Every business process, whether strategic, constitutive, or support, must be represented at least in its simplest form by what we know as a process map.
Enterprise Architecture and business process maps
Before giving a definition of what a business process map is, we must place it in the context of Enterprise Architecture, which is made up of Business Process Architecture, Application Architecture, and IT Architecture.
A Business Process Architecture is used to represent on a single page all the business processes of a company or business; these are the strategic processes, core or constituent processes, and support processes.
Each business process, whether strategic, constitutive, or support, must be represented at least in its simplest form by what we know as a process map.
Role of process maps in business redesigns
A process map is a graphical representation (or flowchart) of the sequence of tasks or actions to be performed by different actors who play a role in the process. These maps also represent the times in which these tasks are performed and the information tools needed to execute them (systems, formats, etc.).
These maps should answer the following questions: What is done? Who does it? How is it done? When is it done?
Process maps are very simple and useful tools to train the people who play a role in the business process, so that they are clear about the total activities performed and the value expected to be produced by the business if each actor of the process executes what is expected of him, in a responsible and impeccable way.
Process maps are part of a more complete document of a business process that at Linnoit we call ‘Process Profile’, which describes the objective and scope of the process, details of activities, roles and responsibilities, cycle time, policies and business rules, controls, among others.
Why do we make process maps and profiles?
When we work with business process maps we commonly seek one of the following objectives:
Document the process: sometimes it is only required to document the current process (As-Is documentation) to comply with some standard or to have clarity in its operation.
Redesign the process: based on the existence of a map of the current process (As-Is), we work on its redesign (To-Be) in order to solve a problem or improve its performance.
Analyze the impact on the process: in projects that seek to implement a new technology or a change of practice.
Auditing the process: to ensure compliance with the standards of each country or third party, adjusting any discrepancies.
Responsible for creating and updating the maps
In large companies, the task of creating the maps falls in the domains of Business Processes, Continuous Improvement, or sometimes IT. In the case of small or medium-sized companies, a common practice is to subcontract specialized consulting companies such as Linnoit.
Business Process Mapping Tools
In the market, there are already proven software solutions with standards to follow to model them in a relatively fast and professional way. Some of the most widely used tools are:
- Appian
- Archi
- Bizagi
- IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
- Mega Hopex
- Microsoft Visio
- Oracle BPM
- Pega
Conclusions
- An enterprise process map is the first step in business differentiation based on operational efficiency.
- The Process Profile is the highest level of detail of a process, where there is a specific section for the process map.
- The maps in question are used to train process stakeholders to understand in a simple way the totality of the process and what is expected of them.
- Business Process Consultants and Business Process Analysts are the best-suited profiles to document business processes.
- At Linnoit we have process consultants with varying degrees of experience in documenting, redesigning, and auditing business processes. Contact us for more information.
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Bibliography:
Appian, https://appian.com/
Archimate modeling, https://www.archimatetool.com/
Bizagi Modeler, https://www.bizagi.com/es
IBM BPM, https://www.ibm.com/mx-es/marketplace/process-management-software-in-the-cloud
Mega International, https://www.mega.com/es/plataforma-hopex
Microsoft Visio, https://www.microsoft.com/es-mx/microsoft-365/visio/flowchart-software
Oracle BPM, https://www.oracle.com/middleware/technologies/bpm.html
Pega, https://www.pega.com/es
