How do you use process mapping to design and implement cross-functional and cross-organizational processes?

A process map can take many forms. At its heart, it represents a roadmap from initiation to completion of a process. But it can be complex if a process has many tasks, sub-tasks, and actions.

There are several different ways to create a process map. A quick simple one is a SIPOC map. This stands for Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer. I’ve used it to quickly document several processes of taxation in a company.

Process mapping is also integral to driving standardised service and training staff - without processes being defined, it’s near-impossible to share best-practice consistently. Process-mapping also demystifies the activity from other teams, meaning those who are client-facing can be confident when setting expectations.

One way to document roles and stakeholders is a RACI map. This shows who is Responsible-Approving-Consulted-Informed. A key finding happens with Approved. There only can be one Approver for each main process step in a well defined process.

In my experience with an ERP transformation change management project, process mapping was pivotal for the ‘Order to Cash’ value stream processes. It identified manual steps and improvement opportunities, clarified hand-offs, and guided the vendor team during the solution design phase. The maps were key in creating robust user guides for the TO-BE processes. This case highlighted the efficiency of process mapping in managing complex cross-functional and cross-organizational processes, emphasizing its role in large-scale transformations.

A S-W-O-T Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat diagram and analysis is a great tool at the beginning of the process analysis to help the team focus on the part of the process that needs work.

Process maps provide a visually rich to perform a deep dive into a process. Understanding why, how and when each business function becomes engaged in a given workflow is critical to making process improvements. Drill down can be accomplished through Universal Process Notation (UPN) diagramming techniques that identify actors, tasks and workflow paths, coupled with an ‘RV’ matrix that identifies the specific role (the ‘R’ portion of the matrix) each actor ‘plays’ or performs (i.e. RACI) in the workflow along with the value added (the ‘V’ portion of the matrix) in that task/step by that role/person thus in turn providing critical information for value stream analysis and in making the business case for simplification of the workflow.

Process mapping is an important collaborative tool for understanding critical aspects of organizational workflow, including process and task ownership and the why and how as to how an organization accomplishes any given task it must perform. Process mapping is an integral part of fully understanding and visualizing any given business process. Process workflow mapping can reveal many opportunities for business process simplification and automation, including duplication of effort, routing and communication delays and unnecessary steps.