Process mapping, in very simple terms, is a way to visually map out business workflows and processes. It’s a crucial part of understanding your daily operations, and more importantly, it’s the first step in finding ways to increase productivity. Here are some of the common mistakes we see people make when undertaking process mapping.
Insufficient documentation
Rushing through the process mapping exercise leads to insufficient documentation and records. If your maps aren’t in good order, with clear documentation around each process, it leads to confusion, misinterpretation and inefficiency. Plus, it’s also harder to update your maps and adapt to changing business conditions.
Ignoring stakeholder input
Having consultants and managers running the show when it comes to process mapping is fine, but you need to consider the people using your systems every day. Whether it’s customers, staff or other external stakeholders, the processes need to make sense for them, too. The result of ignoring stakeholder input is processes that don’t align with your operational needs or customer expectations.
Over-complicating your processes
The best business processes are the clear and simple ones. When you over-complicate your processes, they become difficult to follow, leading to more human error, wasted time and a decrease in operational efficiency. When mapping out and developing business processes, keep them as streamlined as possible.
Static maps
Process mapping isn’t a set-and-forget task. Certainly, it’s a great way to build better workflows and processes, but inevitably, operational needs change as your business grows. If your process maps stay the same for years with no updates, they’re likely to become inefficient.
Lack of standardisation
In larger organisations and enterprises, standardisation is crucial to successful process mapping. This is because many processes often cross through different departments. If teams and departments conduct their own process mapping exercises, the result is usually a lack of cohesion that makes it hard for business units to collaborate. Ensure processes are mapped company-wide, not by team or department.
If you’d like assistance mapping business processes and creating efficiencies, contact Human Pixel today.
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