Process Mapping
Businesses across the world today are competing with each other in the race to level up their efficiencies. Raising the standards of efficiency and productivity can be an uphill task, owing to the growing complexities in business processes.
This scenario highlights the importance of process mapping which is crucial to understanding the processes. In this age that calls for expediting things, automation is the game changer. Automated process mapping can turn the tables for businesses struggling to get more insights into their processes and work toward improving them.
Mapping processes implies understanding process components clearly. If your business is seeking more information on what process mining is and how it can help you, then this page is for you. Letβs take a closer look at this groundbreaking technology.

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What is Process Mapping?
Mapping of processes enables organizations to visualize the elements in their processes clearly through a visual representation of the workflow. The representations can come in different forms such as flowcharts, a swimlane, and so on. These visual representations put together the different components of an organizationβs business process management or BPM.
Every process entails a number of steps and a process map highlights these steps in the process. Laying out all the details of the tasks and subtasks paves the way for further improvement. BPMN 2.0,Β VSM mapping or value stream mappingΒ and Lean Six Sigma Process Mapping (SIPOC) are some methods used to improve business processes.
While BPMN 2.0, VSM mapping and Lean Six Sigma Process Mapping (SIPOC) serve different objectives, but all of them compliment each other.
Process Mapping as per BPMN 2.0 Methodology: Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) 2.0 is a globally recognized standard for visually mapping business processes. It is designed to provide a clear and understandable method for process modeling, enabling both technical and non-technical stakeholders to interpret a process’s flow easily. BPMN 2.0 simplifies complex processes by breaking them down into easily understandable components, allowing organizations to improve efficiency, identify bottlenecks, and streamline operations.
SIPOC function: SIPOC lies within the Six Sigma methodology. It lays the foundation for the basic framework for understanding processes. It accomplishes this by outlining the key components of the process. It identifies the inputs, outputs, and the core steps of the process. Moreover, it also recognizes the recipients of these outputs. SIPOC can be extremely beneficial for everyone who is involved as it provides a clear understanding of the purpose of the process.
Value Stream Mapping function: VSM is a more detailed tool for process mapping. From mapping the flow of materials to mapping the information required for the delivery of a product or service is carried out with VSM mapping. Aside from the value-adding steps, VSM also identifies the non-value-adding steps. This way, it generates a clear picture of the waste within the process.
The primary focus of VSM is on the analysis of lead times and obtaining insights for further streamlining the process. The primary benefit of VSM is to identify and eliminate waste and create value for customers.
BPX Methodology for Process Mapping
BPX follows the methodology for process mapping discussed in this section. Hereβs a walkthrough:
Select a process
You may want to focus on a process that needs immediate attention. For example, if a process concerned with customer satisfaction is struggling, choose it as a priority.
Involve the right people
Now that you have shortlisted the process you want to focus on for improvement, form a team of the key people who can help. With a combination of expertise and experience, these people can further add their suggestions to enhance the outcomes.
Outlining the process map
This step implies charting out the starting point, the end point, and all the steps involved in this specific process. Include all the relevant information such as the inputs, outputs, and important metrics.
Utilize flowchart symbols for enhanced visualization
Once the process outlining is done, you may further refine its representation with flowchart symbols. A good process mapping software can be helpful here.
Gather feedback
Collecting peer feedback for authenticating the steps is crucial. With the help of their feedback, ensure that all the steps are correctly depicted and no step has been missed. Also, seek feedback from stakeholders for carrying out further optimization. At this point, some steps might get added and some may get dropped depending on the inputs from the stakeholders. This step will also require you to conduct a quality assurance test to ensure all the pieces of the process have been captured correctly.
Deployment
This stage is to gauge the impact of the implemented changes to the process. At this stage, a small-level implementation can be done first to test if the desired outputs are being achieved. This is a recommended step before the process is implemented across the organization. This way, you can rectify or implement any necessary changes. In other words, it eliminates the larger risks.
Additionally, it provides an opportunity to deploy additional feedback to enable a smooth transition. However, constant monitoring of the performance is required after the final implementation. This is to ensure continuous improvement over the period of time.
Benefits of Process Mapping
There are multiple advantages of implementing process mapping in an organization. Letβs take a closer look.
Clarity around all processes
All the team members can get a shared understanding of how things are being done in the company. This easily puts an end to any confusion and ensures all the people involved are on the same page. They get a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and the overall flow of work.
Control over all processes
With process mapping, it is possible for the teams to get complete visuals of each and every step of the process. This enables them to spot and work on the inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Then they can implement measures to optimize the process and ensure that all processes continue to run smoothly.
Establish process norms
When a process map is documented, it serves as an SOP – a standard operating procedure. This ensures consistency in the way tasks are completed. As a result, the outputs are standardized and of higher quality. Moreover, the instances of errors are reduced to a great extent.
Reduced redundancies
Process mapping is instrumental in uncovering the repeated steps and unnecessary steps. It also lets the team know of any duplicated content. Consequently, it eliminates any duplication of effort and saves time and resources.
Better compliance
Some industries have regulatory requirements that they must comply with. As processes mapped can be documented, they serve as proof of adherence to the standards and regulations in the industry. So, all the non-compliance issues are taken care of.
Standardized and uniform employee training
When processes are clearly mapped, they become valuable documents for training new team members and employees. It becomes an excellent source of visual reference for them to understand the tasks and their responsibilities. They can also familiarize themselves with how their tasks contribute to the entire process.
Process Modeling v/s Process Mapping
If you are confused between the two terms that may be sometimes used interchangeably, then this section will help you resolve this confusion.
Process Modeling: It is the technique for organizations to find out accurately about the steps of a particular process. Process modeling utilizes a data mining algorithm to a procurement process data. This data is collected from the event logs of various systems in the company. The organization then generates a process model that offers a clear and holistic view of the complete workflow.
Process modeling is primarily used for generating process models, checking existing workflow efficiency, and improving them.
Process Mapping: This technique is used when businesses want to get clarity on the steps of the procurement process handled by the different departments in the business. It is a method of creating qualitative visual representations of the workflows. The data can be gathered from employee experiences and primary workshops.
Process mapping is used for generating process maps that visually represent qualitative workflow.
The following table helps us understand and get an overview of the difference between the two procedures:
Process Mapping | Process Modeling |
The process involves creating qualitative visuals of workflows manually. The primary methods used are interviews and workshops to collect data for mapping | The process involves creating qualitative visuals of the workflows with the use of data mining algorithms. These algorithms are applied to the event log data gathered from the IT systems in the organization. |
The technique is used to create process maps that represent data such as interactions between two departments or task ownership. | The technique is used to create process models that are used for visual representation of event log data. This can include data such as timelines or outcomes. |
Process mapping can be said to offer a more employee-friendly view of the occurrence of workflows. It helps present processes individually. This gives an overview of how the process works in its entirety within the organization. | Process modeling is a method used to obtain an objective view of how workflows actually occur. This is an apt method to understand how a process fits into the overall ecosystem of an organization. This is done by considering important elements such as success ratio and costs. |
While the two serve slightly different purposes, companies are recommended to use a combination of these techniques to derive an enhanced clarity on their processes.
Why BPX for Process Mapping
BPX is a team of skilled professionals that brings innovative process mapping solutions. If you are looking to start process mapping and improving them, BPX can get you started.
Here are some of the top reasons businesses must collaborate with BPX:
- Expertise: Business process consultants at BPX have deep knowledge regarding manufacturing process mapping and improvement methodologies. They help you identify error-prone areas that you may not be able to find on your own.
- Technology and tools: BPX consultants have access to specialized tools for mapping that can create effective processes. With efficient implementation, they can ensure
- Efficiency: BPX consultants can be instrumental in driving things up to speed more efficiently. This ultimately helps businesses save a lot of time and effort.
- Training and support: The BPX team can train your staff on process mapping and other techniques.
FAQ's
Process mapping is important to businesses today because of the many benefits it offers. Letβs take a look:
- Better efficiency: Visualizing processes lets the organizations identify the obstacles and hurdles in the process. This results in streamlining processes and saving time and effort.
- Reduced errors: All the steps while making a process map document each step involved. This ensures consistency and reduces the number of errors. It also lessens the chances of occurrence of errors.
- Better communication: A clear process map helps everyone on the team as it allows them to understand their roles and responsibilities clearly. They can also know how their participation affects the processes.
- Better decision-making: Clarity on processes allows for informed decisions about potential improvements.
The general process or the best practice for process mapping to be followed while creating a process map is as follows:
- Define the process to be mapped. There may be a process that may need to be prioritized owing to its impact on the business. For example, customer service can be prioritized as that affects many other aspects such as customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
- Know all the steps required in the process and the sequence they should follow. Before diving into making any modifications to the existing processes, it is important to understand all the steps beforehand. Thai eliminates any chances of a larger negative impact on the process.
- Select the suitable process mapping tool.
- Use symbols to represent each step
- Always keep all stakeholders in the loop about all the updates and latest developments.
Process mapping tools are basically the software systems that allow a business to create visual maps of the processes. Because there are multiple steps in a process, organizations usually prefer to use mapping tools.
While there are many options to choose from, some of the most popular process mapping tools available are as follows:
- Swimlane diagrams
- Detailed process map
- Flowcharts
- Value stream map