw these steps into a flowchart diagram, or a process map.
Once you’ve mapped the current steps of a process, you can create value in different ways. You can:
- improve how you carry out specific steps
- eliminate the need for inputs or outputs
- remove an entire step
- focus on an overlooked step
- put the steps into a different order
- enable steps to be completed in new locations or at different times.
Process mapping for efficiency
Process mapping can help you:
- identify where you have bottlenecks or other capacity problems; build-ups or shortages of inventory; problems with quality; and other opportunities for improvement.
- highlight where problems with people, machinery or other processes could cause your process to break down.
- see the time or materials you will save or how a suggested change might have flow-on effects – this can help you identify unintended consequences and measure potential gains.
Process mapping for innovation
Mapping a process might show that problems are concentrated in one part of the process. Maybe you can rethink that part of the process more dramatically instead of just adjusting it, for example:
- doing preparation tasks separately to remove bottlenecks and shorten the overall time your process takes
- using your process map to define contract requirements for outsourcing the process.
If you’re planning a big change, process maps can also help you explain the change to workers, or to investors who might provide the funding you need.
How to map a process
- Step01
Identify the process
First, you need to identify the process you want to map and the purpose for mapping it. For example, say you own a café and want to map the process of making an espresso coffee. The purpose of mapping this process is for staff to follow a uniform process for creating an espresso coffee for customers.
- Step02
Decide what to measure
From the purpose, decide what you need to measure or record for each step and how detailed to make the process map.
For example, making an espresso coffee. Detail the main steps of the process, such as:
- grind beans into basket
- press coffee (‘tamp’)
- fit basket and pour shot.
You don’t include details such as what grinder settings to use or how much coffee to pour.
- Step03
Define the scope – and the start and end points
A simple process map includes details, such as grinding the beans and making the coffee, but excludes getting the machine ready, cleaning up and serving the coffee.
- Step04
Draw the process map
You can use flowchart or office software that lets you draw diagrams, or keep things simple with just a pencil and paper or sticky notes. Useful steps to show include the start and end points, process steps, and any decisions or different branches the process could follow. A more detailed process map for the coffee example could split at a decision point for the type of coffee ordered. It could then show the size of cup to choose, how much coffee to pour, or other process details.
- Step05
Add the most important information for your purpose
These details could be the timing or cost for each step, who does each step, the rules for decisions, sources of errors and links to other processes in your organisation or beyond.
A good process map should be easy for its audience to understand. If you plan on sharing it or using it to document how your business works, use simple and standardised symbols such as diamonds for decision points and rectangles for tasks. They will help with continuity as your business grows or staff change.
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