Process Mapping

Simple Definition for Beginners:

Process mapping is a visual representation technique used to outline and understand the steps, tasks, and interactions involved in a process, making it easier to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.

Common Use Example:

A business uses process mapping to diagram the steps involved in its customer onboarding process, allowing them to streamline the process and enhance the customer experience.

Technical Definition for Professionals:

Process mapping, also known as process flowcharting or workflow mapping, is a methodical approach to visually representing the sequence of steps, tasks, activities, decisions, and interactions that occur within a process. It involves creating diagrams or flowcharts that illustrate the flow of work, information, and resources from start to finish. Process mapping helps stakeholders understand how a process operates, identify potential bottlenecks, redundancies, delays, and inefficiencies, and visualize opportunities for optimization and automation. Key elements of process mapping include defining process boundaries, identifying inputs and outputs, documenting decision points, subprocesses, and feedback loops, and incorporating feedback from stakeholders to improve process clarity and accuracy.