Business process mapping is an investment in your organization’s capability and is a powerful tool to understand and improve your business. How much does business process mapping cost? With knowledge comes power.
We know from experience that about 70% of organizational problems originate from undefined business processes and department silos. When decision makers know how the organization operates, they can become active participants in its improvement, moving the organization towards a leadership position in the industry. Why? Because they’ve changed what doesn’t work.
To understand your business processes takes time, money, and resources. Business process mapping depends on a variety of factors, including:
- the goal(s) of process mapping
- the number of processes being mapped
- the size of the organization
- the complexity of the process(es)
- the tool used for mapping
What is Business Process Mapping?
Each business has a series of tasks, events, and decisions that move work from start to completion through business processes. For example, there is a process for onboarding new employees or acquiring a new customer. Business process mapping provides the roadmap that connects the business processes for business each system including sales, marketing, human resources, finance, IT, and operations.
What is the Goal of Business Process Mapping?
Ultimately the goal is whatever the organization decides. Some use process mapping as a data collection tool for workflow process improvements while others need to map the process for updating software and systems. One organization may need to document processes as part of a quality management system or for regulatory compliance while another is seeking to improve a particular area of the business, perhaps to become a leader among their competitors.
What are the Levels of Business Process Mapping?
Whether an organization needs a simple workflow model or a complete process map, detail and analysis will determine the cost of business process mapping. We find that during the development of a process map, employees capture 25-50 opportunities just from one map building session while other workshops determine who is responsible for the delivery of work whether it is an employee, supervisor, or manager.
Deeper levels of process mapping include mapping processes for tasks instructions across the organization, analysis of processes, and the development of metrics. The product at this level of mapping becomes a process playbook for operations at all levels of the business.
Who Can Build a Business Process Map?
While there are organizations that choose the DIY approach, we recommend that a combination of DIY and hiring a professional work best. The professional is trained to facilitate discussions that yield information that can be used for mapping. Professionals can lead mapping workshops with company staff representing different departments, functions, and job duties to build a more comprehensive view of work within the company.
How Much Does Business Process Mapping Cost?
It helps to first think of the cost of business process mapping as a per-process investment. What is it worth to create major improvements in critical business processes? Costs vary widely but for the sake of this example, let’s talk numbers.
- How many processes are being mapped? There are about 12 basic business systems in any organization. A typical business system contains 10 processes on average or 120 process total for an organization. Think in terms of the cost per process as related to your goals. Your organization may only need a few processes mapped so the cost is lower than a mapping for the entire organization.
- How much detail is needed? The more detail needed, the more process mapping will cost. It can cost $500 per process map or $5-10,000 per process map. Keep in mind that the more detail you have, the greater the improvement and the better return on investment (ROI).
- What tool will you use? This is dependent on the level of detail needed in the process map. A complex process map requires a robust tool to combine analyst efficiency with mapping convention and easily communicates workflow across business system connectivity. Good tools can be acquired and mastered for about $10,000 or so, while extensive BPM software can go much higher.
Business process mapping is an investment in your company, providing previously unknown knowledge, while at the same simplifying business processes and procedures. You can’t truly grow your business unless you understand how it works, and make improvements to drive increased competitiveness.
Challenge the way you think about work. Download the free eBook today to learn:
- How to map business processes
- How to create a business system diagram
- How to transform your business
Further Reading: FREE PDF eBOOK