In our series on process maps which wraps up next week, the maps we have looked at are descriptive. They help us capture and display information about the current state. Each mapdepicts the entire process, though from different angles. For example, swim lane maps stress roles,responsibilities, andhand-off points, whereas document maps list documents and records generated throughout a process.

Activity mapsdisplay information about the relative worth or value of activities. They show process steps in columns –activities withineach step, or column, are shown.Activities are color-coded according to the valuethat customers might derive from them (i.e., are they value-added or non-value-added activities?).Some activities addvalue and some do not — those that don’t should be minimized or eliminated.

Assigninga value toactivitiesis, bynature, subjective: we may rationalize our value judgment by attributing it to the customer.Thatis shifting the responsibility for the judgment onto the customer, which mayensure that some activities that should be cut are not.

Recapping the Seven Process Map Formats

Let’s recap the mapsdiscussed over the past several weeks. The following table liststhe informationeach map reveals and the best use for each. Click on the links for articles and blog posts explaining or applying the highlighted concept:

Map name

Information Shown

Best Use

High-Level Process Map

Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer (SIPOC)

Building consensus on high-level process steps; establishing clear hand-offs.

Low-Level Process Map

Detailed scope, documents, decisions, order, and direction of flow.

Look for missing steps; gain clarity on how the work is best performed.

Swim Lane Process Map

Roles, responsibilities boundaries and hand-offs.

Establish responsibilities and hand-offs

Document Maps

Literal documents that are inputs and outputs at each process step.

As an inventory or guide to documents that support a process. Excellent for preparing for audits and compliance regimes.

Activity Process Map

Detailed activities at each process step. Value-added and non-value-added activities.

Leaning out a process, looking for waste, non-value-added and value-added activities.

Work Flow Diagram

Work process shown in iconic flow fashion.

Easier to relate to than a flow diagram done in more traditional Unified Modeling Language symbols. Useful as a job aid.

Rendered Process Map

Usually illustrates current state and/ or future state to highlight potential improvements.

As a storytelling device, often used as part of the report-out of an analysis. (See this article).

Moving From Process Observationto Process Improvement

The descriptive process mapshelp capture the current state. Activity maps help us collectdetailed information about what isoccurring. We use them toreduce the number of steps –we make the processlean.

Convincing others to accept our judgments often requires changingminds, showingpeoplea new way to work. We move beyond simply describing a process to tell a story,illustratingour point of view. There aremaps that help us do just that; one is the “rendered map”. In a rendered map, we show enough information to persuade our audience to accept our judgment.

Now, wehear the objection, “Show all the information and let the viewer decide.” Our objective is to “inform to persuade”. Everyone has their biases, their own set of filters. We commonly think of this in relation to news media; however, your relationship to a businessprocess colors your judgment, too.

As an analyst, quality professional, change manager, and executive, your role is to collect and sift throughinformation, form a qualified, professional opinion, and present a compelling case for improvement.

Not having collected and mapped everything you did, your audience doesn’t have the perspectiveyou do. Theyknow more than you about their specific area, department, or functionbut you captured key aspects of that in interviews you did. When the facts are analyzed and the mapping is done, it’s time for you to make your case: convince people to take action in step, in time, and with significant potential impact.

In the next article, weconclude our Process Map series with rendered maps — setting the stage for change.