The basic assumption of any organization is that it desires to improve its business performance. Improvement begins with looking at the way people do their work. Therefore, if a company wishes to stay a strong, viable business it must look for leverage points in its functions where improvements can be made at both the organizational and individual levels. You should use process mapping specifically to:
- Solve problems. Unresolved problems are a drain on your efficiency, annoy people, and create low morale. Problem solving is usually a set of questions to be initially asked. Process mapping can be used to solve problems by helping answer three questions:
1. What is the problem? (This is called the problem statement.)
2. Why is this a problem?
3. How will you solve the problem?
- Define individual responsibility, authority, and accountability. This means tasks within a company, project, or work team are assigned. It answers the questions of who is responsible for each task, what authority they have to complete the work, and how you plan to hold them accountable.
- Clarify work. If we understand individual responsibilities then we must eliminate redundant tasks, eliminate repetition, and reduce effort by having a clear picture of what constitutes work.
- Eliminate task redundancy and duplication. Redundant work is unnecessary, not cost-effective, and detracts from focused performance toward objectives. Often redundancy occurs when departments fail to clarify areas of responsibility and two individuals are working on the same project unknown to each other.
- Initiate continual improvement. By cleaning up the specifics of workflow, improvements begin to appear in the system.
- Initiate reengineering if necessary. Reengineering is an alternative choice that may develop from a process map. This decision is reached when the advantages of small changes are not sufficient to warrant the continuation of the process. If a major or bold improvement is needed, the decision becomes one to reengineer.
