Have you stopped to think about how systems of work and processes are integral to most of our day to day activities? The simple process of making a cup of tea can only be successful if a number of other things have happened first. Much of the stuff we do every day is dependent on other stuff having happened first!

Processes matter

Processes are integral to virtually all activities within organisations. The failure of any one can lead to inefficient use of resources and poor organisational performance. And individuals often do their day to day stuff without appreciating the part their work plays in delivery of the whole. How many can clearly articulate their role, their teams role, their departments’ role and all the way back up to the corporate plan?

Understanding the processes that underpin operational activities is fundamental to successful outcomes and high performance. Failure is often only identified where a service hasn’t been delivered, deadlines are missed, or activities have to be postponed or cancelled on a last minute basis.

How well are processes understood?

So how well are your processes communicated? Process mapping is a methodology that provides a structured base for this. It enables teams to develop an understanding of how their processes work and simple identification of the points at which failure occurs.

Symptoms of failure often hide the root cause. Being able to track back issues along maps enables organisations to pinpoint where processes have failed. Appropriate action can be taken to ensure that the problem does not recur.

Go on, get drawing!

Creating process maps is straightforward. Get a wall, a big sheet of paper, lots of coloured pens, and get people to start drawing. The combination of having the think through what happens; when it happens and then draw it, brings issues to life.

The record is created by the people that own the activities. This is engaging and inclusive. It builds understanding. It frequently acts as a catalyst for people to start identifying other ways to improve existing processes, as well as identifying blockages.

Working with the people who are responsible for the processes means that early buy in and ownership of change is achieved. It acts as a significant morale booster for those who feel frustrated by failure, but who are too busy or too close to the existing process to see where the problems lie.

And process maps provide a useful base from which teams and departments can communicate with one another about interdependent processes using common language and terminology.

Why map processes – what’s the value?

Here’s an example of the value this process adds from our work with a planning authority:

• Long and complex application forms were creating issues for customers. Key information was often missing and the level of fee submitted by applicants was frequently wrong. 50% of all of the planning applications received had to be returned
• The registration process included numerous steps and passing files between different members of staff. Each time a file passed, it went to the bottom of the next persons work queue.
• Failure to pro-actively manage phone traffic meant that the process of registering applications was often interrupted
• The time pressures that resulted meant that systems training hadn’t been undertaken by all staff
• As a consequence, data on the planning system was often felt to be incorrect or inconsistent. This led to time consuming manual checks
• The person with responsibility for scanning simply had no idea that by piling up applications and scanning them every few days, instead of every day, was causing significant issues for others.

Once the team could start to see where and why blockages in the process occurred, they started to manage them as opposed to feeling irritated and frustrated. At the start of the exercise, planning applications were being turned around in the statutory 8 week period, but at the expense of long hours by all concerned and frequently frayed tempers. Once the improvements had been implemented, the process was being achieved easily within 5 weeks.