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To really understand how the work gets done, and to identify just who the internal and external customers are, you need to draw a picture of the process. These pictures are known as process or Value Stream Maps (covered in detail in Chapter 5). Avoid going into fine detail at this stage, as too much information can be distracting. Keep it simple and “high level.”

Resist the temptation of capturing what “should” happen and capture what actually “does” happen. You might be surprised about the differences between the two. It’s important to create a safe environment where people feel comfortable talking about what actually happens (warts and all) without fear of punishment. If you don’t discuss the “warts,” you could miss the opportunity to tackle them.

It is possible to map processes at several levels. Right at the top of an organization are some very high-level processes that describe what the organization does, such as “business development.” These Level 1 processes break down into a number of sub-processes that describe how that work is undertaken. Level 2 and 3 processes gradually increase the amount of detail. You could then develop Level 4 or 5 processes that cover the step-by-step procedural tasks and elements.

Our example in Figure 3-3 has “business development” at Level 1 and shows the various sub-processes down to Level 3.

© Martin Brenig-Jones and Jo Dowdall

FIGURE 3-3: Process levels.