The Ultimate Guide to Building Effective Process Maps in Flowingly
In this interactive guide, we explore how teams can implement best practice tips to build better process maps in Flowingly.
Benefits of
Process Mapping
According to the research firm IDC, companies lose up to 20 to 30% in revenue each year due to inefficiencies.
Identifying these inefficiencies and cutting them from your processes can have significant benefits – everything from bringing down costs to improving customer experiences and mitigating organisational risks.
Enhanced Communication
With a visual map, teams can communicate more effectively, reducing misunderstandings around what is expected and streamlining collaboration.
Increased Efficiency
Identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies is simpler with a process map, allowing you to optimise workflows and boost productivity.
Ensure Compliance
Process maps help ensure all steps are followed correctly, aiding in regulatory compliance and reducing risks.
Improved Clarity
Process maps provide a clear, visual representation of workflows, making it easier for everyone to understand their roles and responsibilities.
Continuous Improvement
By regularly updating your maps, you can continuously improve your workflows and adapt to changing business needs.
Building a process map
Step 1: Define Your Objectives
Start with a clear objective.
What do you want to achieve with your process map? Whether it’s improving efficiency, ensuring compliance, or enhancing CX, having a clear goal will guide the entire mapping process.
Step 2: Gather Information
Gather all the necessary information about the process you want to map. This includes talking to stakeholders, observing the process in action, and collecting any relevant documentation. The more information you have, the more accurate your map will be.
Step 3: Identify Key Steps
Break down the process into key steps. Identify the start and end points, as well as all the major tasks in between. Remember to consider decision points, where the process may branch off into different paths.
Step 4: Use Flowingly to Create Your Map
Open Flowingly and start creating your process map. Use the drag-and-drop interface to add shapes for each step, connecting them with arrows to show the flow of the process.
Step 5: Validate Your Process Map
Share the process map with stakeholders and get their feedback. Ensure that all steps are accurately represented and that nothing is missing. This step is crucial for creating a map that truly reflects the real-world process.
Step 6: Implement and Monitor
Once your process map is validated, implement it in your organisation. Monitor its performance and gather feedback from users. Use this information to make any necessary adjustments and improvements.
Creating better process maps
ADD RICH CONTENT
For each step, include rich content such as hyperlinks to relevant documents, videos, and detailed instructions.
This additional information provides context and guidance, making it easier for users to understand and perform each task accurately.
BE CONCISE
Aim to keep your process map simple and clear by limiting the number of steps. Cut out any unnecessary steps or any steps that duplicate work being done.
This helps maintain clarity and ensures that the map is easy to follow. For complex processes, consider creating high-level maps with linked detailed sub-process maps.
INCLUDE CRITERIA
Clearly specify the criteria or conditions that influence decision points in the process. This ensures that decision-making is transparent and consistent, reducing ambiguity and improving the quality of outcomes.
If I were to join your company tomorrow and saw a process map, would I know what criteria needs to be met to approve a request?
ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY
Design your process maps to be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
Use large fonts, high-contrast colours, and provide alternative text descriptions for visual elements to ensure that everyone can benefit from the process maps.
CAPTURE INPUTS & OUTPUTS
For each process, document the inputs required and the outputs produced. We like to skip this step, but it’s an important one.
This helps users understand the resources needed to complete a task and the expected results, ensuring that the process flows smoothly from one step to the next.
REGULAR REVIEWS
Establish a routine for regularly reviewing and updating your process maps to reflect changes in procedures, technology, or regulations.
This ensures that your maps remain accurate, relevant, and a valuable tool for continuous improvement.