The document provides a concise guide for small business owners on how to implement process mapping for improving business efficiency. It outlines seven basic steps, from identifying current problems to visualizing goals and redesigning processes, all aimed at enhancing productivity and employee satisfaction. Key reasons for process improvement include reducing bottlenecks, fostering innovation, and improving customer satisfaction.

1. Process Mapping towards
Process Improvement for
the Small Business Owner
A quick and usable primer from SeaLight,LLC

2. Is This Your Company?
You have bottlenecks
that are preventing
you from producing
your best product.
Things that should
be quick, take
forever.
You’re not able to
keep up with
customer demand.

3. Why Improve your
Business Processes?
Reason 1
Good process leads to happy employees who
produce better product, have more customer
loyalty, and who are more innovative and
creative...all of which leads to sustained
revenue.

4. Why Improve?
Reason 2
Just to have more fun at work

5. Why Improve?
Reason 3
To prevent the TEAM CYCLE OF DEATH (next
slide)>>>>>

7. Why Improve?
Reason 4
To outperform
everyone else

8. Can You Improve Without
Business Process
Mapping?
If you’re lucky
If you have about 5 people in your company
who are all co-located and communicate with
each other constantly

9. Why Process
Mapping?
Reason 1
Process Mapping enables great
output. Without it, none of these
things would have happened.

10. The shoes alone are
reason enough
but we’ll go on...

11. Why Process Mapping?
Reason 2
A picture is worth a thousand words

12. Why Process Mapping?
Reason 3
Process Mapping gives you a framework and a
visual to describe what’s happening

13. Why Process Mapping?
Reason 4
Once it’s clear and visual, you can figure out
where to make it better, quickly

14. So How Do You Start?
Process Mapping and Process Improvement
In 7 Sort of Easy Steps

15. Step 1:
Describe Your Pain
Describe your pain in clear language

16. Step 1 Directions:
Keep it Simple and Specific.
Describe in terms of capabilities; in other words, what you
are no longer or not capable of doing.
Format: We are not able to _____ because ______.
Sample: We are not able to get timely payments from our
customers because it takes us too long to send invoices.
(Step 1 is also called the ‘Current State’)

17. Step 2:
Visualize Your Goal
Describe how it should be

18. Step 2 Directions:
Again, keep it Simple and Specific.
Describe in terms of capabilities you should have; in other
words, what you want to be capable of doing. And include
a measurement - something to prove you’ve got it.
Format: We are able to _____ as measured by ______.
Sample: We are able to get timely payments from our
customers as measured by the fact that it only takes us 1
week to process invoices.
Note the desired end result and the measurement - This is
your goal!

19. Step 3:
Create A Map
Create a map with boundaries, actors,
processes, decisions, and swimlanes

20. Step 3 Caveat
Ok - so this is the part that is sort of easy
(as opposed to just easy). There are a few
key concepts to learn. But you’re smart -you’ll
do fine.
Here we go...

21. Step 3 Concepts
There are a few pieces to every process map.
Actors These are the people or systems that perform an
activity in the process.
Process Steps These are the activities the actors perform.
These are expressed as verbs.
Decision Points These are the places in the process where the
process can change direction based on a decision.
Boundaries These tell us where the process starts and stops.

22. Step 3 Mapping Tools
The Actor has a Lane - Called A Swimlane
The Process Steps are Rectangles
Process
The Decision Points are Diamonds
Decision
The Boundaries are Ovals
Start/Stop

23. Step 3: Putting it All
Together
Sample Process. Two Actors. Actor 2 performs a Process Step
in his swimlane, which then goes to Actor 1, who makes a
decision in her swimlane. Boundaries define the start and
stop. Lines indicate the flow.

24. Step 3 Directions
Figure out the Boundary. Where is the logical start of
the process? Where is the logical end? These become
your start and stop ovals.
Figure out the Actors. Who participates in the Process?
These become your swimlanes.
Describe each Process step. What does each actor do?
What decisions to they have to make? These become your
Process Steps and Decision Points.
Finally, put each Actor’s steps in their lane. Draw lines
between the steps.

25. Step 4:
Add Visual to the Problem Areas
Figure out problem areas with Red, Amber,
Green analysis

26. Step 4 Directions. Color
code steps and decision
points as follows:
Red - Takes a
really long time
Amber - Takes a
medium amount of
time
Green - Super
quick. Blink and
you miss it.

27. Step 5:
Analyze The Map
Figure out if there are any unnecessary
issues...er...steps

28. Step 5 Directions
Look at the Process Map and ask these questions.
Why are we doing this step?
Are all the decision points necessary?
Are all the actors necessary?
What changes can we make to remove steps or
decision points?
Make notes about what you find.

29. Step 6:
Design the New Map
Use the goal from step 2 and your findings
from step 5 to create a new map

30. Step 6 Directions
Revisit your goal in light of your findings. Ask yourself
what needs to change in your process to reach your goal.
Draw a new map as if the changes have already occurred,
removing steps that are not needed.
The new map represents the Future State process. It
hasn’t happened yet, but if it does, you have visually
mapped out the new process, so teaching the process will
be easier, as will getting approval to implement the
process.

31. Step 7
Run it and Adapt it
Run the process and make changes as needed

32. A Real World Example
Company ABC takes 2 weeks on average to process
one invoice. They want to get that down to 2 days.

33. Step 3 - The Current State Process Map
4 Actors, 7 Process Steps, 3 Decision Points

34. Step 4 - Red, Amber Green Analysis
We can now see where the bottlenecks are; in approval for employee
overtime and approval by the company president

35. Step 6 Analysis - This company decided to revamp it’s overtime approval procedures,
thereby pulling overtime approval completely out of the invoice process. They also
decided to delegate invoice approval to managers, because the president was too busy.

36. Step 7 - Future State Process Map
With all those steps gone, the process is streamlined and the company reduces process
time from 2 weeks to 2 days

37. Rules of Thumb for Making a New
Process Stick
Company Leaders must set the example and
follow the process first.
Process Maps should be documented and
shared with all actors in the process as far in
advance of process implementation as you can
muster - In other words, don’t surprise ‘em.
Beware stagnation - There is such a thing as
too much process. Don’t do process for process‘
sake.

38. Thanks for
Staying This Long!
Fine Print:
Business Process Management is a discipline with
many methods and tools. This presentation offers
a few of those methods. To understand more visit
www.abpmp.org.
If you need help with your processes, contact us
at info@sealightllc.com or call 301-842-4177.
www.sealightllc.com