Often a mapped process is displayed in the form of a flowchart showing people what activities are to be carried out and in what order.  These process flowcharts can also detail who is responsible for each activity and the timings for the step if necessary.

The process mapping exercise is carried out to walk through the overall process and detail each step and asks the questions, where does the flow of information, documents, manufacturing step etc. go from start to finish.   It also identifies the task required at each step and any decisions that need to be made.

The most common types of process mapping diagrams are Flowcharts and Deployment Charts (also known as Swimlanes).

• Flowchart (or Outline Process Map) is a diagram showing each step in a process from a birds eye view
• Deployment Charts show the overview as with the Flowchart, but also show where and by whom the activity is performed

The best way to approach process mapping is with a view to keeping it as simple as possible, (although this is often easier said than done!).  The end result is a chart that anyone can see and understand what is done, where and by whom.

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Torian IT Solutions Ltd offer Process Mapping services to businesses in the West Yorkshire region (Leeds, Wakefield, Kirklees, Bradford, Castleford, Pontefract)