Module 5 · Business Analysis Fundamentals
Process mapping
Draw how work really flows today with swimlanes, find the delays, handoffs and rework that cause the problem, and design a better future process.
About 25 minutes
The problem
Ask five people at Ashgrove how a bill gets from finished work to money in the bank and you'll get five different descriptions, each covering the part that person sees. Nobody sees the whole journey, which is exactly why nobody can fix it.
A process map puts the whole journey on one page: every step, who does it, and where it waits. It's one of the most powerful tools a BA has, because the moment people see their own process drawn out, the problems become obvious to everyone, usually in the gaps between people, not in anyone's own work.
The concept
Swimlane diagrams
A swimlane diagram has a horizontal lane for each role, and the steps flow from left to right across the lanes:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rounded rectangle | start or end |
| rectangle | a step (activity) |
| diamond | a decision, with a labelled path for each answer |
| arrow | the flow from one step to the next |
| arrow crossing lanes | a handoff: work passing between people |
This is a simplified version of BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation), the international standard. Draw it in draw.io (free), Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart or on paper. The thinking matters more than the tool.
Map the "as is" before the "to be"
Map what really happens today, including the workarounds, not what the procedures manual says. Walk it with the people who do it, and check it against the data.
Where to look for problems
| Problem | Sign on the map |
|---|---|
| Waiting | long gaps between steps, often at handoffs |
| Handoffs | many arrows crossing lanes: each one is a chance for delay or loss |
| Rework | loops back to an earlier step (invoices corrected and re-sent) |
| Manual re-entry | the same data typed twice, in two places |
| No trigger | a step that only happens "when someone remembers" |
Example
Ashgrove's billing process as is, written lane by lane:
- Lawyer: finishes a piece of work.
- Lawyer: sends time worked to accounts by WhatsApp or paper, when they remember (usually 1–3 weeks later).
- Accounts: types the time into the billing spreadsheet.
- Accounts: drafts the invoice in Word.
- Partner: reviews the draft. Wrong rate? → back to step 4.
- Accounts: emails the PDF invoice to the client. No due date is shown.
- Client: pays when they choose, or when chased.
- Accounts: chases by phone, only when a partner asks.
- Accounts: marks the invoice paid when the bank statement arrives.
Three problems jump out: steps 2 and 8 have no trigger, so they happen late or not at all; step 5 has a rework loop; and step 6 sends an invoice with no due date, so step 7 has no deadline. The data agrees: the first invoice on a matter goes out an average of 18 days after the matter opens, and two-thirds of payments arrive after 30 days.
Walkthrough
- Draw the as-is process above as a swimlane diagram, with lanes for Lawyer, Accounts, Partner and Client.
- Mark each problem on the map: waiting (W), handoff (H), rework (R) and no trigger (T).
- Check the map against the data: how long after a matter opens does its first invoice go out (the task below)?
- Design the to-be process: what triggers each step, what's automated, and where the decision points are.
- Walk the to-be map with the accounts officer and one lawyer. Ask: "What would stop this working on a busy week?"
Practice
Practice
On average, how many days after a matter is opened is its first invoice issued? One decimal place.
Task
12 minWrite Ashgrove's to-be billing process as numbered steps, each in the form Lane: step (for example 3. Accounts: ...). Use at least eight steps and at least three lanes, include at least one decision (write it with "if"), and fix the problems found in the as-is map: give each step a trigger, show a due date on the invoice, and add reminders.
Your work is checked for
- At least eight numbered steps in the form Lane: step
- At least three different lanes, including the client
- Includes a decision written with 'if'
- Shows a due date or payment terms on the invoice
- Adds reminders
- Gives the time-recording step a trigger or deadline
Check your understanding
Answer every question to check.