Mapping Your Way To Success

Process improvement measures are an important aspect of any organization that wants to stay competitive. Today's competitive and fast moving business environment quickly weeds out organizations lacking efficiency in what it does. Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, noted over two millennia ago that "there is nothing permanent except change." Since time immemorial man has known that change is constant, but still people fail to embrace it. Changing a process should be a tool, an asset, a journey towards continued success. The problem that most people run into is not the lack of want for process improvement; it is that they fail to visualize the process. This article outlines one of the first steps required for successful process improvement: process mapping.

Many people consider flow charts or process maps silly and a waste of time. They are not, however, either. People should invest time and energy into process mapping because they are value-adding tools. Process maps provide a tool for visualizing the workflow. Specifically they identify the following process components: actions; tasks; decisions; sequence(s); the starting point; and the ending point. That is just scratching the surface of process map components, but they are the most essential parts. The best way to start the process mapping endeavor is to do it as a group effort.

One of the most valuable components of the process mapping endeavor is the team that gets it done. Any process improvement initiative that includes process mapping needs to have a capable facilitator. Without a capable facilitator the effort will be in vain. Assuming that you have a capable facilitator you will need to identify the people associated with the process. This includes: process owners, participants, stakeholders, leadership and customers. You need all of these participants in the mapping session or at least qualified representatives. The mapping session should be viewed as an investment opportunity. The more you invest time and resources into it, the better your return. Having only half of the participants in the mapping session will only get you half a product. Inclusion of all participants is essential.

The mapping session will be guided by the facilitator. The process to be mapped should be identified prior to the mapping session. The facilitator should guide the participants through the initial mapping of the process. This can take awhile. Once this is done the session for that day should be over. The process improvement team should then take the rough maps and clean them up. A polished version, maybe done in Microsoft Visio, should be provided to all people involved in the session. They should be given time to review and study the product before the next session.

The next session (the process improvement session) should be focused on how to improve the current process. This article just addresses the basics of process mapping sessions; you need to understand that other elements that feed into these sessions should have taken place or are being conducted simultaneously. Such as data collection that identifies process times, inputs, outputs and other important aspects for understanding the process. In this session the facilitator using supporting data and the current map, facilitates the session with the goal if identifying problem areas and possible solutions/improvements.

Based upon the process improvement session you should now have enough information to create a process map that shows the "improved" process. The next step is to create measurements to gauge the success of the process. This too is a team effort with all the participants from the mapping session. The new process should now be focused on value-adding, speed and efficiency. It should be a lean process.

This just scratches the surface of process improvement, but it gives you an idea of how to begin. Conduct research. As Heraclitus knew, change is constant, and to be competitive today change should be embraced. Use it to your advantage. Proactive change based upon market conditions, technology, talent pool and other variables can set you apart from your competitors. Leadership should invest in process improvement and view it as an investment, not a liability.