Process mapping
Finding bottlenecks and improving a process with a flowchart
Map the current process as it really runs, mark where work waits, loops back or changes hands, then draw the improved version and compare the two. The flowchart turns vague complaints ("it takes too long") into specific places to fix.
Start with the "as-is" map
Improvement starts from the process as it is actually performed, not as the procedure says. Map it with the people involved, using a recent real case, and organise it in swimlanes so that hand-offs are visible.
Five things to look for
- Waiting: steps after which work sits in a queue. Mark them with a delay symbol and, if you can, an average waiting time.
- Rework loops: arrows that go back to an earlier step, such as "incomplete, return to customer". Each loop is a cost; ask why the information was not right the first time.
- Hand-offs: every change of lane. Count them. Processes with many hand-offs are slow and error-prone.
- Decisions without a clear rule or owner: if nobody can say who decides or on what criterion, the step will be slow and inconsistent.
- Duplicate work: the same data typed into two tools, the same check done twice.
Measure what you can
A map does not need precise numbers to be useful, but a few estimates make priorities obvious: how many cases per week, how long each wait lasts, how often each loop is taken. Note them directly on the chart.
Draw the "to-be" map
Design the improved process as a second chart. Typical changes:
- remove a step that adds no value,
- move a decision to the person who has the information,
- collect all required information up front to remove a loop,
- automate a step, moving it to a system lane,
- run independent steps in parallel.
Comparing both charts side by side makes the proposal easy to explain: fewer hand-offs, fewer loops, a shorter main path.
Iterate quickly
Redesign is a conversation with the team, and the chart changes many times. Tools that let you edit by instruction help here: in Flowchartio you can ask "Move the credit check before the sales review" or "Remove the second approval", then compare versions and undo if the idea does not hold.
Check the result
Before rolling out, review the new chart against the common flowchart mistakes: every path ends, every loop has an exit, every step has an owner. Then pilot it on real cases, and update the map with what you learn.
To start from the beginning, see the process mapping guide.