Process Flow Defined

Process flow - a task or function that is performed to get a desired end-result. Process
management represents a systematic approach to process improvement.
Documents a process
Evaluates the current process in place
Evaluates how many people are involved in the current process
Evaluates how many steps are in the current process
And uncovers potential sources of trouble in the current process

Creating a Process Flow:

The Five Essential Steps to Process Flowing:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Communicate why and the benefits

Follow the guidelines
Determine the level of detail
Ask probing questions, for example, who, what, why, and how long?
Provide process flow diagram

Benefits of a Process Flow:

To assist with analyzing the process for bottlenecks and duplicate processes
To help in eliminating unnecessary steps
To identifies potential dollar and time savings
And helps identify how technology is or is not being put to use
Successful companies have distinct processes in place defined by key processes and
measurements based on customer requirements and priorities.
They define and implement strategies to keep each process measure in control and
proactively look for ways to keep improving processes.

Improving a Process
Key Elements for Improving a Process
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Identify the process

Identify potential problems in the process
Analyze the causes
Redefine the process
Communicate the results
Implement the process changes

1. Identify the Process

1. Prioritize processes by identifying those processes that need to be enhanced or
changed
i.
How to Prioritize Processes:
Priority One: Those processes you have the ability to change now
Priority Two: Those you can influence now
Priority Three: Those you cannot change or influence
2.

Assign owners/teams - someone in the company who has the authority to

approve changes made in the process
3. Establish guidelines for time lines, responsibilities and tasks Identify the Process
Identify the Process
2. Identify Problems in the Process:
Brainstorm ideas
Refer to customer data and information
Break-down processes to the smallest elements

 Re-prioritize, if needed

3. Analyze Causes:

Root Cause the most basic cause of the problem

Talk to Customers/Suppliers really understand their needs and get their input
Collect Data to Validate Concerns measurements
State the Problems be clear and specific a problem statement
Benchmark sharing Best Practices

4. Redefine the Process

Eliminate Steps
increased efficiency = save money and time Set New Measurements begin
tracking the improvements
Brainstorm New Ideas ways to solve the problems and make improvements
Document New Process excellent training tool; shows reduction in steps

5. Communicate the Result

Tell associates, customers and suppliers before the change happens
Be a missionary tell others about your success

6. Implement
When you take action to change Do It!
After the plan is communicated evaluate and inspect the new process
Implement your new process

Process Flow Terms:

Ah-Ha - A new idea that comes out of the process flow session that is captured for later
consideration.
Parking Lot - The tasks, lack of materials, redundancies, etc. that make ones job
cumbersome. These items are captured for later consideration.
Process Flowchart - Gives a pictorial representation of a process showing the steps,
decision points, and flow.
The flowchart should depict how the process is actually being performed on the day the
process is charted not the way it was intended or you wish it to be.
Opportunities For Improvement (OFI) - The Ah-Has and Parking Lot items are turned
into positive statements and presented as opportunities for improvement within the office.
Debrief Meeting Session where the Leadership Team analyzes the process and begins to
look for ways to eliminate unnecessary steps, eliminate duplicate steps, move to a paperless
environment and optimize the use of technology.
Action Plan A spreadsheet that lists each Opportunity for Improvement that the
Leadership Team decided to implement.
The Action Plan lists the OFI, who it is assigned to, the target completion date, status
updates, and completion date.
Action Plan - Target Date Guidelines:
A Priority 30 Days from Debrief
B Priority 90 Days from Debrief
C Priority 6 Months from Debrief
D Priority 1 Year from Debrief

Overview - Process Flow Analysis (PFA)

Process Flow Analysis (PFA for short) is used to help fully understand the current condition of
any process. It draws upon waste elimination, value adding and visual management
techniques, to map out an accurate representation of the current processes used, to be able
to then identify areas for improvement activities.

A process flow can:

make a huge process understandable

bring a large group together

resolved differences

create a vision

create an action plan

PFA is a visual aid to enable us to "SEE" the whole process from end to end, identifying the
value, making it flow and eliminate waste. PFA helps to address the five elements in the
cycle = Specify Value * Identify the value stream * Flow * Pull * Perfection all aimed at
relentlessly eliminating waste from a process.
This module draws upon "Lean" principles: Lean is often described as an approach for
providing products or services that a customer requires on-time, of the right quality, at the
right price, in the right amount, whilst meeting budgetary constraints and continually
reducing costs.
This module includes a "notes" feature which encourages learners to focus their thinking
around real life situations from their work place. At points throughout the course learners will
be asked to stop and think about their own work situation and, using the "notes" feature,
document how this could apply in their own work environment.
This module also gives you a step-by-step guide of how to create a flow diagram using Excel.
The overall aim of this module is to give learners a broad knowledge of the theory behind
and the tips for undertaking Process Flow Analysis.
Having completed this module learners will be able to:

Understand the process flow tool and how to use it

Understand the pitfalls and issues associated with running a process flow

Understand the importance of the action plan

Lesson Plan
Areas covered include:

Welcome and Learning Objectives

Lean Principles

Process Flow Analysis and Summary

Accreditation
The content of this course has been independently certified as conforming to universally
accepted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.
Certification
On completion of this course you will be able to download a Virtual College certificate.

Duration
Approximately 3 - 4 hours. The length of time taken depends entirely on how quickly you can
study and absorb the material. You can proceed as quickly or slowly as you like.

Target Audience
This e-learning module is aimed at anyone running a large process flow project involving
teams; however, the principles are the same for smaller-scale activities. Process Flow is
equally powerful with two people, a piece of paper and a pen.
Although this module uses examples and scenarios from a Health and Social Care setting, it
is equally useful to anyone outside of this sector, who would like to understand Process Flow.
What is a Process Flow Chart?
A flowchart is a pictorial representation using special symbols to show each step in a
process.

Flow Chart Symbols

Flowchart symbols represent the type of
processing performed:
Rectangle: Activity in the process; a step
Diamond: A decision in the process is
needed
Oblong: The start and/or stop of the process

Process Flow Chart symbols

OPERATION
MOVEMENT

STORAGE
DECISION
INSPECTION

5 S:
S-ort
S-et
S-hine
S-tandardize
S-ustain
Sort: remove unnecessary items from the work plan as unneeded items accumulate the
following types of problems & waste tend to arise
Set: Locate everything at the point of use. A place for everything & everything in its place,
arrange needed items & label them so that they are east to find, easy to put back. Create a
well-organized work place, create a functional storage or storage layout.
Shine: Clean & Eliminate the source of contamination/dirt inspect &repair items in the work
place, work area inspections are focused on producing a quality result, inspect for &
eliminate the source of waste & inefficiency in work place/ process, routine inspection &
cleaning.

Standardize: Make what looks good & run well routine. See & recognize what needs to be
done. Insure sort, set & shine are maintained in their fully implemented state, document
work flow expectations.
Sustain: The fifth S becomes part of the normal work. It becomes part of our work culture
& daily habit. ,making it as our second nature. The life of the company.

Common Flowchart Symbols

Different flow chart symbols have different meanings. The most common flow chart symbols
are:

Terminator: An oval flow chart shape indicating the start or end of the process.

Process: A rectangular flow chart shape indicating a normal process flow step.

Decision: A diamond flow chart shape indication a branch in the process flow.

Connector: A small, labeled, circular flow chart shape used to indicate a jump in the
process flow. (Shown as the circle with the letter A, below.)

Data: A parallelogram that indicates data input or output (I/O) for a process.

Document: Used to indicate a document or report (see image in sample flow chart
below).

(A complete list of flow chart symbols can be found in the flowchart symbol
definitions article.)
A simple flow chart showing the symbols described above can be seen below:

How to Draw a Flowchart

Most of us do not know how to deal with flow charts when we are novice users, but with the
passage of time and experience we gain expertise. A good flow chart helps to understand
the systematic flow of information in the system. If a flow chart is not created properly, then
it may mislead the designer of the system or may result in fatigue consequences. Therefore,
it is very important that you create flow charts with caution and expertise. I would always
suggest you to use flow chart to ease the process of understanding the system and its flow.
Although there are many symbols that can be used in flowcharts to represent different kinds
of steps, accurate flowcharts can be created using very few of them (e.g. Process, Decision,
Start, delay, cloud).
The basic element of a flowchart is a simple action, which can be anything from striking an
anvil to make a cash payment, and is represented by a box containing a description of the
action. The mapping of "what follows what" is shown with arrows between sequential action
boxes, as shown in the illustration. This also shows the boxes for flowchart's start and end
points in which there are normally one for each.

Fig. 1. Basic Flowchart Elements

Processes become more complex when decisions must be made, on which an alternative set
of actions must be taken. The decision is shown in a Flowchart like a diamond-shaped box

containing a simple question to which the answer is "yes" or "no" as shown in Fig. 2. More
complex decisions are made up of combinations of simple decision boxes.

Fig. 2. Decisions in Flowcharts

Processes often go wrong around decisions, as either the wrong question is being asked or
the wrong answer is being given.
Where boxes cannot be directly connected with lines, the separated lines are coordinated
with connector boxes containing matching names. This typically occurs where lines cross
onto another page as shown in the illustration.

Fig. 3. Continuing Flowcharts across pages

By using multiple connector boxes, it is very easy for flowcharts to become very large,
although this is usually self-defeating, as the Flowchart then becomes difficult to
understand. The ideal size for a Flowchart is one page, as this gives a single visual "chunk"
that is reasonably easy to understand as a single item.
Large processes can be broken down into a hierarchical set of smaller Flowcharts by
representing a lower level process as a single sub-process box. This behaves like a normal
action box at the higher level, but can be "zoomed into" to expose another Flowchart, as
shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. Sub processes

An additional "action" box that can be useful when analyzing processes is the wait box,
which highlights a delay (i.e.noaction) like the illustration. This is a typical point where the
overall cost of a process may be improved by acting, possibly on other processes, to reduce
the delay.

Fig. 5. Delay flowchart symbol

How to Draw an Effective Flowchart
You need to consider a few things when drawing an effective flowchart. Check out a simple
flowchart guide before you start.
Define the process boundaries with starting and ending points.
Complete the big picture before filling in the details.
Clearly define each step in the process. Be accurate and honest.
Identify time lags and non-value-adding steps.
Circulate the flowchart to other people involved in the process to get their comments.
Flowcharts don't work if they're not accurate or if the team is too far removed from
the process itself. Team members should be true participants in the process and
feel free to describe what really happens. A thorough flowchart should provide a
clear view of how a process works. With a completed flowchart, you can:
Identify time lags and non-value-adding steps.
Identify responsibility for each step.
Brainstorm for problems in the process.
Determine major and minor inputs into the process with a cause & effect diagram.
Choose the most likely trouble spots with the consensus builder.
Guidelines for Drawing a Flowchart
There are no hard and fast rules for constructing flowcharts, but there are
guidelines which are useful to bear in mind. Here are six steps which can be used
as a guide for completing flowcharts.

 Agree on a standard flowchart symbol set to use. Alternatively, a company standard

may be available. It is important to agree a standard as there are several conflicting
common uses.
Draw a 'start' terminator box at the top of the work area.
Add the first box below the start box, identifying the first action simply by asking,
"What happens first?". Add an appropriate box around it.
Add subsequent boxes below the previous box, identifying each action by asking,
'What happens next?'. Draw an arrow from the previous box to this one.
Describe the process to be charted.
Start with a "trigger" event.
Note each successive action concisely and clearly.
Go with the main flow (put extra details in other charts).
Make cross references to supporting information
Gather the team who are to work on describing the process. These should include
people who are intimately involved in all parts of the process, to ensure that it gets
described as it actually happens, rather than an idealized view.
Follow the process through to a useful conclusion (end at a "target" point).
If the final diagram is to be used as a part of a formal system, make sure that it is
uniquely identified

Flowchart Examples:

HighLevel Flowchart for an Order-Filling Process

Detailed Flowchart

A Simple Process Flow Chart

What is a Bubble Diagram?

A bubble diagram is a diagram which represents information visually in the form of a series
of bubbles. This type of diagram can be used to present a wide variety of information for the
purpose of activities like presentations, planning out designs, and developing strategy. Many
programs with features which allow diagramming have the capacity to produce bubble
diagrams and it is also possible to buy specialized software. Some people prefer to produce
such diagrams by hand.
One case in which the bubble diagram is widely used is in the development of plans for
landscaping and architecture. The bubbles can be used to represent different kinds of spaces
in a plan, varying in shape to represent features of greater or lesser importance and size.
The bubble diagram can create a rough sense of flow which is used to develop a more
refined plan.
In architecture, for example, an architect can create an approximate bubble diagram of a
space while working with a client. The client could discuss the various features desired and
how important they are, while the architect uses the bubbles to approximately represent the
space and lay out other information. Using these bubbled plans, the architect can start to
develop more precise plans which retain the traits deemed important during the client
meeting. A bubble diagram floor plan, for example, can represent the flow of a space and
provide information about the sizes of rooms relative to each other.

What is MATRIX DIAGRAM?

Graphical tool that shows the matrix's tabular format of connections or correlations
between ideas or issues. A present or absent relationship exists at each intersection of rows
and columns.
The matrix diagram shows the relationship between two, three or four groups of
information. It also can give information about the relationship, such as its strength, the
roles played by various individuals or measurements.