5 tips for good process mapping
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 7:03 am
Have you ever had a plan and didn't know how to make it work? Or maybe you had a part of a production process that you didn't understand at all? Did you know that there is a resource that can help you with this? It's called process mapping. It is an essential logical tool that uses BPMN notation to help you understand how the flows, steps and objectives of the processes that occur within an organization work. Through mapping, it is possible to identify possible bottlenecks, as well as delimit functions and roles that need to be vnpay database performed, reduce and preserve resources, estimate expenses and measure the performance of the process as a whole. In addition, it is an effective visual representation of crucial information for transmitting data, documents and even ideas.
So how do you do this? It’s easy, here we’ll look at 5 tips for creating a good process map.
Tip 1: Know well the process you want to map
This first step seems obvious, but many people end up going through it quickly. As a result, they miss essential details that will be useful when redesigning the map. To understand a process from start to finish, it is essential that, during this immersion stage, the individual tries to look at the operation from different angles. This way, they can capture different perceptions and create a holistic overview of what is actually happening. In order to better understand the activity being mapped, a good way to capture these perceptions is to think about possible strategic questions to ask the employees involved. Start by thinking about who is involved in the activity and what tasks they perform. From there, you will be able to identify the essential elements that will make up your map.
Tip 2: Define a beginning and an end
Since it is a visual representation, it is essential that the information flows presented on the map are easy to understand. If necessary, you can explore several advanced tools that current programs offer to attach documents to maps, for example. The important thing here is to know how to recognize the beginning and end of the mapped process, thus avoiding maps that are too short or too long. To this end, the first stage of immersion and study will be crucial to define this delimitation, which will also help to understand the estimated execution time of the entire process.
Tip 3: Know who is involved in the process
When mapping, one of the pillars is to have full knowledge of the people involved in the process. When we map out our process, it may include more than one individual as an agent of action. With this in mind, these same individuals may come to perform complementary functions, and it is essential to understand this issue in order to be able to draw the map. In addition, there is an understanding of the services provided by each person within the process. This way, we can better distinguish, as well as make more visible, the role of each individual with different positions and responsibilities. Obviously, before carrying out this step, an in-depth study of the mapped scenario is necessary to understand and know who the people involved in this process are.
Tip 4: Identifying bottlenecks
Once the previous steps have been completed, it is now possible to create a draft of the mapping. As previously mentioned, the ultimate goal of mapping is to optimize processes. That said, many bottlenecks can exist. What are bottlenecks? In simple terms, bottlenecks are failures that occur within the process, and are responsible for complicating the flow and slowing down the steps. In mapping, since everything is more organized in the most perceptible way possible, these bottlenecks become clearer. Therefore, it is possible to improve the process, remodeling it and making it increasingly easier to achieve the objectives in the most effective way.
So how do you do this? It’s easy, here we’ll look at 5 tips for creating a good process map.
Tip 1: Know well the process you want to map
This first step seems obvious, but many people end up going through it quickly. As a result, they miss essential details that will be useful when redesigning the map. To understand a process from start to finish, it is essential that, during this immersion stage, the individual tries to look at the operation from different angles. This way, they can capture different perceptions and create a holistic overview of what is actually happening. In order to better understand the activity being mapped, a good way to capture these perceptions is to think about possible strategic questions to ask the employees involved. Start by thinking about who is involved in the activity and what tasks they perform. From there, you will be able to identify the essential elements that will make up your map.
Tip 2: Define a beginning and an end
Since it is a visual representation, it is essential that the information flows presented on the map are easy to understand. If necessary, you can explore several advanced tools that current programs offer to attach documents to maps, for example. The important thing here is to know how to recognize the beginning and end of the mapped process, thus avoiding maps that are too short or too long. To this end, the first stage of immersion and study will be crucial to define this delimitation, which will also help to understand the estimated execution time of the entire process.
Tip 3: Know who is involved in the process
When mapping, one of the pillars is to have full knowledge of the people involved in the process. When we map out our process, it may include more than one individual as an agent of action. With this in mind, these same individuals may come to perform complementary functions, and it is essential to understand this issue in order to be able to draw the map. In addition, there is an understanding of the services provided by each person within the process. This way, we can better distinguish, as well as make more visible, the role of each individual with different positions and responsibilities. Obviously, before carrying out this step, an in-depth study of the mapped scenario is necessary to understand and know who the people involved in this process are.
Tip 4: Identifying bottlenecks
Once the previous steps have been completed, it is now possible to create a draft of the mapping. As previously mentioned, the ultimate goal of mapping is to optimize processes. That said, many bottlenecks can exist. What are bottlenecks? In simple terms, bottlenecks are failures that occur within the process, and are responsible for complicating the flow and slowing down the steps. In mapping, since everything is more organized in the most perceptible way possible, these bottlenecks become clearer. Therefore, it is possible to improve the process, remodeling it and making it increasingly easier to achieve the objectives in the most effective way.