From the course: Six Sigma: Green Belt

Types of process maps

From the course: Six Sigma: Green Belt

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Types of process maps

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- They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Once you know your project scope and process boundaries, you need to create a picture of the process to provide a common understanding. It makes it easier to visualize what you're trying to measure, analyze, and improve. A process map is a diagram that provides a visual representation of the process flow, or sequence activities, or steps that take place in the process from start to finish. There are many types of process maps. Let's start with a high-level process map. This provides a view of the process at 10,000 feet. A high-level process map displays the main activities or major steps in a process. Usually, showing the process in 10 or fewer steps. The high-level process map tells you how everything connects. But sometimes you need more granularity into a process step. You need to drill down, or decompose, a particular step into more detail using a detailed process map. This is called process decomposition. Process decomposition yields a detailed process map which provides sufficient granularity to enable the team to understand what's going on and display where the decisions, rework loops, delays and bottlenecks, and workarounds occur. You can see delays and bottlenecks in this example. If multiple groups are involved in a process, then a swimlane process map will be useful to map the cross-functional process. Think of a swimlane process map as a detailed process map that has been allocated to the respective lanes where the activities are performed. Visualize an Olympic swimming pool where you have multiple lanes, one for each swimmer, a lane for each group, function, or department involved in the cross-functional process. A swimlane process map is also called a deployment map because it shows where the work is deployed. You may ask, "So what, why bother with a swimlane process map?" A swimlane map shows which group or department performs every process step and where the handoffs occur. Handoffs are the weak links in any process because things can fall through the cracks between departments and can result in delays, mistakes, and defects. Being able to see these potential opportunities for failure is very useful. So, if you have a cross-functional process, map it using a swimlane process map. All of these maps, the high-level process map, the detailed process map, and the swimlane map are useful for your project. They give you a good view of the forest and the trees as you move the project forward.

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