Business

Understand What Process Mapping Is And How To Adopt It

admin • 17 Sep 2023

Process mapping is a practice that helps managers solve problems by understanding the company's practical activities and identifying bottlenecks.

Are you struggling to identify bottlenecks, improve communication between teams or increase the efficiency of your processes?
In this article we will show you step by step how to choose the processes to be mapped and how to identify areas for improvement in each of them.
Good reading!

What is Process Mapping?

Process mapping is the identification of the sequence of activities that make up a process and other elements that interact with the workflow.

Thus, the idea is to give the company a complete view of how it works in practice, describing and listing all necessary actions, people involved, materials used and resulting products.
Mapping helps the manager answer a series of questions about the process, including:

• inputs and outputs (inputs and outputs);
• the person responsible for it;
• your goals;
• the risks associated with it;
• main difficulties;
• expected results;
• resources used, whether financial, material or human;
• activities that must be carried out;
• among others.

Did management notice that it is necessary to optimize these issues? So, it's time to do process mapping.

Additionally, have you noticed that there are miscommunications, delays, a high incidence of rework or other problems? Therefore, it is necessary to map the process in question. This is because it will help you understand what is not working and needs to be improved.

What is the Importance of Process Mapping?

Activities carried out in an efficient and organized way require process mapping . Thus, by identifying and documenting the correct sequence of steps, it is possible to avoid errors, rework and delays.

It also offers a clear view of activities. This is because it highlights points where improvements can be implemented.
Through diagrams and flowcharts, it is possible to visualize the interactions between the steps, identify bottlenecks and find more effective solutions.

In addition, everyone involved has a shared understanding of tasks and responsibilities, facilitating collaboration and teamwork.

What is the purpose of process mapping?

The purpose of process mapping is to improve the efficiency of companies. That's because process maps provide detailed information about a specific process, facilitating cross-team discussions to improve existing processes.

In addition, they improve communication and serve as process documentation. Therefore, they are effective in identifying bottlenecks, redundancies and delays.
Not to mention that they help define boundaries, properties and responsibilities of processes, in addition to establishing measures of effectiveness and indicators .

What Is the Level of Detail of Process Mapping?

A process mapping can have different levels of detail:

• First level (descriptive) : its objective is to guarantee that all the people involved are aligned regarding the understanding of the process;
• Second level (analytical) : highlights exception events and treatments and, therefore, brings a more technical view;
• Third level (executable) : details all implemented services, bringing a more data-focused view.

But, of course, choosing the level of depth of your process mapping depends on your objective at each moment.

What Are the Advantages of Process Mapping?

By now, you must have already understood that process mapping brings many advantages to the company.

It allows managers and the team to have an overview of what happens in the company's day-to-day activities. This way, it is possible to identify points for improvement and understand what is behind each of the activities carried out.

Simplifies Processes

Process mapping allows a clear and detailed view of how activities are carried out in an organization.

This way, it simplifies processes, identifying unnecessary steps, duplications of work or complex flows. This way, it is possible to eliminate redundant activities, reduce bureaucracy and improve overall efficiency.

Improves Understanding

By mapping processes, information about the steps, responsibilities and interactions between departments becomes more visible and understandable.

This way, employees understand better how work is carried out and how their activities fit into the general context.
In other words, this clear vision allows them to contribute more effectively to the organization’s objectives.

Optimizes Communication

By having a visual representation of processes, it's easier for team members to communicate about their responsibilities, workflows, and dependencies.

This fluid communication reduces ambiguity and misunderstandings, promoting more efficient and effective collaboration between departments.

Contributes to Project Planning

Understanding existing processes allows identifying areas affected by ongoing or future projects. So, in a way, it allows you to more accurately analyze the impacts and resource requirements.

In addition, it all contributes to setting realistic deadlines, allocating the right resources, and planning activities more efficiently.

Strengthen Documentation

Process mapping provides a clear visual representation of all processes, complemented by detailed descriptions of activities, responsibilities and business rules.

This way, it is possible to reinforce existing documentation, making it more understandable and accessible to all team members, which helps with operational continuity.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Process Mapping?

While process mapping is a valuable practice, it also has some potential drawbacks, such as:

• time and resources : it is a detailed process, with information collection, collaboration between different stakeholders and documentation of the processes. Therefore, it may require a considerable investment of time and financial resources;
• excessive complexity : when trying to document all the details of a process, you can lose focus on the essence and make the map excessively complex and difficult to understand;
• resistance to change : some people may see this as a threat to their established work procedures. They may also fear that process mapping will lead to staff reductions or increased oversight;
• lack of updating : If process maps are not updated regularly, they can become obsolete and lose their relevance.

When to Do the Mapping?

It is possible to carry out process mapping in several situations, such as:

• starting a new project or undertaking;
• improving efficiency and reducing waste in existing processes;
• implementation of new systems or technologies;
• need to understand the interaction between departments or teams;
• identification of bottlenecks or points of inefficiency in a workflow;
• continuous improvement and improvement of existing processes;
• documentation of operating procedures;
• improved communication and collaboration between team members;
• preparation of the organization for certification in quality standards, such as ISO 9001 .