How to Process Map Without the Complexity

Editor's note: this transcript was generated by AI and has been lightly edited for clarity and relevance — some sections have been shortened or removed, and minor transcription errors corrected.

Full transcript

00:00:11Host

The number one problem with capturing an organisation's processes is displaying complex processes in an understandable way. Let's look at two approaches to process mapping: top-down and bottom-up.

00:00:32Host

With a top-down approach, higher-level processes look quite straightforward, but drilling into lower levels gets trickier. With a bottom-up approach, individual processes concentrate on one or two roles per department, so complexity is limited — but once these are put together, complexity grows as more roles and departments get involved.

00:00:58Host

In a linear process with no decision points, it's easy to see where you are in the flow. Unfortunately, most processes end up with multiple decision points and outcomes, and adding drill-downs makes the complexity worse.

00:01:40Host

Following a trail through a set of process maps is a bit like following a satnav — you can see what's coming up, but not necessarily where you are in the overall journey. If you're looking at process improvement with multiple iterative branches, knowing where you are at any point matters.

00:02:15Host

This is where we get to levels in process mapping. Level one: top-level end-to-end maps, fairly simple with few branches. Level two: more detail, covering a horizontal flow through the organisation, with multiple departments and handovers. Level three: aimed at individual users, lower complexity. Level four: bottom-level maps, reused across multiple process flows, and often quite simple.

00:03:19Host

There are instances where it's easy to get lost — where a map is used by multiple processes, or flows over multiple maps and interacts with another complex process.

00:03:47Host

Ideally, as a user follows a set of process maps, there should be a breadcrumb trail, or a frame showing the large-scale end-to-end view with the current position highlighted.

00:04:12Host

One practical solution is to use the process map names to give an indication of where you are in a complex flow — starting at the top level and adding a number to each phase, with drill-downs taking that number through. It's not ideal with more than four levels, but where there's no software-based solution, it's better than nothing.