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    4 min read Templates

    Process Mapping Template

    A fillable structure for recording how a process actually works — including the parts people leave out.

    Fill this in while watching the process happen. Not afterwards, from memory.

    Memory reconstructs processes as they should have gone. You want the version with the workarounds in it.

    Read the full guide · Request Your Free Systems Audit

    Part 1 — Before you start

    PROCESS NAME:       
MAPPED BY:          
DATE:               

Real executor:      [who does this most often — not who owns it]
Their role:         
Observed live:      [ ] yes   [ ] no, described only
                    [If no, this map is the stated version. Mark it as such.]

Three real cases reviewed:
  1. [reference]  outcome: 
  2. [reference]  outcome: 
  3. [reference]  outcome: [at least one that went wrong]

    Part 2 — Observation notes

    Fill these four columns while watching. Keep them separate.

    What they doWhat they say they doWhere they hesitateWhere they say "depends"

    Column 2 diverging from column 1 is normal. Nobody narrates their own habits accurately.

    Column 4 is the most valuable thing on this page. Every entry is an undocumented decision rule.

    Part 3 — The map

    ═══════════════════════════════════════════
TRIGGER
═══════════════════════════════════════════
[What starts this. The specific event, not "when needed".]

Frequency:      [per day / week / month]
Source:         [where it arrives from]

═══════════════════════════════════════════
STEPS
═══════════════════════════════════════════

1. [WHO] [does what] — [tool/system] — [duration]
   
2. [WHO] [does what] — [tool/system] — [duration]
   DECISION: [condition] → branch A | branch B
   
3. ...
   EXCEPTION: [when this happens] → [what is done instead]

[Mark estimates as estimates: ~15 min (est)]

═══════════════════════════════════════════
HANDOFFS
═══════════════════════════════════════════

| From | To | What transfers | Channel | If it doesn't arrive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |

[The last column usually has no answer. That is the finding.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════
OUTPUT
═══════════════════════════════════════════
[What exists when this finishes. Where it goes.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════
OBSERVED FAILURE POINTS
═══════════════════════════════════════════

| What breaks | How often | What it costs | How it's found |
|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |

[The last column matters most. "The customer tells us" means
 there is no detection anywhere in this process.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════
DECISIONS FOUND
═══════════════════════════════════════════

| Situation | Rule as stated | Written as a condition |
|---|---|---|
|  | "depends on how busy we are" | [needs a threshold] |

[Every row from column 4 of your observation notes goes here.
 Convert each into a checkable condition, or mark it as
 requiring a named person's judgement.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════
GAPS
═══════════════════════════════════════════
[What you could not confirm. Mandatory section.
 A map with no gaps stopped asking questions.]

- 
- 

═══════════════════════════════════════════
NUMBERS
═══════════════════════════════════════════
Executions per week:        
Total time per execution:   
Longest step:               
Waiting time (not working): 
Failure rate:               

[Estimates are fine. Mark them. You need a baseline.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════

Confirmed by:   [name — the executor, not the manager]
Confirmed on:   [date]
Version:

    Part 4 — Confirmation

    Send the map to the person who does the work.

    Ask them to mark what's wrong. Not "does this look right" — that produces a yes.

    • Sent to the executor
    • Corrections received and applied
    • Confirmation recorded with name and date

    An unconfirmed map is not a basis for changing anything.

    Part 5 — What to look for

    Once confirmed, scan for:

    • Steps nobody can justify
    • Decisions with no written rule
    • Handoffs with no failure path
    • The same data entered into two systems
    • Waiting time longer than working time
    • A step that three people work around

    Each is a candidate for simplification — before any automation is considered.

    Before calling it done

    • Observed live, not just described
    • At least one failed case reviewed
    • Every "depends" converted or explicitly marked as judgement
    • Every handoff has a failure behaviour
    • Gaps section is filled in and not empty
    • Confirmed in writing by the executor

    Want the mapping done for you?

    A free systems audit includes mapping your highest-volume process.

    Request Your Free Systems Audit