Effective Business Process Mapping Sessions

You can conduct successful business process mapping sessions!

The success relies in 3 aspects:

1. Having an OUTSTANDING preparation
2. Having a GREAT FACILITATOR that can capture ideas, follow the discussions and can bring people together
3. Having the RIGHT STAKEHOLDERS around the table
   

Couple of years ago, my team conducted a process design session with our key project stakeholders. I normally do not participate in such sessions but went to support my new project manager whom was facilitating the session. I was so trilled to participate in the session as many flashbacks came back from the time I worked in consulting at Deloitte. I remembered the awesome feeling when my clients would scream "EUREKA!!!! we got the perfect idea over here!" or "Wow, I never thought of it from that perspective" or "Now I see the big picture and how the dots are all connecting". As my memories came back, I realized how excited I was to be part of the meeting. I sat at the tip of my chair during the session and actively participated in the process and in the discussions. I enjoyed the session almost like a first time a kid discovers the great taste of chocolate!. I can say that I love my work, I love to help my clients reaching the next level.

Prior to the session, we gathered a lot of information on best practices and did a preparation session in which I also participated to ensure that we would "rock" that process definition session. 

Before the session:

• We broke down the processes we wanted to cover and the priority
• We agreed on the level of details we wanted to cover
• We agreed on how we actually wanted to document the processes
• We drafted the processes upfront in Visio based on our current understanding
• The project manager printed each activity box on one sheet and sticked each activity on a large rolled paper bought at the dollar store, she then created a large size flow chart that everyone could see

The day of:

1. At the beginning of the session, we confirmed objectives and rules.
2. We revised the flow of activity and were able to unstick boxes when needed to move them around, we also added new sheets when new activity needed to be inserted.
3. At the end of the session, we were able to have a complete end to end process represented of the wall that everyone agreed on.
4. Of course our minute taker was updating the Visio file as we went but the process with the giant flow chart allowed the group to work together and stay together in the process development, it created the expected synergy and avoided delays related to the on-line update.

Loved that session, at the end of the session, we achieved the objectives --- Our clients and stakeholders were so proud as well of themselves.

What are your tricks and good tips? Please comment or send us links