A Guide to Business Process Mapping

How can you persuade everyone else in your organization to see things the same way when they have such a diverse spectrum of characteristics and ways of thinking? Furthermore, how can you get your complete team to consistently do a task or procedure in the same manner? 

 

Business process maps are a foundation for doing exactly that: visually laying out a procedure so that everyone understands it and can conduct it in the same way.

 

This tutorial covers both beginner and advanced subjects related to business process mappings, such as its scope and extent, history, varieties of maps, and advantages. The ideas and methodology for mapping out processes, as well as the present state of process analysis, will be discussed.

 

Then we'll go through the symbols that are commonly used in process mapping and modelling, as well as how to make a map. 

 

Finally, we'll discuss how business process mapping relates to process paperwork and the developmental stages of process automation, as well as provide expert advice from across the web and the world. Godspeed with the mapping!

 

Also Read | Steps to Perform Business Process Analysis

 

What is Business Process Mapping?

 

Business process mapping is a methodology for creating visualization tools of process management that is part of Business Process Management (BPM). 

 

Project management maps depict the link between the actions and variables required to create an end-product or function, like when a product is packaged or an employee's vacation is granted. 

 

This documentation method is concerned with how a company does, why something does it, whatever the success criteria are, who is accountable, and when and where various phases will take place. Business process mapping ensures accountability for all customers, particularly those interested in compliance, not just within the organisation. 

 

Flowcharts and Business Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN) representations can be used to represent them.

 

The terms "business process mapping" and "business process modelling" are frequently interchanged. When process management modelling is done by experts, they are more concerned with how the processes are carried out and who (or what division) is carrying them out. 

 

As a result, they concentrate on assessing and optimizing the business process architecture by examining procedures and taking into account the industry's expectations and objectives. A company's quantitative method approach outlines all of the company's processes. 

 

The architecture, often known as a "blueprint," is used to connect a company's procedures with its goals. Modelling is primarily concerned with how processes move, whereas mapping is concerned with what already exists.

 

Also Read | Beginners Guide to Six Sigma

 

 

History of Business Process Mapping

 

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers pioneered Business Process Mapping (ASME). In a demonstration titled Production Charts, First Steps in Finding the One Best Way to Do Work, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth introduced the "flow process chart" in 1921. 

 

The equipment they demonstrated immediately became regulatory requirements, and they were displayed until the 1940s when the American Society of Mechanical Engineers approved them (ASME). In 1947, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) created a symbol system to ensure consistency in this sort of chart.

 

Process maps were also used in the industrial business to describe value-added activities and redundancies. These maps required days to make and were always static. Business process mapping has become more popular in recent years as a result of project management. 

 

Businesses may utilize technology systems to quickly build maps, develop them throughout time, and allow them access to all team members, fostering an evaluation and improvement. 

 

Most process management software solutions interface with enterprise resource planning software, allowing you to create maps and to have them come alive in your organization.

 

Types of Business Process Mapping

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Types of Business Process Mapping

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Business process maps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from planning activities to details, documents, goods, roles, locales, methods, and interactions. There are also many degrees of knowledge provided for mapping. Below are a few instances of business process map types.

 

1. Swimlane Diagrams

 

The sub-process roles of a process are detailed in these schematics, also known as cross-functional mappings.

 

2. State Diagrams

 

These illustrations depict system behaviour in the Unified Modeling Language (UML), specifying constituent contexts.

 

3. Data Flow Diagrams

 

This diagram, like a flowchart, is primarily concerned with the data that moves through a network.

 

4. Value Stream Mapping

 

Value stream mapping is a part of the implementation of the lean concepts that shows the present performance of the process and aids in the development of the desired future, with an emphasis on bringing goods and services from idea to implementation.

 

5. Flowcharts

 

These are visual representations of your procedure. Top-down process maps, distribution flowcharts, and comprehensive flowcharts are the three most common forms of flowcharts. Top-down flowcharts represent the process or system in a single flow, grouping them all together. 

 

Top-down flowcharts are broadened to have included who is conducting each job in distribution flowcharts. Comprehensive flowcharts are a combination of top-down and deployment flowcharts that show as much information.

 

Also Read | Augmented Analytics

 

Reasons Behind Process Mapping

 

Companies opt to outline their business processes for a variety of reasons. The advantages are vast, particularly in combination with advances in software development. Hereunder are some of the reasons why your company would wish to map processes:

 

• Allows everyone to observe the process from the same perspective.

 

• Procedure mistakes are reduced.

 

• Builds understanding amongst cross-functional domains.

 

• Every one may observe the "current status" with the help of this tool.

 

• Allows for the creation of measurements.

 

• By detecting holes and excess, it is possible to reduce waste.

 

Principles of Business Process Mapping

 

You should comprehend how you begin to analyze business processes in order to correctly change your corporation into a competitive one. Every mapping effort should adhere to the following guidelines:

 

1. Determine the project's scope, including its limits, start, and finish dates.

 

2. Take a look at the overall perspective - the process's goal.

 

3. Clearly define each stage.

 

4. Obtain input from everyone involved in the process in your company.

 

5. Try to be as accurate as possible, particularly with the mapping of the "as-is" procedure.

 

6. Keep the sub-processes as basic as possible.

 

7. Use recognised metrics to test the procedure. Time, volume, rates/costs, technology, and any additional value should all be measured using metrics.

 

8. Working downstream from the radiation that is emitted is a good way to start.

 

9. Wherever possible, facilitates the expansion with a central point of responsibility.

 

Also Read | Robotics Process Discovery

 

The Framework of Business Process Mapping

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Framework of Business Process Mapping

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You're probably wondering how you go about documenting your company processes. You'll need a defined method to accomplish it properly. A relevant framework is provided here.

 

1. Determine Your Companies Best Practises

 

Your organization should agree on what is mapping and the extent of each, as per the fundamentals of excellent business process mapping. The method should be easy to understand by someone who isn't familiar with it. 

 

Each procedure should be accompanied by a set of questions that explain why it is being carried out and what enters through each step. Finally, use metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of each procedure.

 

2. Process Development Terms

 

Specify the process mapping's purpose in detail. Understand in which the method happens and finishes, as well as what the potential for repairing it may be. Determine all of the phases, as well as the inputs and outputs, after you've chosen a process. 

 

Determine the systems, responsibilities, and timelines that will be involved. Choose a mapping method. Interview the contributors to determine their responsibilities in the process, paying close attention to each responsibility and determination point.

 

3. Process Mapping Review

 

Examine your flowchart. You're searching for duplicate procedures, delays, and superfluous stages, as well as ambiguities, bottlenecks, reworking points, and flows that travel back and forward between certain persons. 

 

Determine a metric for each section and where it will be used. Determine who should be in charge of reviewing the map. Choose a process improvement strategy.

 

4. Process Designing

 

Document the procedure, paying special attention to any potential issues. Capture the differences between the existing and new procedures using the best practices defined in Step 1. To identify possible issues, do a root cause analysis.

 

 

Scope & Purpose of Business Process Mapping

 

Process maps motivate people to think about how they might improve their organization's efficiency by understanding their processes. When you diagram a procedure, you must do so in such a way that everyone understands it. 

 

The definition of business process mapping will include end-to-end operations, as well as resources such as materials and equipment, and their connections. A process map may be used to connect multiple departments and teams, as well as external partners. It is entirely dependent on the procedure.

 

Business process modelling is used by organizations for a variety of reasons, but it is most commonly used as a formal standard of quality management. 

 

Ultimately, companies strive to improve their efficiency, so when all of their goals are assessed and compared, it's feasible to connect them with your company's beliefs and competencies. 

 

Your business may act as a unified entity with interconnected elements if its objectives are aligned, which dramatically boosts the profitability of your terminal or service. Building process management maps may also be used for the following purposes:

 

1. Standardization of procedures

 

2. Improvements to the onboarding and training of new employees

 

3. Communication

 

4. Observance of regulatory agencies

 

5. Internal control auditing

 

 

Life Cycle of Business Process Management

 

Business Process Management (BPM) is a field that aims to enhance business processes in a methodical manner. It is a well-coordinated plan for the progress of technology and stakeholders that includes a variety of components, including software. 

 

A BPM life cycle is a diagram that depicts the stages that BPM programmes go through. The same cycle is followed by a whole BPM programme, which is made up of individual business process improvement initiatives that incorporate business process mapping. 

 

Development, Model construction, Execution, Monitoring, and Improvement are the five phases of the cycle. The first step is design, which includes a business process mapping activity.

 

Also Read | Best Business Management Softwares

 

Tips For Business Process Mapping

 

The following are web-based recommendations on business process mapping, accompanied by expert perspectives and suggestions.

 

1. Apply process management mapping to the activities that need it. Because they are restricted in steps and may not deliver the most effect for your effort, processes that represent how decisions are being made isn't always the ideal processes to map.

 

2. Make sure you know what your process mapping will be about. In certain cases, the inadequacies in your workflows are caused by factors far outside the procedure. The importance of reviewing any crossing (secondary) processes becomes crucial at this point.

 

3. In cross-party responsibilities process maps, be cautious. These sequence diagrams aren't optimal since it's tough to display the dominating party graphically. When the process crosses borders, be sure to differentiate the leader in the research.

 

4. Hire a professional to map the processes. If you don't already have personnel knowledgeable in mapping, consider hiring someone.

 

5. Make sure your maps are accurate. After you've drawn them, go through them with the stakeholders in the process to make sure they're proper.

 

6. The specialists are the ones who employ the processes. It's vital to have a good overview since some individuals may be too connected to the operations to modify them, but they'll be able to determine you whether the proposed modifications have a possibility of working.

 

7. Gather all of the paperwork related to your improvement project. It's not only about the map when it comes to improvement efforts. Yes, it is critical, but you may need to recreate it.

 

8. Keep an eye on your assumptions at all times. Your assumptions, as well as those of your employees, might get you in hot water. Continue to ask the questions that show your prejudices.

 

Also Read | What is Business Cycle?

 

Business process mapping has become more than just a pretty picture. It's also the simplest method. However, if not done appropriately or seriously, it might lead to difficulties and issues that you'd prefer not have.

 

And that's why process mapping is so important, because it helps you to once again detect but also remedy breakable items all the while plugging in important gaps. Using the correct tools and software is the simplest and quickest method to do this.

 

As a result, make sure you discover and employ the greatest process mapping techniques and hardware for your company, one that meets all of your current demands and requirements.