Here’s Why You Need a Process Map

A project team of six people will likely have six different visions of how a process works, and at least as many ideas of what the improved process should look like. Putting a process map down on paper gives the team a common reference point about how the process functions and how it can be improved. A comprehensive process map also helps the team with the following:

  • Draws attention to the problem by putting it on the page. Identifying problems is the first step toward solving them.
  • Educates outsiders about how the process works.
  • Makes comparison easy. The current process map can be placed beside the new process map to help demonstrate proposed improvements and discover new ones.
  • Enables the project team to isolate steps in the process that don’t add value or diminish performance.
  • Highlights process steps that need improvement.
  • Helps the team understand the entire process.

Six Steps to Making a Process Map

Six Sigma Process Map

Working together to create a process map helps a team fully understand the process and teaches them how to work together. Because many processes are unmapped or existing process maps are incomplete, creating a process map is one of the first activities a team undertakes. Drawing or enhancing a map can typically be completed in six steps.

  1. Establish clear boundaries – Mapping should not go on indefinitely. Determine in advance where the map should begin and end. Include an appropriate level of detail that helps the team understand the process.
  2. Identify all process steps – Include required inputs and desired outputs.
  3. Position the steps in the proper sequence – Remember that the objective of the first process map is to capture the process as it currently works, and not as it should work.
  4. Use symbols correctly – Every symbol on the process map has a unique meaning; be sure that you understand what these symbols mean and how to use them.
    • A box or rectangle indicates a task to be performed.
    • An oval illustrates inputs (action, information or materials) and outputs (the end product). You’ll find an oval at both ends of the process.
    • An arrow that connects other symbols to shows movement, transportation or material handling.
    • A diamond illustrates points in the process that require a decision.
  1. Review the map – There may be something you’re missing. Have someone outside the team look at the map with a fresh pair of eyes.
  2. Get to work – Once you have completed the map and had it reviewed, put it to use. Start by asking the following questions.
    1. How is the current process different from the ideal one?
    2. Are there complexities that can be eliminated or simplified?
    3. Is the process being run as it should be?

An accurate process map with the right amount of detail can give a Six Sigma project team a common vision of how a process works. A project team with a clear understanding of how the process works will most likely produce better potential solutions.

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