What's In a Process Map?
by Marilee Garza, Business Process Analyst, PMC Solutions
What's in a process map?
Every process map details a transformation: from parts to assembled
product, from idea to design, from dock to delivery
and the list goes on. It is a picture of how that transformation
is carried out, the inputs and outputs, and the activities in between.
The inputs and outputs are described as nouns, while the activities are
described as verbs. For example, if the input is customer feedback, the
activity that follows might be identify negative comments, and the
output is capture negative comments in corrective action database, and
then respond to customer as appropriate.
Its important to remember that a process is not just about what people
do. It should pay equal attention to what people produce. After all,
customers ultimately choose organizations with better outputs and better
outputs can only be achieved with better processes.
When determining what to put in a process map, organizations should also
remember that the purpose of mapping processes is not only to visually
capture functions and activities, but to communicate them to the rest of
the organization. A higher level of awareness within an organization
translates to greater efficiency.
PMC Solutions can help you determine exactly what your organization needs
to include in its process map to improve processes and, consequently,
outputs. Our skilled experts will work with you using our own inProcess
software to reduce waste and increase productivity.
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