Process Mapping

Map the real workflow before you redesign it - start on the floor, not the slide.

Key Concept

• A flowchart drawn from memory lies politely - map from observation first.
• Level 1: Draw how work really moves - not how the manual says it should - like tracing the path people actually walk, not the sidewalk on the plan.
• Level 2: Process mapping names handoffs, waits, and workarounds - the slide version hides where people route around the rule.
• Level 3: Because documented process is aspirational, mapping starts where work happens - shadowing before boxes and arrows.
• Level 4: Walk one full cycle with the person doing the job, then draw - committee templates come after observation.
• Level 5: Shadow the Work is the move; People-Centered Design is the principle - mapping without watching is decoration.
• Process mapping is the artifact after you see real motion - not a substitute for sitting with one nurse, cashier, or new hire.
• Fix the map when reality diverges - stale diagrams train new hires into workarounds.

Examples

• The shift-change chart had three tasks with zero arrows to an owner - mapping from the whiteboard, not memory, showed the gap in one pass.
• I stood behind the counter for three lunch rushes before we redrew checkout - the slide had one tap, reality had four stalls.

Note Relationships