Process Mapping
Office of Quality Management
Office of Research Services
National Institutes of Health
24 April 2002
1
Acknowledgments
Process Mapping training was jointly developed by:
• Office of Quality Management (OQM)
– Antonio Rodriguez, Amy Culbertson, Carmen Kaplan, and
Gay Presbury
• OQM Consultants
– Kate Fenton (Atlantic Rim Group), Phil Nathanson
(McManis Associates), Janice Rouiller (SAIC)
2
Training Objectives
• Understand the importance of business processes
• Become familiar with a few types of process maps
• Describe how to create a deployment flowchart
• Discuss process measurement and process
improvement
3
Why is it important to understand
processes?
4
Internal Business Process Perspective
Common Objectives and Measures
Common objective: Increase understanding of processes.
Common measure: Complete process maps.
5
Why do we care about processes?
• Processes are the basis of organizational performance
• Processes are how we get work done
• Processes are the key to improving performance
6
What is a process?
• A process is a series of steps that transforms
inputs to outputs
– Inputs are often thought about in terms of
materials, methods, people, equipment, the
environment
– Outputs are often described in terms of products
and services
• Everything you do in the workplace is part of a
process
7
Overview of a Process
SUPPLIER INPUTS VALUE ADDED ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS CUSTOMER
People Products
Machinery Services
Material
Methods
Environment
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What are process maps?
• Visual picture of the flow or sequence of events that
results in a product or service
• Can be applied to anything
– Ordering slides and posters
– Call for police assistance
– Space planning
– Research collaboration
• Process maps are also known as flowcharts
9
What do process maps do?
• Allow a team to come to agreement on the steps needed to
get work done
• Assist in examining which activities may impact process
performance
• Show unexpected complexity, problem areas, redundancy,
unnecessary loops
• Identify where data can be collected and analyzed
• Serve as a training aid to understand the complete process
• Help to examine the actual process compared to an ideal
process
Adapted from Brassard & Ritter, 1994. 10
What do process maps do? (cont.)
• Promote understanding of the relationship of a
process to a larger system
– Input of materials or services from suppliers
– Internal steps that make up the process
– Delivery of the output to customers
• Help to identify boundaries processes cross
– Processes usually cut across organizational units
– People rarely see/understand the entire process
– Help people to see the whole process
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Types of Process Maps
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Block Diagrams
• Depicts the process with the fewest details
• Provide a picture of overall flow of a process
• Shows key action steps but no decision
diamonds
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Example
Block Diagram
Hiring a New Employee
Recruit Hire Orient Train
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Basic Process Map Symbols
Process • Ovals mark the beginning and the end
Start/End of the process
• Squares/rectangles represent a
Process Step
particular step or activity in the process
Decision • Diamonds show “yes-no” decision
points
• Circles specify subroutines or
A
connecting points
• Arrows show the flow, or movement, of
the process from one step to the next
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Linear Flowchart
• Are a simple form of a process map
• Create a foundation for other types of flowcharts
• Can be completed at different levels of detail
– Macro-level flowchart
» Provide a picture of overall flow of a process
» 30,000 ft view of the process
– More detailed flowchart
» Show more specifics of the process flow
» Can have many steps and decision points
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Example
Linear Flowchart
Ordering an ORS Service
Receive order
Prepare Assemble
Process order
materials order
Receive
Deliver order
payment
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Example
Linear Flowchart
New Employee Processing
New employee Review policies
Tour office
arrives and procedures
Yes
Questions? Answer questions
No
Fill out new Deliver forms to HR
employee forms for processing
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Deployment Flowcharts
• Communicate the interrelationships and sequence of
operations and decisions required to transform inputs
into outputs
• Map what happens in a process and who is
responsible for each step
• Useful to:
– Indicate dependencies in the sequence of events
– Clarify roles and hand-offs
– Track accountability
• Provide the most information about processes
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ORS Example (HR)
Deployment Flowchart--Staffing Process
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Advantages of Deployment Flowcharts
• Processes usually extend beyond the borders of a
single work unit
• Work groups usually only see the steps in their
organizational unit
• People working on one part of the process often don’t
communicate with those in other parts
• Deployment flowcharts are the best way to remove the
mystery
See The Memory Jogger II (Brassard & Ritter, 1994) for more information
about flowcharts. 21
Creating Your Deployment
Flowchart
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Tips for Flowcharts
• Assemble the right people
– Those who work in the process
– Those who supply inputs to you (suppliers)
– Those who you hand off work to (customers)
• Don’t get bogged down in too much detail
– Start with the big picture (macro-level)
– Maintain a consistent level of detail throughout
• There may be no ONE right process map
– Processes may operate in different ways
– People have different perspectives on how it works
– Have a way to handle different views
– See The Team Memory Jogger (Brassard, 1995) for ideas on
effective teams
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Tips for Flowcharts (cont.)
• Keep your arrows straight
– Usually a process map is easier to read if curved
arrows are avoided
• Strive to have symbols with one arrow going in
and one arrow coming out
– Rule doesn’t apply to decision diamonds
» Two arrows going out
• One for “yes”
• One for “no”
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Step 1: Label the Process Map
• Process mapping can be valuable at any level
– Service Group level
– Discrete Service level
– Work unit’s activities
– Individual worker tasks
• Agree on what you will be mapping
• Determine what level of detail you wish to capture
– Will help if you begin at the macro-level
– Proceed to more detailed charts as needed
• Label the process map with:
– Title of the process
– Date
– Names of people who contributed to map
Steps adapted from Brassard & Ritter, 1994.
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Step 2: Determine the Frame or Boundaries
of the Process
• The purpose of this step is to identify how broad or
narrow the process analysis effort will be
• Where the group decides the process begins and
ends determines the focus for studying and measuring
the process
• Define where the process starts
– How did this process begin?
– What happens to initiate or kick off the activities in this
process?
• Define where the process ends
– How does this process end?
– What is the final step or activity required to deliver the product
or service?
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Step 3: Determine the Steps in the Process
• Describe the activities that transform the inputs into outputs
• Map the ACTUAL process the way it occurs
– Not the ideal process (the way is should occur)
– Not the formally documented process (the way the SOP says it
happens)
• Consider the following:
– What steps are used to transform inputs to outputs?
– What major activities occur in this process
– What decision points occur in the process?
– What causes extra work or rework in this process?
– Are there places where more than one method is occurring?
– What factors inhibit process members from performing well?
• List each on its own Post-It® and place vertically
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Step 4: Identify Players in the Process
• Identify all key “players” in the process
– Use Division/Office/Branch designations and/or
position titles if possible rather than people’s
names
– People who handle steps prior to you - these are
your internal suppliers
– People who handle steps after you - these are your
internal customers
• List each “player” on its own Post-It® and place
horizontally across the top of the flowchart
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Step 5: Sequence the Steps and Players
• Arrange the steps in the order they occur
• Place each step under the name of the office or
position with primary responsibility for accomplishing it
• Where more than one player is required to participate
in a step, indicate this with a blank circle placed in the
appropriate column
• Rearrange steps and players until they accurately
show how to the process flows
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Step 6: Draw the Flowchart
• Assign flowchart symbols to each step
• Add steps if necessary
• Reorder steps as needed
• Show relationships among steps with arrows
• Show multiple players with circles and lines
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Step 6: Draw the Flowchart (cont.)
Process Start-End
• Ovals (or round corner
Process Start rectangles) show the
process start
• Ovals (or round corner
Process End rectangles) show the
process end
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Step 6: Draw the Flowchart (cont.)
Process Steps
• Rectangles or squares show a
set, activity, or task in the process
Process Step
• While multiple arrows can come
into a box, usually only one output
or arrow leaves a box
Process
Step • If you have more than one arrow,
you may need a decision diamond
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Step 6: Draw the Flowchart (cont.)
Process Decision
• All decisions are indicated by a
diamond
• All decision diamonds are followed by
Yes-No arrows
• You may need a series of activities
Decision and decisions to show complex
decisions as Yes-No choices
• Try to show all “yes” arrows going
downward from each decision point
• Try to show all “no” arrows going
either out from the left or out from the
right of each decision point
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Step 6: Draw the Flowchart (cont.)
Multiple Players
• Use blank circle to show steps where
coordination, cooperation, or
communication is required among
several players
• Connect blank circles to their steps
with straight lines (no arrow head)
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Step 6: Draw the Flowchart (cont.)
Process Continuations
• Use letters or numbers in a circle to
indicate a break in the flowchart
• Provide the more detailed information
A on another page or where appropriate
• Label the continuation page with the
same symbol used on the original
flowchart
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Step 7: Check Your Process Map
• Are symbols used correctly?
• Are process steps clearly identified?
• Does every path take you either back to or ahead to
another step?
• Does the chart accurately depict what really happens?
• Have you labeled your flowchart?
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Process Mapping Exercise
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Process Mapping Exercise
Directions
• Have 30 minutes
• Do activity as a team if possible -- otherwise do your own
Discrete Service
• Write Service Group or Discrete Service on Post-Its® and
place on wall
• List process start, end, and steps
– Record on Post-Its®
• List players
– Record on Post-Its®
• Arrange steps and players
• Draw arrows
• Check process map to ensure you have not missed any steps
• The process map should show the process as it occurs now
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Process Mapping Exercise (cont.)
Feedback
• How did it go?
• What were your biggest challenges?
• What did you learn?
• Do you have any questions?
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Step 8: Prepare your Process Map in Visio
• ORS has site license
– Check with your AO to confirm license availability in your
Branch
– Contact ITB for installation on your desktop
• Prepare your flowchart in Visio
– Limit map to one page if possible
» Ensure not too detailed
» Easier to print, review, discuss with others
» Can have more detailed flowchart as back-up if desired
– Working to get Visio training sessions for those interested
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Step 9: Review and Revise Process Map
• Provide team with printout of process map and
discuss
– Is this process being run the way it should be?
– Does everyone really do the process as shown here?
– Are there obvious places where the process could be
simplified?
– How different is the current process from the ideal process?
– What would have to happen to improve the process?
• Show the process map to others and get their
feedback
– Internal suppliers
– Internal customers
– Management staff
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Process Measurement and
Improvement
42
Internal Business Process Perspective
Common Objectives and Measures
Common objective: Identify methods to measure processes.
Common measure: Identify and report on process measures
for Discrete Services.
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Identify Methods to Measure
Processes
• Process mapping is one basic method
– Depicts how process currently works
– Helps to figure out where to set up measures
– Tool to begin studying the process
• Other methods to study and measure processes
include:
– Cause and effect diagrams
– Pareto charts
– Process modeling and simulation
– Process behavior charts
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What are process measures?
• Upstream measures that give insight into how
effectively the process is working
• Indicate elements of the process which, if done
consistently and effectively, should ensure good
results
• May be difficult to identify at beginning
• Once the process is mapped, it will be clear where
process measures are needed
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Why do we need process measures?
• Serve as the basis to understand the performance of
the current process
• Identify where the causes of problems occur
• Assist in diagnosing process inefficiencies
• Help in identifying how to make process
improvements
• Help to determine why problems occur
• Allow for the study of the interrelationships between
events in the process
• Gauge the results of changes made to the process
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Process Measures and Process
Improvement
• Process measures are a key component of the
process improvement cycle
– Created by a statistician from Western Electric (now Bell
Labs), Dr. Walter Shewhart
– Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle
– Referred to as Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle
– Application of the scientific method to management
• Basis for engaging in continuous improvement
– Customer needs and expectations always change
– Need systematic way to measure and make improvements
– PDSA cycle guides this process
See The Team Handbook (Sholtes, 1988) and Building Continuous Improvement
(Wheeler & Poling, 1998) for more information about process improvement. 47
The PDSA Cycle
• Plan
– Describe the improvement you seek, how you will
make the changes in your processes to bring about
the improvement, and how you will measure the
improvement
• Do
– Implement your improvement plan, preferably
testing it on a trial basis first
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The PDSA Cycle
• Study
– Collect data on your improvement effort and study
the results of your improvement actions. What
occurred? Why?
• Act
– Take action on what you learned in the previous
stage:
» Adopt the improvement for broader implementation
» Adjust your improvement plan and try again
» Abandon the effort because the benefits do not outweigh
the cost of improvement
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The PDSA Cycle
Act Plan
• Adopt on a • Set hypothesis
large scale A P • Validate causes
• Adapt • Plan a test
• Abandon
Study Do
• Collect data • Test on small
to verify S D scale
improvement
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Step 10: Identify Process Measures
• Review process map and look for:
– Bottlenecks (backlogs) in the process
– Endless “do-loops” where rework is common
– Points where the activity flows repeatedly back and forth
between players
– Redundant activities
– Unnecessary process steps
• Segment the process map into logical sub-groupings of
steps and select an appropriate measure for each segment
• Look at decision diamonds and measure the reasons that
take the process through the “no” arrow
• Complete a causal analysis on the inputs to your process
– Determine whether one input or another is generating
problems
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Example
Identifying Process Measures
Elapsed Time
Cost of Proportion Duration
Activity Rejected of Activity
Yes
Prepare
Compile Prepare Distribute
Acceptable? Final
Information Report Report
Report
No
Reasons of Quality of
Rejection Output Activity
52
ORS Example
Process Measures from 2001 ASAs
• Cycle time from customer request to providing service
(e.g., Locksmith)
• Time between customer order and delivery of product
(e.g., MAPB)
• Number of unscheduled repairs (PWB)
• Number of billing transactions processed with errors (VRP)
• Percent of notification memos sent out within 1 week (OFP)
• Problem resolution time of help desk requests (ITB)
• Number of facility deficiencies (VRP)
• Percent “errors” found in radioactive materials inventory (DS)
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Evaluating Process Measures
• What data could be used as a process measure and
would it be difficult to collect?
• What would the data gathered with this process
measure tell us?
• How strong is the correlation of the process measure
with the results we are trying to achieve?
• How could the process measure be influenced?
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What do we do with process measure data?
• Many ways to analyze process measures
– Will cover details in:
» Process Behavior Chart (control chart) training
» Data Analysis and Graphing training
• Often graphically analyzed using:
– Pareto charts
– Process behavior charts (control charts)
– Histograms
– Bar charts
– Pie charts
See The Memory Jogger II (Brassard & Ritter, 1994) and Building
Continuous Improvement (Wheeler & Poling, 1998) for more information 55
about analyzing process measures.
Next Steps
• Identify appropriate people to attend your process mapping working
session
– Make sure all key players are represented
– Include those who are closest to the actual work if possible
– Invite others (manager, supervisor, customer) who may wish to learn about the
process flow
• Complete process maps of:
– Your Service Group
– Each Discrete Service
• Prepare maps in Visio
• Analyze maps and identify:
– Process measures
– Low hanging fruit (i.e., quick fixes)
• Complete Implementation Plan
• Gather process measures data
• Analyze process and other performance data
– Attend Data Analysis and Graphing Training
– Attend Process Behavior Charts Training
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Conclusions
• Process mapping is a basic but powerful tool
• Provides the basis for further improvement
– Helps identify process measures
– Shows relationship between customers and suppliers
• Encourages teamwork
– You need others to help depict the process
– Helps identify hand-offs between people or organizations
– Clarifies roles and responsibilities
– Builds a sense of working together towards a common goal
• Foundation for product and service improvement
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Resources
• Brassard. M. (1995). The team memory jogger. Methuen, MA: GOAL/QPC.
• Brassard, M., & Ritter, D. (1994). The memory jogger II. Methuen, MA:
GOAL/QPC.
• Scholtes, P. (1988). The team handbook. Madison, WI: Joiner Associates Inc.
• Rodriguez, A., R., Landau, S. B., & Konoske, P. J. (1993). Systems approach to
process improvement. San Diego, CA: Navy Personnel Research and
Development Center.
• Wheeler, D. J., & Poling, S. R. (1998). Building continual improvement.
Knoxville, TN: SPC Press, Inc.
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