Why map?
In the previous article, we talked about how broken processes cost time, money, and nerves. But before you can improve anything, you first need to know how things actually work.
And here’s the problem: most companies think they know. Management has a picture of how things should work. But reality on the ground is often different. Between “how it should be” and “how it is,” there’s often a gap.
Process mapping simply means describing and visualizing what happens - step by step, from start to finish. Not how you wish it worked. But how it actually works.
Before you start: two important things
1. Pick one specific process
Don’t map “everything.” Choose one process that causes the most headaches. It could be order processing, complaint handling, employee onboarding - anything you do repeatedly and where you feel things aren’t running smoothly.
2. Invite the people who actually do the work
This is crucial. Don’t map the process with management behind closed doors. Invite the people who perform those steps every day. They know where things get stuck, where people improvise, and where informal shortcuts exist that management has no idea about.
Ideal group: 3-5 people who are directly involved in the process. Plus one person who coordinates or is responsible for the process.
Step by step: How to map a process
Step 1: Name the process and define start and end
This sounds simple, but many mapping attempts fail right here. You need to clearly state where the process starts and where it ends.
Examples:
- Order processing: Starts - “customer places an order.” Ends - “shipment is handed to the carrier.”
- Employee onboarding: Starts - “employment contract signed.” Ends - “employee independently handles routine tasks.”
- Complaint handling: Starts - “customer reports a problem.” Ends - “customer confirms the issue is resolved.”
Step 2: List every step in order
Grab a whiteboard, a large sheet of paper, or sticky notes. And simply start from the beginning: what happens first? Then what? And then?
Don’t filter. Write down absolutely everything, even steps that seem obvious or unnecessary. Those are usually the most interesting ones.
Step 3: For each step, note the details
For every step, answer four questions:
- Who does it? Specific role or name.
- What do they need? What information, documents, or access.
- What’s the output? What is produced after this step is done.
- How long does it take? An estimate - hours, days.
Step 4: Mark handoffs between people and departments
Handoffs are points where work moves from one person to another. And also the points where things most often get lost. Clearly highlight them.
Step 5: Mark problem areas
Where does it get stuck? Where is there waiting? Where do errors occur? Where do people ask “now what?” Mark these spots - they’ll guide your improvement efforts.
How to document it: three simple formats
You don’t need special software. Here are three ways to capture a process:
Table (simplest)
| Step | Who | Input | Output | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Receive order | Sales rep | Customer email | Entry in spreadsheet | Sometimes comes by phone, then gets forgotten |
| 2. Check stock | Warehouse staff | Entry from spreadsheet | Availability confirmed | Checked manually, takes 1-2 hours |
| 3. Confirm to customer | Sales rep | Warehouse confirmation | Email to customer | Sometimes waits all day for warehouse reply |
| 4. Prepare shipment | Warehouse | Confirmed order | Packaged shipment | Labels sometimes missing |
| 5. Hand to carrier | Warehouse | Packaged shipment | Shipment in transit | Carrier comes at 4 PM, must be ready |
Flowchart (boxes and arrows)
Each step is a box, arrows show direction. When the process branches (yes/no decision), draw a diamond. It doesn’t have to be pretty - it has to be understandable.
Swimlane diagram (who does what)
Divide the page into horizontal lanes - each lane is a department or role. Place steps in the lane of whoever performs them. You immediately see handoffs between departments.
Common mistakes in mapping
You map how it should work, not how it does. This is mistake number one. People tend to describe the ideal state. But you need reality - including the ugly improvised workarounds.
Too much detail. You’re not mapping every mouse click. You’re mapping steps that are meaningful from the perspective of the entire process. If you’re getting lost in details, you’re too deep.
Leaving out informal steps. “I just remember that.” “My colleague tells me in the hallway.” “That’s obvious, we don’t need to write it down.” These informal steps are often the source of problems.
Mapping alone without the people who do the work. A process drawn by a manager at a desk doesn’t reflect reality. Always involve the people who actually do the work.
A real-world story: A manufacturing company with 50 employees
MetalPro (fictional name) manufactures metal components. They had a problem with complaint handling - customers complained that responses took too long.
Management thought the process was simple: customer reports a problem, a technician assesses it, the company responds. Three steps.
When they sat down with employees and mapped the process step by step, they discovered something different:
- Customer calls reception
- Receptionist emails the sales rep
- Sales rep forwards to the production manager
- Production manager assigns to a technician
- Technician requests photos from the customer
- Customer sends photos to the reception email (because that’s the one they have saved)
- Receptionist forwards to the technician
- Technician evaluates and writes a response
- Production manager approves
- Sales rep sends the reply to the customer
Ten steps instead of three. And three of those handoffs were completely unnecessary. The receptionist acted as an intermediary twice, even though the customer could have communicated directly with the technician.
After simplification: the customer communicates directly with the technician through a simple form. Complaints are resolved in 2 days instead of 8.
Practical tip
For your first mapping session, don’t use fancy software. Seriously. Grab sticky notes, a whiteboard, or a large sheet of paper. One step per sticky note. Move them around, add them, remove them.
Why? Because software tempts you to make it “pretty” instead of “true.” And because people behave differently in front of a whiteboard than in front of a computer - they’re more open, they collaborate more, they discuss more.
Software comes later, when you want to document and share the result.
What’s next?
You’ve mapped your process - great. Now comes the most interesting part. In the next article, we’ll look at how to find bottlenecks in a process - where time is wasted, where errors occur, and where there are unnecessary steps you can simply remove.