The Benefits of Process Mapping

Whether you’re looking to improve or define a new process, process mapping can help you better understand it and identify opportunities to improve efficiency. This improvement can lead to a number of positive outcomes, whether it be providing a better product or service for your clients or giving your team members a better understanding of how they fit into a project. 

Continue reading to explore how to create a process map, including the different types, how process maps enhance Six Sigma, and the benefits it can offer.

What is a process map?

A process map is a type of map or flowchart you can create to illustrate the entire workflow of a project. It visually represents each step or event that ultimately cumulates in the end result. As a tool, it allows you and your team to gain a better understanding of processes, identify areas you can eliminate or improve to reduce waste, increase overall efficiency, and boost performance. 

Read more: What Is Business Process Mapping and How Can It Help My Business?

Benefits of process mapping

Implementing process mapping can provide a variety of benefits to your process, including finding potential problem areas where you can simplify your plan to eliminate any unnecessary complexity. 

Additional advantages include the following:

• Increase transparency surrounding decisions 

• Allow teams to participate in brainstorming ways to make improvements

• Share project plans and progress quickly with stakeholders outside the project team

• Improve communication and understanding of processes among team members

• Clarify individual roles and responsibilities

• Identify potential room for improvement and flaws in your process

When selecting the correct type of process map, it’s essential to consider the complexity of your project and the specific problem you’re looking to solve.

Types of process maps

Depending on the specifics of your project, certain types of process maps will be a better fit, even though they all serve the same purpose. The following offers some insight into the different types of process maps and when it’s advantageous to use each.

1. Basic flowchart

Basic flowcharts are the simplest form of process mapping. They allow you to illustrate the inputs and outputs of a process, as well as the different steps involved. Basic flowcharts are ideal when planning a new project and showing the sequence of a process. They can help your team communicate expectations and solve problems before they occur. 

2. Detailed process map

Detailed process maps show all of the specific details and sub-processes involved. This type of process map is best when you want to document the different decisions and details to help team members have a comprehensive understanding of the process, as it is a much more complex process map than a high-level flowchart. One of the benefits of a detailed process map is that it can help you pinpoint potential problems and create contingency plans in the same workflow. 

3. Cross-functional flowchart

Cross-functional flowcharts are also known as swim lane diagrams or deployment maps. They are divided into lanes that show various activities involved in the process and who is responsible for each task. You can use cross-functional flowcharts to increase accountability and when it's essential to clearly state how roles relate to one another.

4. SIPOC 

SIPOC diagrams have five components: suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, and customers. Rather than being a flowchart, they are charts that detail the five components, with a column for each. SIPOC helps define processes with greater complexity and identify the critical elements, which can sometimes be the first step to creating more detailed process maps. 

5. Value stream map

Value stream maps allow you to document each step in the process to identify any areas of waste and implement strategies for improving the efficiency of resources. These process maps approach workflow by thinking about the end product and charting the flow of value to the customer. Value stream maps are ideal for documenting how information flows and maximizing resources in a Lean methodology.

Read more: What Is Business Process Mapping and How Can It Help My Business?

How process mapping works together with Six Sigma

Six Sigma is an organizational tool that businesses can use to improve processes and increase performance. Process mapping is helpful in the same environments as the Six Sigma methodology, with process mapping techniques being implemented either at the beginning of the Six Sigma methodology or throughout the process.

Read more: Six Sigma Certification: Benefits, Options, and How to Get Certified

Challenges of process mapping

Process mapping has numerous benefits, but it does come with challenges. For instance, it can contain flawed or inaccurate information because the information may be objective, such as employee interviews. It can also include data from a small number of employees that doesn’t always represent the entire process.

5 steps to creating a process map

When using a process map, consider what problem you’re trying to solve and include team members from all different areas of the process to get their input. Not only will this help get people to commit to the process, but it will also ensure you’re developing an accurate process map. Regardless of the type of process map you choose to implement, you can create it by following five basic steps.

1. Choose the process to focus the map on.

Start by finding an area with an opportunity for improvement. It could be an existing process that’s underperforming or a new process or strategy you want to communicate effectively with your team.

2. Collaborate with everyone involved in the process.

Having input from everyone involved in the process helps identify specific problem areas, fully understand and account for each step involved, and ensure that your process doesn’t miss out on any relevant information.

3. Plan and organize the process map.

Now that everyone is together, you can start compiling the steps or events involved in the process, including all the inputs, outputs, roles, and time constraints. Once you have established all the steps, you can start organizing their sequence. 

4. Illustrate the process map.

After establishing all the steps and correct sequencing, you can choose the type of process map and begin drawing it. Once complete, share the process map with everyone involved to ensure you’ve included all information and that everyone understands the process. Analyze and review the map for any possible inefficiencies.

Symbols used in process mapping

Although you can use approximately thirty different symbols to represent the various elements of your process map, you can typically map processes with these five basic symbols:

• Ovals: Ovals represent the beginning and end of a process.

• Rectangles: You can use rectangles to represent an operation, task, or action.

• Arrows: Arrows represent the workflow's direction and connect the process's different parts.

• Diamonds: Diamonds represent questions or decision points that impact the workflow.

• Rectangle with wave bottom: Rectangles with wave bottoms represent a point in the workflow where you will produce a physical document.

5. Implement your process map and make adjustments as needed.

After implementing your new process, you should continue to monitor the process and get feedback from your team members to see if any areas for improvement exist and whether or not you can eliminate any steps. 

Getting started with Coursera

Process mapping offers a way to visualize a project to help define the process, communicate with your team, and look for potential challenges in any project. Continue learning about process mapping and other strategies for improving business processes on Coursera.

For example, Data-Driven Process Improvement from the University of Buffalo can help you understand how to create current and future state process maps and implement data collection strategies. Create a Process Map Using a Canva Template is another excellent option, where you can learn how to build a process map to visualize workflows using Canva.