Get more value from Process Mapping

With an increase in the number of organisations amalgamating within the Government sector and private and public sector clients seeking greater efficiencies, we have noted an increase in demand for process mapping. This is not unexpected given that in order to improve something you first need to understand it. However my question to you is: “are you getting maximum value from your investment in process mapping?”

What is a Process Map?
A process map visually describes the flow of activities of a process. A process can be defined as the sequence and interactions of related process steps, activities or tasks that make up an individual process from beginning to end. Standard symbols are used within a process map to describe key process elements. These symbols come from the Unified Modelling Language or UML, which is an international standard for drawing process maps.

Get the Benefits
Organisational Agreement
The first benefit to come from mapping processes is the participation of employees in the process. This is one of the most important benefits because it gives employees an opportunity to experience a shared view of the process. Employees are often surprised by the complexity of the process and delighted to see the “actual process” for the first time. Involvement by all performing the process reveals the issues and gaps that cause business and operational failures. Furthermore people will be more willing to participate in a change initiative and pitch in with new ideas when they are directly involved.

Process Redesign
Documenting processes involving employees can lead to insights and changes that can help improve process operation. The way to understand a process is to think of it in terms of its elements, inputs outputs, activity steps, decision points, enablers and functions. Improving a process includes:

• eliminating entire processes or sub-processes that are unnecessary;
• automating manual activities;
• combining steps;
• outsourcing elements of the process;
• changing the location where steps are performed or the people performing them;
• altering or modifying how activity steps are performed.

A more structured approach which often leads to additional process and organisational efficiencies is the use of Value Stream Mapping and the application of the Lean process reengineering methodology. Lean focuses on removing waste from processes, e.g. rework and / or unnecessary process steps.

Capture the Future State
Much of the benefit of improving a process is being able to inform process participants of their role and their responsibility with regard to generating the required process outputs. To achieve this it is essential that once a process has been improved / redesigned the process documentation is updated to reflect the new process. This is important as processes can quickly deteriorate as new staff come into the organisation. Research has shown that about only 30% of the required knowledge is transferred to a person during initial job training. This leads to people interpreting task requirements which in turn leads to undesirable process changes.

A process flow diagram is insufficient to transfer the required knowledge of a process to a person unacquainted with it. The process flow diagram needs to be supported by additional documentation such as a process control plan. The process control plan details:

• the name of the process task or step
• who is suppose to perform the task (who has responsibility)
• the inputs required to complete the task (often the outputs from the previous task)
• instructions for performing the task (what occurs and how it is done)
• the outputs from the task (what is produced)
• the control associated with the task, e.g. the quality of output, and / or time in which it must be completed.

The value of documenting a process is in being able to firstly improve the process and secondly in being able to consistently repeat the process and produce the output to the required quality standard.

Communicate with Users
Process documentation must be available to those people involved in performing the process. With the tools available today it is possible to make all process documentation available to users via a simple browser. This includes process flow diagrams, control plans, template documents and even screen shots of IT systems that are used in the process. It is the communication of the process, how it is performed, the outputs and the quality standards that ensure consistent application and thus operational efficiency.