Business Process Mapping – More than just flowcharts
This episode will help you quickly grasp what Business Process Mapping is and how to do it. It’s got the very basics to help get you started, regardless of which industry or team you’re in.
What is a business process?
A business process is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks performed by people or/with equipment (tools, documents, etc.) in which a specific sequence produces an output (e.g. a service or product for a particular customer).
If you have never been exposed to the concept of business processes, here is an example that is as ludicrous as it is simple: processes are like ovens in a bakery.
- You put “stuff” inside it – e.g. some dough
- Something happens within it – e.g. the heat cooks the dough
- A “more valuable” product comes out – e.g. a cake!
- Also, there could be different people providing input(s), working on it, and collecting output(s)
- As well as different systems that process information/perform activities
This presentation is for you if:
There are a variety of reasons why companies would embark in mapping their business processes. Some examples:
- Find inefficiencies in teams or activities within a company, by identifying mistakes, blockers or bottlenecks in a process)
- Rolling out a company Quality Management System (e.g. quality systems ISO9001)
- Want to replicate best practices or “modus operandi” somewhere else
- Want to understand what happens in a given business process
Mapping Business Processes – Video
Mapping Business Processes – Presentation
If you can’t see the presentation below, you can download the PDF here.
Behind the scenes
Needless to say – even this episode came to life with countless of hiccups and valuable learnings. I’m informally sharing a couple of them here: Lesson no. 2: always (keep yourself in) check / what you’re doing
