Process mapping has an image problem

In many organisations, I have noticed that process mapping has developed an image problem. Executives often associate it with lengthy workshops, walls covered in sticky notes, large documents that are rarely revisited once the project is complete or a cottage industry using up valuable time and talent to tell you want you think you already know. Teams can sometimes view it as an administrative exercise rather than a valuable business tool. As a result, organisations frequently rush past process mapping and move directly into solution design, technology selection, automation initiatives or organisational change programs. This is often where transformation efforts begin to unravel. ​

I know that process mapping is one of the most powerful tools available to organisations seeking to improve productivity, and we know that Australian businesses have a massive productivity issue. I’ve worked with clients across multiple sectors, running brief mapping sprints but them moving with speed to fix the (sometimes curious but well intentioned) process design decisions of the past. In general insurance I’ve seen questions asked at the claim lodgement process that bear no relation to the claim itself, do not impact claim decisions and are not used to build any reliable pricing intelligence. In a contact centre, adding one minute of extra talk time into a business handing 20,000 calls a month means you’ve hired at least three extra people just to handle those questions. Those questions were dropped pretty quickly. ​

In the health sector, I’ve seen clients asked to provide the same information on multiple forms, all being signed at the same time, and pieces of paper following clients and staff around the office to no real purpose. These are not massive individual time wastes, but they add up across the team, over the day, the weeks and the months taking team time away from value add into admin for admin’s sake. Creating a shared understanding of how work actually happens uncovers the operational realities that are often hidden beneath organisational structures, systems and assumptions.

Most Organisations Understand Their Functions Better Than Their Processes​

Organisations are typically structured around functions, departments and reporting lines. Sales has its responsibilities. Operations has its responsibilities. Technology has its responsibilities.

Marketing has its responsibilities. Customers, however, do not experience organisations in this way. Customers experience a series of interactions that cut across multiple teams, systems and decision points. Every hand-off, approval, escalation and communication contributes to their overall experience. The same is true for employees attempting to deliver services, resolve issues or complete work. That is why when we map our clients’ processes, we start with the Customer and end with Technology. ​

Without process mapping, organisations often have only a partial understanding of how work flows across these boundaries. Leaders may understand their own area extremely well while having limited visibility of the challenges, delays and dependencies that exist elsewhere in the process. This creates blind spots that can impact productivity, service quality and operational effectiveness.​

The Process Map Is Often the First Time People See the Whole System​

I have seen that the most valuable outcomes of process mapping are the conversations it creates. When I’ve worked with cross functional teams in our Rapid Design Studios, we’ve uncovered decisions being made at the onset of the process that are then re-litigated later in the process, and human-led reviews of decisions conducted on 100% of scenarios. In one client we identified these checks were increasing the total cost to handle the customer query to $280, but the value of the underlying transaction was only $80. ​

When I bring frontline employees, team leaders, subject matter experts and executives together to map a process, they frequently discover that their understanding of the same workflow differs significantly. Individuals often have visibility of only the steps immediately before and after their role. Very few people understand the complete journey.

Mapping Is Only the Beginning​

Perhaps the biggest misconception about process mapping is that the map itself is the outcome. It isn’t. The process map is simply a tool that creates visibility, understanding and alignment. Its real value comes from the conversations it enables, the insights it uncovers and the improvements it inspires. That’s where our Rapid Design Studios come into their own and start the conversations across the business about process optimisation, operational redesign, customer experience improvement, technology enablement and sustainable productivity gains.

We’ve seen improvements of 30% increased capacity created in our clients businesses within 12 months of running our process mapping sprints and Rapid Design Studios. We don’t have an image problem because we deliver value and stick around until it is embedded.

In my experience, the organisations that improve fastest aren't the ones with the biggest budgetsor the boldest transformation programs. They're the ones that understood their work well enough to know exactly what to change - and why. That's where we start.​