Businesses are comprised of business systems, business processes, and a series of tasks. For a business to deliver a quality product or service, it must operate a set of effective business processes. When improving business processes, many good things happen. First, the business will reduce or lower costs. Second, the business will deliver a better customer value proposition. And finally, through lower costs and better customer effectiveness, the business will improve its bottom line.
Process mapping is a tool utilized by process mapping practitioners to document a business process for the purpose of improving business performance. An effective process map plays a key role in portraying how tasks are performed to transform an input into an improved output. The core purpose of process mapping for a business is to improve customer effectiveness and increase organizational efficiency. Process mapping practitioners develop process maps to enhance communications, discover valuable insights into process performance, assist teams in innovating ideas for process improvement and capture organization knowledge.
Process mapping effectiveness and efficiency largely depend upon the process mapping practitioner’s experience and choice of methodology. At Business Enterprise Mapping, we utilize the Perigon Method, which combines a simple process architecture, engaging workshops, a Visio based digital library, and seasoned Program Directors. In this article, we discuss Seven Common Process Mapping Mistakes and how to avoid them.
Seven Common Process Mapping Mistakes
1. Poor Process Scoping
Practitioners often dive into workflow details without understanding the overall business context. A business process is an organized series of tasks, events, and decisions that receives a product or service (the input) from a supplier, adds value to that product or service through a transformation (the process), and then delivers a different product or service of more value (the output) to a customer. Experience tells us that problems discovered in a process are rarely caused by that same process. Mapping multiple business processes together within a business system allows the practitioner to assess connectivity and across a broader value stream.
2. Too Much Complexity
When a process map contains excessive detail, it becomes too complicated and gets hard for leadership to prioritize improvement actions. This happens when the process map contains excessive information that’s difficult to organize and comprehend. This is a common mistake made by most process mapping practitioners today. Such a mistake can be avoided by adopting the Perigon Method’s five-level process architecture, Enterprise, Business System Process, Task, and Knowledge.
3. Lack of Analysis
Business process analysis is assessing every task within a process. By mapping business processes, practitioners create a visual diagram that they can review and analyze. They can then suggest effective solutions that improve the day-to-day operations of the business. When done correctly, business process analysis can help companies implement significant changes that decrease operational costs while improving customer value.
4. Inconsistency
It is important for process mapping practitioners to use standardized process mapping notations. If practitioners use different symbols and notations, then chances of confusion are increased. On the other hand, consistency in the methodology brings ease and understandability across all departments. Mapping conventions, text font, style, shape, and all other graphics should be the same.
5. Lack of maintenance
Another common mistake is to let process maps grow stale. Most often businesses don’t update process maps because they don’t have resources dedicated to making the necessary changes. It is prudent to employ a team of process mapping practitioners who maintain process maps, lead process improvements, and drive positive organizational change.
6. Dependence on the Wrong People
Process mapping is best executed by involving those who do the work to define and improve their work. The Perigon Method actively involves employees at all levels of the organization in problem-solving workshops, capturing employee input, solutions, and feedback. Process Owners are most essential to the successful study of a business process and its improvement. The quality of the process map produced is directly related to the people in the room defining hoe the process works.
7. Using Ineffective Tools
Some organizations rely on software programs to help them out regarding process mapping. They do so because such programs are relatively cheaper as compared to the fee charged by a professional. Of course, at Business Enterprise Mapping we utilize The Perigon Method. The Perigon Method engages staff to deliver rapid insights into organizational opportunities and streamline workflow for substantially improved execution. It creates viral engagement among employees, as improvements spread rapidly throughout the organization.
Conclusion, Seven Common Process Mapping Mistakes
When business processes are deficient, a business will suffer from high overhead costs and lower profitability. Process mapping to improve business process performance provides ongoing significant tangible benefits, including cost savings, increased productivity, revenue growth, improved quality, and greater customer value.
Sandra Larson is a writer at a FreeEssayWriters and has extensive experience in writing helpful business guides. She has spent many years in the corporate industry working with business management. Larson loves being a bookworm and visiting adventurous outdoors. Currently, she works at her own website Elizabethanauthors where she writes about famous authors.