In our series on process maps which wraps up next week, the maps we have looked at are descriptive. They help us capture and display information about the current state.  Each map depicts the entire process, though from different angles.  For example, swim lane maps stress roles, responsibilities, and hand-off points, whereas document maps list documents and records generated throughout a process.

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In the previous article, we discussed Document Maps, and Activity or Value Stream Maps. Today, we will review Work Flow Diagrams and Rendered Process Maps.

Work Flow Diagram

Work flow diagrams translate abstract UML, or Unified Modeling Language, symbols of squares and diamonds into graphical images, which are used to tell a more complete story than engineering notation communicates.  Engineers are used to thinking conceptually and using symbols, but the workers in the field may need something less abstract and more concrete.  Task-level communications require more clarity and work much better when we get closer to reality.

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You have probably heard of the term “Process Map” or a process flow chart (the terms process map and process flow chart are used interchangeably) to describe a process. But what exactly is a process map anyway? Are there different types of process maps? Are all process maps created equal? We’ll try to answer some of these questions by taking a look at seven different types of process maps and how they are used to describe a process. After all, the foundation of all businesses is a common set of core processes.

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