If you look at everything in life in terms of a process (like I do), then you believe everything can be improved.
Whether it’s your morning work routine, how you check your emails, how you respond to requests for proposals, or even shopping for groceries, they are all processes that can CONTINUOUSLY be IMPROVED. However, in many organizations, no one person can describe the complete series of activities required to move a customer’s request into a product or service.
This article reminds us that process mapping provides us with a graphical representation of how things get done by helping stakeholders visualize the details of a process closely and guide decision-making. By gaining a better understanding of a process, process mapping helps us brainstorm ideas for process improvement, identify workflows & handoffs, pinpoint interdependencies, and to provide documentation in showing others how a process works.
Failure to understand how workflows, or more commonly, doesn’t flow across an organization, is a fundamental problem that can lead to poor performance and poor decisions that may impact our customers.
Although process mapping has become streamlined because of numerous software tools, it is essential to point out that process mapping is about communicating your process, whether it is scribbled on a restaurant napkin or utilizing a robust software program.
Do you understand your processes?
Do you have a clear understanding of how your organization’s various parts fit together? Do you know how value is delivered to the customer (internal & externally), and do you want to look for ways to become more efficient? If you answered yes to any of these – What are you waiting for?
Process mapping provides us a visual glimpse of different processes of the business while providing critical information such as the Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How aspects of the process in guiding us towards possible solutions—simple but powerful tool.
What are your goals for 2021? We’re getting closer to year-end and process mapping might be a step in the right direction for your organization. Let’s talk!