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Process Mapping:

Developed at General Electric, process mapping is simply a modern-day version of process charting.

A process map can be regarded as a 'marriage' between a 'traditional' process chart and a computer system flow chart. It offers the same range of benefits - in terms of aiding communication about processes, and in acting as a basis for process improvement (or re-engineering). It requires the same kind of observation and focused interviewing skills on the part of the 'mapper' to ensure that the map represents a true reflection of the process.

Done properly, process mapping offers a clear picture of what activities are carried out as part of a process, where such activity is carried out and how they are performed.

A map allow you to examine a business process clearly, without the 'distraction' of the organisational structure or internal politics. As with process charts, the usual approach is to map a process 'as is' (to identify the current status of a process), to use this as the basis of analysis and review - in terms of identifying process steps that are the (potential) cause of bottlenecks, delays, barriers and errors - and to create a map of the re-engineered process to aid in 'selling' identified process improvements.

Because process mapping arose out of computer flowcharting, it is supported by a range of software packages that aid the graphical representation of the process.
See www.processnavigator.com for an example

Process Mapper developed in the United States and now used in the SE Asia Region by Mk4.

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