The Principles of Business Process Mapping and their Importance
Business Process Mapping (BPM) – which is at its core, a visual representation of the flow of work – has far-reaching benefits for businesses. It is a powerful method to streamline the workflow in an organization. BPM plays a key role in helping businesses run smoothly by making it easier for them to identify breakdowns in a process, bring employees together, and achieve the ultimate goal of working efficiently. And in times like these, when running a business is tough, anything that helps improve employee productivity can be considered a big blessing for businesses.
Although most businesses understand the importance of having effective business processes in place, they are often clueless when it comes to actually going about mapping their business processes. However, the truth of the matter is, a business can easily overcome all challenges associated with creating a process map by adhering to the following basic principles:
Define the scope of the project
In every mapping project, the start and end points and the boundaries of the process should be clearly defined. When the boundaries are clearly set, the chances of diverting from the process become less. Defining the start and end points of a project may sound like a simple activity, but it can be more complex in reality. Nevertheless, establishing boundaries is of great importance as it helps in staying focused on the selected process.
Look at the big picture
While designing a process map, it is important not to lose sight of the ultimate objective that you’re trying to achieve. One way to do this is to keep asking yourself the pertinent question – why are you designing the process map in the first place? Always keep in mind that a process map should make it easier for every employee to see and understand how they fit into the overall scheme of things.
Define each step clearly
While designing business process maps, the last thing you want is ambiguity in the process. To avoid this, it is essential to clearly define every step that will be followed while designing a process map. Broadly speaking, process mapping includes several steps, including identifying the process, bringing together the right team, collecting all the required information, drawing the map, and analyzing it to identify the areas that can be improved further.
Get feedback from everyone
A process map, by virtue of its nature, involves every employee. While designing a process map, getting feedback from everyone involved in the process is important. This will not only ensure that everyone is on the same page but will also help in identifying the missing steps, if any. Moreover, it will also break down the barriers between employees, leading to a better understanding of roles and responsibilities. This will, ultimately, improve employee productivity and efficiency
We will discuss the remaining principles in the second part of this blog. Stay tuned!