Maps for Business Processes

Businessprocessmapping

PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENTSUPPORT PORTFOLIO

3.3

ISBN - 0-9548488-7-X

Published by:

Local Government Data Unit � Wales

Columbus Walk, Cardiff, CF10 4BY

Telephone 029 2090 9500

Email [email protected]

Web www.dataunitwales.gov.uk

© Local Government Data Unit � Wales, 2005

This material may be reproduced as long as its source is quoted. Any queries

should be sent to the Local Government Data Unit � Wales at the above address

or e-mail [email protected]

This document is part of the of the Performance Management

Support Portfolio � a series of guides to the key elements of

Performance Management, produced by the Local Government Data

Unit � Wales and the Welsh Local Government Association.

This paper is based largely on a publication published by Audit Scotland

in 2000 �The map to success�.

We wish to acknowledge our thanks to Audit Scotland for the use of and

reproduction of this publication.

Each document can be accompanied by the provision of advice, guidance

and training support. For further information, or to use the Portfolio

within your organisation, contact:

Local Government Data Unit � Wales 029 2090 9500

Welsh Local Government Association 029 2046 8600

Business process mapping PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENTSUPPORT PORTFOLIO

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Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. What is process mapping? 3

2.1 So what exactly are process maps? 4

3. How can process maps help drive improvement? 6

4. Elements of process mapping 8

4.1 Process flowcharts 84.1.1 High level flowcharts 84.1.2 Activity flowcharts 94.1.3 Task flowcharts 104.1.4 Deployment flowcharts 13

5. Process definition charts 14

6. How to do process mapping 16

6.1 Decide why you want to process map 166.2 Decide which processes you will map 166.3 Decide who is going to be involved 176.4 Produce the flowcharts and maps 18

7. Using process maps 20

7.1 Understand your own processes 207.2 Make sure your processes link with those of your partners 207.3 Benchmark your processes 217.4 Improve your processes 21

8. Summary 25

9. Further help 25

Appendices

(1) Standard symbols used in flowcharts 26

(2) References and further reading 27

4

Business process mapping

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1. IntroductionExpectations on councils to deliver high quality, responsive

services, and to ensure that those services are continuously

improving have never been greater. Increasingly councils are

required not only to promote the interests and priorities of their

communities in the services they provide, but also to identify and

exploit opportunities for greater efficiency in all that they do.

Frameworks are in place across the UK at both national and local levels

to support councils in achieving continuous improvement across their

services. In Wales the Wales Programme for Improvement (WPI) places

a number of requirements on Welsh councils, including:

� Carrying out an annual risk assessment, identifying key risks faced

by the council which provide a focus for improvement activities over

the coming year;

� Publication each year of an Improvement Plan which sets out what

the council aims to achieve required improvements corporately and in

services over the coming 12 months � this might include reallocation

of resources, changed structures and processes or detailed reviews

into problem areas; and

� Negotiation with regulators to produce a Regulatory Plan containing

a proportionate programme of targeted inspections focusing on high

risk areas of service.

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In addition, national initiatives such as the Performance Measurement

Review aim to provide local authorities with the tools they need to

assess current performance, plan for improvement and track progress

into the future.

A clear challenge for councils is to become more effective and efficient

in the way they do things, in relation to delivery both of front-line and

supporting services. Sometimes this might involve looking in some

detail at the way processes and activities currently work, and how these

might be improved. Process mapping can be an invaluable tool for

this, and is being used by a number of councils as they seek to achieve

continuous improvement in the services they provide.

This paper explains what process mapping is and how councils might

use it to improve performance. Throughout we have included illustrative

examples of how process mapping has been used both by local

authorities and other organisations. We have also included a series of

�health checks� � common traps that managers and staff can fall into

when embarking upon process mapping and which need to be avoided.

The aim is to help people in local authorities think about how they

might use process mapping as one of a range of approaches to

challenge ways in which they currently do things, and identify

positive changes.

What the paper does not do is provide in depth practical guidance on

carrying out process mapping. Should you need this, further help is

available. Details of where to get it are included at the end of the paper.

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2. What is process mapping?Every organisation delivers its services to its customers through a set

of interrelated processes. Together these make up a complete service

delivery chain � all the activities that, together, ensure customers

get the service they want. The problem is that in just about every

organisation the individual processes that make up this chain are usually

the responsibility of different departments, or teams, or sections.

For example, many processes need to come together for a council

to provide a quality library service: recruitment and training of staff,

payroll systems, purchasing systems, building repairs, cleaning, printing

of documentation, marketing and publicity, and so on. All the customer

is concerned about, however, is the quality of the final service, not the

background processes. To deliver a quality service to the customer, it is

vital that each individual process delivers what is required.

It is, perhaps, not surprising that the customer often does not receive

the service that they expect given the many interrelated processes that

have to be completed. The service delivery chain is only as strong as its

weakest link. If any one process fails then the customer will not receive

a quality service. In the public sector the problem is often compounded

further since many services are delivered by a multi-agency approach

in which the individual processes will be the responsibility not just of

different parts of one organisation but different parts of several.

The technical definition of a process is:

�a set of activities that converts inputs into outputs which meet

agreed customer requirements�.

Inputs are the things that we need in order to be able to carry out these

activities � for example, equipment, supplies, budgets, people, and

information.

Outputs are the end results of the activities � for example a service

provided to a customer, a committee report produced or an invoice paid.

In other words, a process is simply the way we do something � using

resources to produce results. A process might be fairly high level

� providing a social work service, for example, or ensuring effective

community consultation as part of service planning � or it might be

more focused on a very specific activity such as dealing with a tenant�s

request for a housing repair.

Processes exist in every organisation � work gets done and services

are provided. Everyone working in an organisation is involved in some

process or another.

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Over time it is likely that many of these processes have developed in an

ad hoc way. They may not be properly documented or even understood

by the staff involved, and they may no longer represent the best way

of providing a service or carrying out some set of activities. Thinking

in a rigorous and methodical way about the processes that are in place

to deliver services must be a key part of the search for performance

improvement. Process maps help this type of thinking.

2.1 So what exactly are process maps?

Process maps are diagrams that show � in varying levels of detail � what

an organisation does and how it delivers services. The mapping shows the

major processes in place, the key activities that make up each process, the

sequencing of those activities, the inputs and resources required and the

outputs produced by each activity. Process maps are a way of ensuring that

the activities making up a particular process are properly understood and

properly managed in order to deliver the best services to customers.

Process maps are made up of two main elements, represented by diagrams:

� Flowcharts that show the sequencing of activities in a particular

process; and

� Process definition charts, which shows, for each activity, the inputs

and resources that are required, the outputs that will result from the

activity and the controls that regulate or influence the activity.

Figure 1: Process model for the Personal Social Services data collection

and publication activity at the Local Government Data Unit - Wales

Inputtransformed

resources

Transformation process:

• Data validation

• Data set production

• Publication

Customers:e.g. Assembly,

Local Authorities etc.

Environment

EnvironmentInputtransforming

resources

Input resources Outputs: National Statistics

Raw data

Staff IT

Source: Analysis of the Data Unit�s PSS data collection and publication

activity applied to Slack et al�s (2004:98) transformation model


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Combining flowcharts and process definition charts will provide a

complete process map, although many services will find simply the

production of flowcharts a useful aid to service improvement.

More detail on these elements is provided in section four.

Health check 1: Are controls stifling efficiency?

Often controls have evolved in processes over a long period of time in an ad-hoc fashion, e.g. in response to a specific event or recommendation made by audit or a regulator. This sort of evolving control environment can lead to a cumbersome and/or inefficient process. In the significant majority of cases, where additional controls are introduced into a process, this will lead to additional processing costs. These costs are, however, often hidden in additional processing/staff time. The best approach with controls is, wherever possible, to have them built into the system/process so that they operate automatically.

The key rule with controls is to ensure that they manage risks at the optimum level and not to have so much control on a process that every possible risk is mitigated, with no regard for the additional burden that the extra controls impose on a system. The question that needs to be answered is:

Are the additional costs associated with the extra controls outweighed by the benefits of additional risks being managed?

If the answer to this question is no, then some careful thought should go into assessing the real merits of imposing additional controls. A much better approach is to consider this on a systematic basis, looking at the process in its entirety. Rather than looking at the existing controls, assess the key risks associated with process, and then ensure that on an end-to-end basis adequate controls exist on the system to manage the risks identified. Internal audit should be well placed to assist with this approach.

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3. How can process mapping help drive improvement?Mapping processes, particularly those that are most complex, can assist

services in ensuring that service quality is achieved � that the customer

actually gets the service they are meant to. Process mapping can be a

useful tool in driving service improvement by:

� Helping ensure that managers and staff understand all the activities

that make up the process � their sequencing, the resources required to

complete the process successfully, the standards and performance

targets to be met;

� Enabling roles and responsibilities to be clearly agreed and defined,

ensuring everyone involved in the process, regardless of where they are

in the organisation, knows who is meant to do what;

� Helping ensure that activities and services provided on a multi-

departmental or multi-agency basis are properly integrated and

connected so that the customer does not fall into the gaps between

departments and different organisations. This will become more vital as

joint working is encouraged by the Welsh Assembly Government�s

�Making the Connections� agenda;

� Helping councils understand the needs of service users. A key part of

process mapping is agreeing the outputs required from the process. By

definition such outputs are intended to satisfy customer requirements.

The map enables managers to properly understand and define such

requirements;

� Encouraging a positive, �challenge� culture (a key part of the

modernisation agenda). By producing a process map managers and staff

are encouraged to ask �why?�: Why do we do this? Why do we do it this

way? Why do we do it in this order? Why don�t we do it differently? and

� Encouraging and contributing to the search for performance

improvement. Mapping processes contributes directly to performance

benchmarking, performance improvement and service redesign.


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Case study 1: Citigroup

Citigroup implemented a common on-line system upon which its 28,000 employees claiming expenses could administer their claims. The solution implemented was based on business process management and brought local practices across 100 different countries as close to a single common policy as possible. The results of the implementation not only improved employee�s travel claim processing and turnaround but it had spin off benefits in that it provided robust management information to

allow corporate procurement of certain facilities used on a regular basis.

Source: BPMG.org

Case study 2: Mental health service in London

A Mental Health Trust in London and the Community Mental Health Trusts realised there were problems with access to outpatient clinics, which were being described as a 'lottery system'. The team used process mapping to really understand how new patients were referred, where they had to wait and what the patients experienced. The team soon realised that there were high non-attendance rates, lengthy waiting lists, misuse of consultant

resources and a high potential for gaps in communication.

Source: Improvement Leaders� Guide to Process Mapping, analysis and redesign: NHS Modernisation Agency

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4. Elements of process mappingIn this section we take a closer look at the elements of process mapping

introduced in section two.

4.1 Process flowcharts

Flowcharts are a key part of process mapping and, for many

organisations, the starting point for understanding and improving

processes. A variety of flowcharts may be produced at different levels to

provide varying amounts of detail. Here we look at three main types:

� a high-level flowchart;

� an activity flowchart; and

� a task flowchart.

In effect, each of these shows increasing amounts of detail about a

particular process.

In addition, a deployment (or responsibility) flowchart can also be

produced.

4.1.1 High-level flowchart

This type of flowchart shows the main activities involved in some high-level

process. It is useful for providing a summary or overview of what is involved.

Consider a situation where, within our service, we need to ensure staff

have the appropriate skills and training to do their jobs and to deliver

service plan commitments. As such we can consider this a high-level

process. We might then develop a flowchart like that in figure 2 to show

the main stages involved in the process.

Identify the skills staff

will need to deliver the

service plan

1Assess the current

skills and competence

of staff

2Agree and prioritise

the training needs

of staff

3

Develop programme of

training events to meet

these needs

4Implement programme

of traing events

5Monitor and review

impact of training

events

6

Figure 2: High-level flowchart

Source: The Map to Success � Audit Scotland


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In this flowchart the main activities required to complete the whole

process have been identified. Note that each of these is numbered. This

will help keep track of where we are as we develop the flowchart further.

4.1.2 Activity flowchart

An activity flowchart follows on from a high-level flowchart. For any one

of the key activities in Figure 2, we can develop an activity flowchart

showing the more detailed activities that would need to be completed

for this part of the overall process. Figure 3 shows the activity flowchart

that we might have developed for stage 5 (Implement programme of

training events) of the high-level flowchart in Figure 2. Each of the key

activities required for this part of the process is clearly shown, together

with the sequencing.

Confirm budget

available

5.1

Agree attendence

numbers for each event

5.2

Agree dates

5.3

Book accomodation

5.4

Book Catering

5.5

Notify participants

5.9

Run events

5.10

Photocopy training

material

5.8

Book equipment

(OHP flipcharts)

5.7

Book trainer

5.6

Recharge costs to

service budget

5.11

Figure 3: Activity flowchart to implement a programme of training events


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4.1.3 Task flowchart

The task flowchart follows on from the activity flowchart and focuses

on the detailed tasks that make up a particular activity. Typically, a

task flowchart shows in detail the work that has to be completed for

the defined part of the process. Figure 4 shows the flowchart that

might apply to Task 5.4 Book accommodation that we had in Figure

3. We might have a situation, for example, where accommodation

bookings are initiated by the training manager in the HR service. An

administrative assistant then completes a proforma request form, which

is sent to the facilities manager in central support services. The facilities

manager checks for room availability on the date requested. If a room

is available, the facilities manager notifies HR�s administration assistant

who, in turn, notifies the training manager and the service manager.

Finance is notified in terms of any recharge costs incurred. In the event

that the facilities manager does not have accommodation available on

the requested date, the flowchart moves us to a different set of tasks.


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Training manager provides

event details

Admin assistant completes

facilities request form

Request form signed by

training manager

Form sent to

facilities manager

Facilities manager checks

room availability

Connect to process for

booking external facilities

Notify admin

assistant

Admin assistant notifies

training manager


training manager

Booking

recorded

Confirmation notice sent

to admin assistant


training manager and

service manager

Notify finance

department of charges

Room available?

NO

NOYES

YES

Organise new date?

Start

End

Figure 4: Task flowchart


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Producing these kinds of flowchart stimulates challenge by both the staff

involved and managers. It is impossible to look at the chart in Figure 4

and not challenge the way things are currently done - looking for parts of

the process that can be eradicated, simplified or speeded up; considering

whether roles and responsibilities could be altered to make the process

more efficient and effective. Remember, every process requires resources

and the less efficient and effective a process, the more it is costing us

from a resource-use perspective.

Case study 3: City and County of Swansea

The modernisation of key corporate systems and the implementation of anew electronic care management system were identified as key priorities by Swansea Social Services. Money was obtained from the National Assembly for Wales� Performance Management Development Fund to appoint a Business Process Officer, whose principle task was to map existing processes in preparation for Business Process Re-engineering across the department in preparation for CRM. Once in post, the officer worked with colleagues in the social services performance unit to develop a systematic approach to process mapping. This involved the following steps:

1. Meeting with managers to identify critical processes to be mapped, and identifying the major inputs and deliverables associated with them, along with constraints and enablers;

2. Working with people involved in the selected processes to produce an objective �as is� map. The aim here was to get as wide a range of perspectives as possible in order to get a true picture of what currently happened;

3. Working with staff to validate the process maps produced and begin to identify possible improvements; and

4. Publication of process maps with comments, suggestions and recommendations.

The exercise in social services has brought a number of tangible benefits, including:

� Identification of differences between documented processes and what actually happens �on the ground�;

� Better understanding between managers and staff around high level objectives and how operational processes contribute to them;

� Identification of immediate and longer term improvements which have improved both efficiency and effectiveness;

� Ownership and buy-in from staff, helping to build a greater culture of challenge within the department;

� Examination of the interaction and synergy of processes between partner agencies, for example in the health sector; and

� Review of key processes to accommodate new requirements under the Unified Assessment Process.

The key remaining challenge is to extend the approach within social services and more widely across the council � the benefits obtained so far need to be communicated to secure further investment necessary for this to happen.

Source: Welsh Local Government Association


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How technical you want your flowcharts to be depends primarily on what

they are for and who will use them. The purpose of flowcharting is not to

produce a highly technical and visually sophisticated diagram, but to help

the service improve its performance by understanding its processes better.

Highly technical flowcharts can be off-putting to staff unfamiliar with them.

On the other hand, if flowcharts are to be used across a wide audience,

there is merit in ensuring standard symbols are used. Appendix 1 contains

the standard symbols used in process mapping flowcharts.

Task flowcharts are particularly useful for showing the detail of what

happens on a day-to-day basis. It is important that such flowcharts are

constructed to show what actually happens rather than what should

happen and as a result they are often known as �as-is flowchart.�

If the flowchart is constructed on the basis of �as should be�, it will lead

to a conclusion that the process works efficiently and effectively and

that no real performance improvement is required. Only by examining

the actual flow of tasks will problems and shortcomings be revealed.

An approach called walk-through can be useful at ensuring this. Walk-

through simply indicates that we follow the exact course of a particular

process on a step-by-step basis (physically if possible) to confirm what

really happens. This will normally require talking to the relevant staff

involved in each particular task of the process and assessing what they

actually do to complete that task (not what they should do). Clearly such

an approach has to be undertaken sensitively and with mutual trust.

Health check 2: Do staff always follow documented procedures?

The answer is a definite no. In order to obtain staff buy-in you will need to offer assurance that staff will not be subject to any action for not following documented procedures - they might have made the change to improve the process.

Instead offer an amnesty to staff, as you want to establish how the process works in practice not how it has been previously documented.

4.1.4 Deployment flowchart

The final type of flowchart that can be useful in process mapping is the

deployment flowchart. This shows the different parts of the organisation (or the

different organisations) involved in a particular process. Deployment flowcharts

can be developed for any level flowchart � high-level, activity or task. Looking

at processes this way again encourages a positive challenge attitude and

stimulates consideration of reconfiguring or redesigning services. Deployment

flowcharts can also be particularly useful at mapping responsibilities for

complex inter-agency processes, ensuring each agency is clear about its

own contribution and how that links to those of other partner agencies.

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5. Process definition chartsFlowcharts are all that some organisations use for their process mapping.

However, there is a final diagram that might usefully be included: a

process definition chart (PDC). The principles are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Process definition chart

Activities are the functions or detailed tasks that make up a named process.

Inputs are what are required to be able to complete the activities and

produce the outputs. Typically, inputs are transformed or used up by the

process, e.g., a person�s time, budget spend, physical materials etc.

Outputs are produced by the process.

Controls regulate the process. Controls might be internal (agreed

procedures, standing orders, available budgets etc) or external (legislation,

imposed standards or the limited availability of a given resource).

Resources (or mechanisms) are required to produce the outputs.

However, unlike inputs, resources are not used up or transformed during

the process. Resources might include equipment, people, and facilities.

A photocopier, for example, might be a resource for a process while

supplies of paper and toner will be inputs.

Constraints

Resources/Mechanisms

InputsProcess or

ActivityOutputs


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A process definition chart for Activity 5.4 Book accommodation (Figure 3)

might look like that in Figure 6.

Figure 6: PDC for activity 5.4 Book accommodation


The key input is the facilities request form that must be completed.

Resources are the event details plus someone to complete the activity, the

admin assistant in this case. Constraints on the process are the available

budget and the room booking system. The output is a confirmed booking

together with the recording of a finance recharge. PDCs, like deployment

flowcharts, can be produced for any of the flowcharts we have introduced.

Potentially, flowcharts and PDCs can be combined to give a complete map of

a particular process. These �complete� process maps are typically produced

using a standard methodology known as IDEF (Integration Definition for

Function Modeling). While the complete process map may look complex,

it does serve a number of useful purpose by forcing us to consider:

� will these inputs be available and, if so, where do they come from,

i.e., which earlier processes produce outputs, which become the

inputs to this process?

� are the resources available to allow us to complete this process?

� do we, and our staff, understand the key constraints that are relevant

for this process. For example, does the admin assistant understand

that there is an agreed room booking system? and

� have we clarified the outputs from this process? Do they meet

�customer� requirements (in the sense that the next process will

require these outputs as inputs).

Budget

Facilitiesrequest

form

ConfirmedBooking

FinanceRechargeRecorded

RoomBookingSystem

EventDetails

AdminClerk

Book accommodation

5.4

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6. How to do process mappingHaving seen what process mapping involves, and gained some insight into

its potential contribution to service improvement, this section provides

brief pointers on how do to go about process mapping. A simple step

approach, like the one that follows, can be helpful.

6.1 Decide why you want to process map

First, we need to be clear as to why we are wanting to process map. The

reason for this is that it will help us make appropriate decisions in terms

of the effort and resources we put into the process mapping exercise. At

its simplest, process mapping can be an informal approach to looking at

how work is currently done. This might be undertaken by team members

in preparation for the induction of a temporary member of staff to cover

maternity leave. It might be part of a more formal exercise to challenge

current practice and identify possibilities for change � for example as part of

a business planning cycle, or a fundamental review undertaken as part of a

council�s WPI improvement plan. At its most complex, process mapping could

involve formally documenting all processes to produce an IDEF-based process

atlas for the whole service (a process atlas shows all flowcharts and process

maps from the high level to the task level, with all maps interconnected).

6.2 Decide which processes you will map

Whilst it might seem appealing, it is not usually feasible to process map

your entire service at one go. You need to prioritise which processes to

look at first. For example, you might decide to focus on processes:

� Which are core, or critical, to successful delivery of your service and/

or the organisation�s overall priorities;

� In highly visible front line services such as customer services, or

functions that directly support the front-line;

� Where performance trends are not encouraging;

� Where a significant problem or shortcoming has been identified

which poses a potential risk to your council�s overall performance

and/or reputation; and/or

� About which you have received recurring complaints from customers.


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Case study 4: Orthopedic services in an NHS trust

The Trust opted to map the whole patient journey, from referral to discharge from the orthopaedic service. It took time but gave a clear idea of some of the key issues and frustrations. They had not realised how many hoops the patient had to jump through in order to get from beginning to end. The team found the map an invaluable source of reference for their improvement work from the beginning. They realised they had to carefully prioritise the changes to be made. They focused on the �achievable� and

were able to make significant improvements as a consequence.

Source: Improvement Leaders� Guide to Process Mapping, analysis and redesign: NHS Modernisation Agency

6.3 Decide who is going to be involved

Process mapping is primarily about trying to see where you can improve

your performance. To get the most out of process mapping you need to

involve the right people. Clearly this will vary from service to service, and

roles and responsibilities will need to be clearly defined. It can be helpful

� either formally or informally � to identify and involve the following:

� the process owner � the individual (or group) with the authority to

make changes to the process;

� process members � people operationally involved in the process being

mapped;

� a process supplier � someone from another team which supplies

inputs, resources or constraints to the process being mapped; and

� a process customer � someone who is reliant on the output from this

process for their own work.

Health check 3: Do management know how processes operate?

The answer is probably no or that that they think they know. Many processes have operated for some time, with changes having been made either informally or to address a specific issue at a specific time. Even if they were written down when initially designed the document is unlikely to reflect what actually happens now. The people who understand enough detail to do process mapping are the staff that have the day-to-day operational responsibility.

The message here is not to rely on managers alone but to involve operational staff when process mapping.

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6.4 Produce the flowcharts and maps

There are no formal �rules� to producing process maps other than accepted

methodologies such as IDEF. A number of common �success factors�,

however, should be considered:

� management commitment to the exercise. If the exercise is seen

by those involved as yet another management �fad�, it is unlikely to

produce worthwhile results;

� effective communication with those involved and those who might be

affected so they know what process mapping is about and why it is

being undertaken;

� developing a systematic approach to process mapping and how the

results will be used to help improve performance. The purpose of

process mapping is to improve performance and service delivery;

� providing adequate training to those involved, particularly if a formal

approach to the production of process maps is being taken;

� providing adequate time and resources for those involved; and

� looking for quick wins � processes which may be relatively quick and

easy to change and improve and that will show immediate benefits

to those who do the work. This will encourage the mapping team in

its further efforts and will also send positive messages to other staff

about the purpose and benefits of mapping.


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Case Study 5: Denbighshire County Council

Like all councils in Wales, following reorganisation of local government in 1996 the newly formed Denbighshire County Council was faced with the challenge of synchronising varying approaches to service delivery that had been used by the former county and district councils. Obviously in doing this the Council sought to build on the best of existing practice to optimise effectiveness and efficiency. In no area was the need for this as evident as in handling first time enquiries from the public. Performance in this area was seen as below standard, and the benefits to obtaining improvement were of obvious value to residents and the Council in terms of reputation. A fundamental question for the Council was the degree to which it would be possible to address current shortcomings by shifting tasks from �back� to �front office�.

As part of its Implementing Electronic Government strategy, Denbighshire set about analysing business processes in relation to high volume public contacts. Two Business Process Analysts were appointed, and they worked with external consultants to map processes in these areas. The work was done in a number of stages:

1. Initial research, leading to the production of �As is� process maps;

2. Assessing of these processes using a �Process Challenge Document� and engagement of staff in a debate on the opportunities for improvement through the transfer of functions to front office; and

3. Using the intelligence gathered to design �as should be� maps, to be implemented via clear action plans and signed off by the relevant manager.

Denbighshire�s approach provides an example of a successful partnership between its own specialist staff and external consultants in introducing the concept and practice of process mapping. Up front technical, software and consultancy/facilitation support helped internal specialists develop their own awareness and skills, which could then be taken forward in developing the approach in other areas of service across the Council.


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7. Using process mapsNo service will want to produce process maps for the sake of it. They are

intended to help understand and improve processes. However, this can

be achieved on several different levels and each level will depend on the

service itself and its approach to improvement. These simple steps set out

how process maps can be used for improvement.

7.1 Understand your own processes

At their simplest, process maps help ensure that you properly understand

your own processes: how work is done, who does the work, what inputs

and resources are required, what outputs are produced and the constraints

under which work is completed. The value of such understanding for

yourself and your staff should not be underestimated. All too often we take

it for granted that, �everyone knows how things are done around here�.

7.2 Make sure your processes link with those of your partners

Given that it is highly unlikely that you will be providing services to your

customers without some support from other internal services and/or,

increasingly from external agencies, process maps are a useful way of ensuring

that your processes link with those of your partners at all levels. The use of

a deployment flowchart can help ensure responsibilities are identified and

agreed. Complete process maps make it clear what the various dependencies

are between your activities and those of your partners � where you are reliant

on them for inputs or resources and where they may be reliant on you.


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Health check 4: Could process mapping become a cottage industry?

Running along side the improvement agenda in local government is a myriad of intra and inter authority working groups. Some of the groups have been very effective and others less so. One of the issues with some of the less effective groups is that they have spent so much time, for example, collecting data for benchmarking, that there is little appetite to do much with the outputs in terms of service improvement. Therefore, before embarking on a process mapping exercise, ensure that you have the commitment to use it for improvement, otherwise it will be effort wasted. Remember that unless you are mapping processes for, say, accreditation to an externally assessed standard, or to drive improvement in an identified service area, it is a means to an end and not an end in itself.

7.4 Improve your processes

Given a full understanding of your processes, it is almost inevitable that

you and your staff will start thinking about how they can be improved.

Questions resulting from process mapping might include: Can we simplify

the process? Can we remove certain tasks that are not really adding value?

Can we realign tasks and responsibilities with the people involved?

7.3 Benchmark your processes

Once you have mapped your key processes, there is an ideal opportunity

to benchmark your processes with those of other organisations to help

you compare performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

Process maps enable you to look at the resources and costs involved

(detailing inputs and resources) as well as the �deliverables� � the

quantity/quality of the outputs. Because the benchmark data you

require is clearly defined (from the map), this means that there is no

need to go into a detailed, laborious, time-consuming (and frustrating)

data benchmark exercise with partners. A sharply focused collection of

key process data can be organised with attention then going into why

performance differences between partners� processes occur:

� Is it because different inputs are used?

� Is it because different outputs are produced?

� Is it because processes are organised and managed in different ways?

� What improvements to your processes can you now identify?

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Case study 6: Renfrewshire Council

Like many other council services, the Finance and IT department in Renfrewshire Council has been conducting service reviews as part of its commitment to Best Value. One of these focused on council tax collection and as part of their efforts to develop detailed activity cost information, the department commissioned an external consultant to map the existing processes. Because of the benefits this produced in service performance, the department decided that process mapping would be used by staff involved in a subsequent service review looking at the accounting and budgeting service provided by the council. A small service review team was established, including staff from other departments who were seen as customers of accounting and budgeting, and a range of grades from within the function. A two-day workshop was organised to agree the remit for the review and to introduce staff to process mapping techniques. The team produced flow-charts for all its key processes and then used these to produce a detailed list of activities undertaken in each process.

The team then went on to record staff time involved in each activity and to estimate a cost for this. This allowed the team to assess the costs of each process and the constituent activities and to identify the non-value adding activities. Around 11 per cent of all costs were eventually classed as being incurred by such non-value adding work. This led to a situation where the team were positively �challenging� the way some work was done and whether some work needed to be done at all. The detailed activity information allowed the team to identify where this non-value adding work was happening and what the causes of this were. Overall, process mapping has helped the team understand activities better, developing an increased understanding of where time and costs are incurred and targeting improvements in the way the service is delivered.



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Improvement of the process might take several forms:

Streamlining: this involves looking at the existing process and

considering options for eliminating or combining steps in the

processes. We might do this by:

� eliminating non-value adding parts of the process;

� reducing checking, referrals for approval and sign-off; or

� combining steps of the process.

Redesign: this involves redesigning the existing process to standardise

procedures, automate or de-skill a particular task, redesigning facilities

and layout, incorporating technology changes. In our illustrative

example, we could consider providing the admin assistant with direct

IT access to the room booking system used by the Facilities manager.

Reengineering: business process reengineering involves fundamental

reviews of organisation structures and systems around core process

maps. Could/should we alter the relevant parts of the organisational

structure to enable processes to be carried out more efficiently and

effectively?

�Exxon Chemicals in the UK process mapped their travel booking

system.As a result they were able to reduce the number of steps

involved from 35 to 11 saving both time and costs.� DTI

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Case Study 7: Cardiff County Council

To gain ISO 9000 accreditation, Cardiff County Council has committed to mapping all its processes using a standard process mapping software package. Via business plans posted on the Council�s CIS (Cardiff Improvement System) database, managers and all members of staff are able to access maps of processes across the council�s services, and see changes and improvements that have been made. The collation and updating of the process maps is supported by the Council�s corporate performance management section and coordinated within departments by specially trained and qualified Quality Coordinators. Recognised benefits of this approach have been encouraging a culture of challenge in relation to current processes and a growing willingness of managers and staff to modify them as part of ongoing service improvement. However, a number of challenges remain, including:

� Spreading awareness and skills among managers and staff to prevent process mapping being seen as an end in itself and to optimise its use as a basis for re-engineering and a driver for change and improvement;

� Encouraging interaction between sections and departments to facilitate the compilation of comprehensive activity flowcharts, which can then be used to drive whole-process improvement. Often activities and tasks within individual teams and sections work well, but it is how they fit with those carried out by colleagues in other parts of the council and beyond that affect the ultimate quality of service delivered to the customer;

� Devising ways of critically challenging processes in the context of strategic objectives � processes may work well in themselves but deliver little in relation to the council�s overall priorities, or contravene its values.



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8. SummaryProcess mapping is not rocket science. It provides a structured

framework for any part of an organisation to review how it currently

provides services to its customers. It encourages staff to challenge and

then improve the way they carry out their work and deliver services.

The purpose of process mapping is not to produce complex diagrams.

It is to assist services in improving performance. It is a well-proven

technique that can be used as services plan for continual improvement

in their performance.

9. Further helpFurther help for those authorities beginning to process map is available

from a number of sources:

� Other manuals and briefings included in the following section;

� The Local Government Data Unit � Wales and the Welsh Local

Government Association � we are happy to help with individual

queries and will, if there is sufficient demand, look to supplement this

introductory briefing with formal training sessions for authorities; and

� The contacts provided for the case studies from Welsh councils. We

want to encourage practice - exchange between authorities, as this

provides an opportunity for different councils to learn directly from

each other.

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Standard flowcharting symbols Appendix 1

Task or activity

DataStart or end

A decision

with two

possible

outcomes

Stored Data

Delay

Document


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Further reading and references Appendix 2Bal J. (1998) �Process analysis tools for process improvement�,

The TQM Magazine 10, 5 342-354.

Cheung Y. and Bal J. (1998) �Process analysis techniques and tools for

improvement�, Business Process Management Journal 4,4 274-290.

Collins, P. (1997) �Using process mapping as a quality tool�,

Management Services Vol. 41 No. 3, pp 24-26.

Bendell, Boulter and Kelly (1993) �Benchmarking for Competitive

Advantage�, FT/Pitman Publishing.

Hunt, V. Daniel (1996) �Process mapping. How to reengineer your

business processes�, John Wiley and Sons.

Lee R.G. and Dale B.G., �Business process management: a review and

evaluation�, Business Process Management Journal 4,3 214-225.

Reding K.F., Ratiiff R.L. and Fullmer R.R. (1998) �Flowcharting business

processes�, Managerial Auditing Journal 13, 7 397-402.

Slack N., Chambers S. and Johnson R. (2004) �Operations Management

(4th ed.)�, Prentice Hall, Harlow � England.

TQMI 1994 Business �Process Improvement. An Approach to

Implementation�, TQMI.

Yingling R. (1997) �How to manage key business processes�,

Quality Progress, April, 107-110.

Local Government Data Unit � Wales

8 Columbus Walk, Cardiff, CF10 4BY

Telephone 029 2090 9500

Email [email protected]

Web www.dataunitwales.gov.uk

Documents

Maps for Business Processes