Without carefully thought-out processes, employees may find themselves chasing after information, feeling lost, or having to blindly ‘figure stuff out’. In this blog, we’ll explore how process mapping solves this issue by providing a clear visual structure that anticipates issues before they happen.
Process mapping helps us to visualise the steps of a process using a diagram. By mapping out the journey behind a process, it’s easier to spot potential weaknesses or difficulties with implementation and focus on making things work smoothly. Doing this prevents wasted time and dips in productivity, consequences that often come about due to detail-orientated thinking without regard for the bigger picture.
Most process maps are laid out like a flowchart, using different shapes to mark steps or labels. This makes it much easier to view a process in its entirety.
Processes are a vital part of the workplace. They keep all staff on the same page and ensure that individuals can work both autonomously and in a team without over-relying on others.
With process mapping, we can test our processes to make sure they support progress rather than hindering it. For example, your company might decide they want to bring in a new process for onboarding new employees. By mapping out the process visually, you can see every part of the new recruit’s journey, from the moment they walk through the door and meet the team to the point they complete training and settle into their role.
If, after creating the process map, you notice that there aren’t enough staff available during the training segment or that new hires are left waiting too long between steps, you can adjust the process accordingly to avoid bottlenecks. This might mean reallocating staff, scheduling training sessions differently, or even redesigning the training materials to be more self-guided. The beauty of process mapping is that it highlights inefficiencies before they become real problems.
Process mapping doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. You can start with nothing more than a pen, paper, and a clear understanding of the process you’re mapping.
The first step is to outline exactly what you want to achieve. Perhaps you want to streamline a routine task, improve communication between departments, or make a complex workflow easier for new staff to follow.
Once you’ve decided on your process, list each step in the order it happens. Ask yourself:
Who’s involved at each stage?
What resources are needed?
Where might potential delays occur?
Once you’ve got the basics down, you can transfer your notes into a flowchart or use dedicated software to make it more visually polished. Tools like Google Slides, Lucidchart, and Miro can be handy for this, especially if you’re presenting your process to stakeholders.
If you take time and care when plotting out every stage, process mapping will totally transform the way you work, leaving you with a clear, intentional system that supports your team and keeps productivity on track.
There are no strict rules on how you should format a process map, but here are a few common types that are simple and easy to follow:
Flowchart: You’re probably already familiar with this one. This is a step-by-step visual of a process using shapes and arrows. Great for outlining decisions, actions, and outcomes in a clear, linear way.
Swimlane Diagram: A swimlane diagram organises tasks into ‘lanes’ based on roles or departments. This helps to clarify responsibilities and shows how different teams interact within a process.
Value Stream Map: This one focuses on the flow of materials and information, highlighting areas of waste or delay. It’s often used in lean management to improve efficiency.
SIPOC Diagram: SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers. It gives a high-level overview of a process and its key components – ideal for early-stage analysis.
Workflow Diagram: A classic workflow diagram emphasises the sequence of tasks and how they move from one stage to the next. Useful for tracking progress and identifying potential bottlenecks.
Still unsure of how process mapping might benefit your business? Here are some examples of common scenarios where process mapping can help to save time and money:
Customer Service Response Times: A company notices their customer complaints are taking 3-5 days to resolve. By mapping their support process, they discover requests were bouncing between four different people with unclear handoff points. After redesigning the process with clear ownership at each stage, they’re able to reduce response times to under 24 hours.
Invoice Processing Bottlenecks: An accounting team has been struggling with late payments and approval delays. After creating a process map, they find that invoices have been sitting in email inboxes for days waiting for approvals. After implementing a shared tracking system with automated reminders, they manage to cut their processing time from 2 weeks to 3 days.
Meeting Overload: A department head decides to map their weekly meeting schedule and discovers that 60% of meetings had unclear objectives and the wrong attendees. By redesigning their meeting process with clear purpose statements and required participants, they’re able to cut meeting time by 40% while improving decision-making speed.
As you can see, process mapping acts as a strategic lens. It reveals where breakdowns occur and enables smarter, faster decisions that improve performance across the board.
Did you know? Almost 80% of staff believe that meetings are preventing them from getting work done, and over 50% have to work longer days to make this time back.
Always Begin with a Clear Objective
Before creating your map, try to be as clear as possible about what you’re trying to achieve. The more focused your goal, the more it will guide your decisions throughout the mapping process.
Involve the Right People
Engage those who are directly involved in the process. Their insights will help you capture the actual workflow, not just the ideal version, and identify pain points that may not be visible from the outside.
Choose a Format That Fits
Different types of process maps serve different purposes. Flowcharts are ideal for outlining steps and decisions in a linear way, but if you need to focus solely on where you’re being wasteful, a Value Stream Map may be better suited to your business.
Keep It Simple and Clear
Use standard symbols, concise labels, and a logical flow. The goal is to make the process easy to understand and actionable, not to overwhelm with detail.
Consider Automation
Look for repetitive or time-consuming tasks that could be automated. Whether it’s data entry, notifications, or approvals, automation can reduce errors, save time, and free up your team to focus on more meaningful work. Even small tweaks can lead to big gains in efficiency.
Treat It as a Living Document
Processes evolve, and your map should too. Revisit it regularly to reflect changes, track improvements, and support training, onboarding, or audits.
Finally, have fun with it! Process mapping can be surprisingly addictive once you start seeing results.
Our small but mighty team builds leading-edge software that people love. We pride ourselves on a user-led approach to product design. The voice of the customer shapes what we create and that’s exactly how great assistive tech should be made.
