Process Mapping

Process Mapping

Document current and future business processes with precision. Identify bottlenecks, handoff failures, and improvement opportunities using structured AS-IS / TO-BE analysis.

Overview

Process mapping reveals the gap between how a process is supposed to work and how it actually works. Apply this skill before designing any system that automates or supports an existing business process.

AS-IS Process Mapping

Step 1: Identify Process Boundaries

Define:

• Process name: concise, verb-noun (e.g., "Customer Onboarding", "Invoice Approval")
• Trigger: what starts this process
• End state: what condition marks the process complete
• Scope: what is included and excluded from this mapping

Step 2: Capture Process Steps

For each step, capture:

• Step ID: sequential (1, 2, 3...)
• Step name: verb-noun (e.g., "Validate Customer Identity")
• Actor: who performs this step (role, not person)
• System: what system or tool is used (if any)
• Input: what does this step receive
• Output: what does this step produce
• Decision points: if/else branches with conditions
• Pain points: what makes this step slow, error-prone, or frustrating

Step 3: RACI Matrix

Map responsibilities across roles:

R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed

Step 4: Pain-Point Heatmap

Rate each step for:

• Effort: Low / Medium / High
• Error rate: Low / Medium / High
• Delay: Low / Medium / High
• Automation potential: Low / Medium / High

Steps with High ratings across multiple dimensions are improvement priorities.

TO-BE Process Design

After mapping the AS-IS:

1. Identify which steps can be eliminated (no value added)
2. Identify which steps can be automated (high effort + high automation potential)
3. Identify which handoffs cause the most delay (redesign the handoff)
4. Identify where decisions could be moved earlier (shift-left)
5. Redesign the process with the improvements applied

For each improvement, document:

• Change type: Eliminate / Automate / Simplify / Resequence / Add check
• Steps affected
• Expected benefit: time saved, error rate reduction, cost saving
• Implementation effort: Low / Medium / High

Output Format

Produce:

1. AS-IS process narrative + step table
2. RACI matrix
3. Pain-point heatmap table
4. TO-BE process narrative with improvement recommendations
5. Improvement summary table (prioritised by benefit vs. effort)

Additional Resources

• references/process-notation-guide.md — BPMN notation guide for formal process diagrams
• assets/process-map-template.md — Blank AS-IS / TO-BE template