Understanding business process mapping

Business process mapping creates a visual representation of workflow steps. This helps teams understand how a process functions and identify opportunities for improvement.

By using process mapping to outline tasks, decisions and outcomes in a clear format, teams can better communicate complex processes and support transparency between departments.

BPM is also a valuable documentation tool. You can use it to capture processes for training programs or explore potential future-state workflows.

To understand how BPM can support real-world decision-making, consider this example: A manufacturing team wants to increase daily output. They begin by using business process mapping to visualize their production line and identify inefficiencies. The map reveals a bottleneck at a single piece of equipment.

To address it, the team creates a future-state map showing how adding a second machine could improve throughput. With this insight, they present a clear case to leadership for investing in the upgrade.

Key goals of business process mapping

Organizations use business process mapping to support continuous improvement and gain a clearer understanding of how work gets done. Mapping activities step-by-step helps you evaluate whether each task adds value.

Goals of business process mapping include:

• Identifying inefficiencies, such as bottlenecks, gaps or duplicate steps
• Improving the speed and flow of processes
• Reducing operational costs and unnecessary tasks
• Enhancing communication between departments and teams
• Increasing the quality and consistency of outputs
• Supporting better customer service by clarifying workflows
• Creating a foundation for compliance and standardization

Types of business process maps

You can use different types of process maps depending on your goals, the complexity of the workflow and the level of detail you want to see. Types of business mapping include:

• Basic flow charts: These simple top-down diagrams outline the major steps in a process and may be helpful in planning, communicating workflows or supporting big-picture analysis.
• Detailed process maps: These more detailed diagrams show every step, decision point, input and output. They may be a good option for training manuals or when teams are troubleshooting complex workflows.
• Value stream maps: This diagram helps you visualize how materials or data move through a process so you can find opportunities to eliminate waste or add value.
• SIPOC diagrams: This method maps Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and Customers to provide a high-level view of process components.
• Swimlane diagrams: This diagram separates process steps into lanes based on roles or departments to clarify responsibilities.
• Spaghetti diagrams: This brainstorming tool captures the movement of people through a process to help teams identify unnecessary movements. For example, it can show how often a worker moves between stations in a warehouse or kitchen, revealing opportunities to streamline layout and reduce unnecessary steps.
• Data flow diagrams: This tool shows how data moves through a system to help you understand what decisions and processes depend on it.
• BPMN diagrams: This type of diagram uses standardized Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) symbols for consistent documentation across teams. It’s commonly used by business analysts, operations teams and process improvement specialists to map complex workflows in a clear, uniform way.

Steps to create a business process map

To create a business process map of any type, follow consistent steps to define, document and analyze workflows. This approach supports accuracy and accountability, helping teams find insights and value.

Define the process

Choose which process to map and why. Establishing the scope and intended outcome helps you focus on relevant details. Setting boundaries also keeps the map manageable and aligned with business goals.

To get started:

• Identify the goal. Determine whether you’re documenting a process for training or improvement. For example, you might map the onboarding steps for a new employee to support training or analyze a workflow to reduce cycle time for a key service.
• Define start and end points. For example, invoice processing might begin when an invoice is received and end when it’s paid.
• Establish success criteria. Define measurable goals, such as “business invoices are paid accurately within 15 days.”
• Decide on the map type. Identify whether you’re mapping the current state or designing a future-state process.

Document tasks and resources

Capture all the tasks, decision points and resources involved in the process. This provides a complete picture of the workflow.

To document effectively:

• List each task in order
• Include decision points, subprocesses and handoffs
• Assign responsible parties for each step
• Identify resources, such as time, labor costs, tools, data and systems
• Consult subject-matter experts to ensure completeness

Analyze and improve

With the process mapped, review it to identify inefficiencies or opportunities for improvement. Look for:

• Bottlenecks and delays
• Unnecessary or duplicate steps
• Manual tasks that could be automated
• Areas with high error risk
• Gaps in accountability or unclear responsibilities

Benefits of business process mapping

Business process mapping offers several advantages for organizations, including:

• Workflow transparency: Documenting processes helps teams understand how they function and where they connect.
• Improved efficiency: Mapping reveals bottlenecks, redundancies and delays, making it easier to streamline operations.
• Stronger documentation: Process maps serve as reliable references for training and audits
• Faster decision-making: Clear documentation reduces confusion and helps collaborators make informed choices more quickly.
• Enhanced compliance: Mapping helps ensure processes align with regulatory requirements and makes it easier to demonstrate adherence.
• Employee empowerment: When team members understand their roles in the larger workflow, it can lead to better productivity and accountability.
• Support for continuous improvement: Visual workflows make it easier to revisit and refine processes over time.

Common challenges in business process mapping

Teams can face challenges during BPM processes, including:

• Resistance to change: Teams may be hesitant to adopt new workflows or tools, especially if the benefits aren’t immediately clear.
• Lack of team involvement: Insufficient input from those who perform the work daily can lead to inaccurate or incomplete process maps.
• Unclear scope: Mapping too broadly or narrowly can lead to confusing documents. For example, mapping the entire product development cycle could be too complex, but mapping a single sales decision may not be necessary.
• Limited process knowledge: Teams might struggle to identify all the steps, inputs and outputs in a process if they aren’t well understood or if the team members, like managers or subject matter experts, aren’t involved.
• Tool overload: Trying to use mapping software that’s too complex or unfamiliar can complicate the process.
• Lack of tool use: Skipping specialized tools and relying on pen and paper or spreadsheets like Excel may be manageable for simple workflows but can be limiting for larger or more detailed processes. Using dedicated mapping software can help teams visualize complex steps more clearly and collaborate more effectively.

Essential symbols and notations in process mapping

Business process mapping relies on standardized symbols to ensure workflows are clear and easy to understand. While different mapping methods, such as flowcharts, BPMN and Unified Modeling Language (UML), use slightly different symbol sets, the core goal is the same. The goal is to communicate process steps, decisions and flows visually so others can easily understand the diagrams.

Common flowchart symbols include:

• Terminator (oval): Marks the start or end of the process
• Process (rectangle): Shows an action or task in the workflow
• Decision (diamond): Indicates a decision point with multiple possible outcomes
• Arrow (line): Indicates the direction to move between steps
• Data or materials (parallelogram): Represents data or materials coming into or out of the process
• Connector (circle): Connects areas of a flowchart as it moves from page to page

Tools and software for process mapping

Selecting the right process mapping tool helps you succeed and enjoy the benefits of BPM. Software should align with your organization’s needs and offer features like real-time collaboration, automation and integration with existing systems.

Process mapping software you might consider includes:

• Pipefy: A low-code workflow automation platform that lets you design, automate and manage various processes. Some tools, like Pipefy, are built for execution and automation. Others, such as Lucidchart, are better suited for visualizing and mapping workflows. Consider a tool based on whether you need to document processes, automate tasks or both.
• Lucidchart: A cloud-based diagramming tool that supports real-time collaboration for creating process maps
• EdrawMax: A tool that offers extensive diagramming capabilities with AI support
• Microsoft Visio: A Microsoft Office application that makes it easy to add process maps to your documents
• MindMeister: Software that helps you create mind maps, which can double as process maps in some cases. Mind maps are useful for brainstorming and outlining high-level ideas, but they’re more conceptual and may not be ideal for detailed process flows that require a more structured format.
• Cacoo: A tool that helps you map operations quickly with collaborators
• GitMind: An app that supports real-time collaboration and complex mind maps
• Creately: A tool that includes several no-code tools for diagram creation
• Miro: An interactive whiteboard platform that helps you draft process maps in real-time with others who are offsite

Best practices for effective process mapping

Help ensure process maps are accurate and useful with best practices such as:

• Involving team members from multiple functions to capture a complete view of the process
• Setting clear start and end points to establish scope and focus
• Keeping maps simple and easy to understand
• Using standardized symbols to improve clarity and consistency
• Documenting processes in a repeatable format for easier updates
• Revisiting and revising maps regularly as workflows evolve
• Treat process maps as living documents by updating them regularly, such as every quarter or after major process changes. This helps keep them accurate, reflect current workflows and continue supporting training, performance tracking and ongoing improvement efforts