PROCESS MAPS

- visual representation of the different activities and processes that occur in an

organisation;
- defines what a business entity does, who is responsible, to what standard a
business process should be completed, and how the success of a business process can
be determined
- allows outside firms to come in and look at whether or not improvements can be
made to the current process
- assists organisations in becoming more efficient

a few more reasons why you should learn how to make a process map:

1. Spot and Correct problems faster

- the visual nature of process maps make it easier for management to identify
breakdowns in a process because they can actually see where issues occur

2. See the big picture

- not only does it provide a clear vision of the future, but also makes
employees more aware of how their work affects everyone else’s

3. trim unnecessary steps

- discovery unnecessary repetitions or time-wasting sidetracks, then trim as
needed when you re-map the process

4. New Employee Training

- catch your new team members up to speed with a detailed, accurate process
map; visually, it is much easier to understand, and it provides a greta avenue for
questions about the process

To create a business process map:

1. Identify the important processes that go into your business; list down the key
events that go on in your business

2. List down the “doers” for each process; the people or departments that have a
certain responsibility or set of actions will comprise the different rows of your
process map

3. Determine the start and end point for each process; the start point of your main
process is usually triggered by the customer, and think of your end point (when the
product is finally shipped, when the customer will receive the product, etc.)

4. Identify all the steps that go in between your start and end point;

5. Connect your steps and decisions with lines and arrows

Oval (Terminator) - indicates the beginning or end of a program flow in your

diagram

Rectangle (Process) - indicates any processing function

Diamond (Decision) - indicates a decision point between two or more paths in a

flowchart

Circle (Connector) - use this shape to create a cross-reference and hyperlink from
a process on one page to a process on another page