Business Process
Mapping
Work Support Strategies
Leadership Summit
April 29, 2015
Session Goals
The goal of this session is
to equip county leaders
with basic tools to help
map, analyze and improve
local business processes.
2
What is a Business Process?
• A process is a series of steps or actions
performed to achieve a specific purpose.
• Processes are the foundation of all businesses,
yet nearly all processes within organizations
are undocumented.
4
Why Map a Business Process?
• Understand what the process really is…distinguish
perceptions from reality.
• Measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the
process
• Understand where waste and inefficiency exists
• Develop new improved processes
• Reduce or eliminate inefficiency
• Improve the customer experience
• Clarify or adjust roles and responsibilities
• Ensure that the right safeguards and procedures are in
place
5
Condition 1 = Goals
Ask yourself…
• what are the organization’s overall mission, vision, values, goals,
and principles?
• what are known problem areas the organization is facing?
• what are the goals and business objectives of the process
improvement effort?
• what are the drivers and contextual factors behind the process
improvement effort?
• what does an ideal business model or process look like?
6
Condition 2 = Targets
Search for symptoms…
• long wait times
• large backlogs of work
• high error rates
• high costs in comparison to other organizations or
functions
• low customer satisfaction
• difficulties in meeting program goals
7
Condition 3 = Team
Consider including…
• individuals who know everything about the process
• individuals who know very little about the process
• customers and clients who are impacted by the
process
• organization executives
• staff from other impacted departments
• talented, bright and passionate individuals from the
organization
• committed technology experts
8
Process Mapping – Step 1
Benefits Application Process
Visit Local
Office
Register Client
Interview
Client
Submit
Additional
Verifications
Make
Determination
Reviews Case
Receive
Determination
Notice
9
Process Mapping – Step 2
Applicant
Registers
Client
Supervisor
Eligibility
Worker
Visits Local
Office
Receptionist
Benefits Application Process
Submits
Additional
Verifications
Interviews
Client
Receives
Determination
Notice
Makes
Determination
Reviews Case
10
Process Mapping – Step 3
Applicant
Submits
Additional
Verifications
Registers
Client
No (70%)
Eligibility
Worker
Visits Local
Office
Receptionist
Benefits Application Process
Interviews
Client
Receives
Determination
Notice
Verification
Complete?
Makes
Determination
Rework 1
Yes (15%)
Supervisor
No (85%)
Yes (30%)
Case Correct?
11
Process Mapping – Step 3
12
Process Mapping – Step 4
Applicant
Registers
Client
Supervisor
Eligibility
Worker
Visits Local
Office
Receptionist
Benefits Application Process
Submits
Additional
Verifications
10-60 (0) Minutes
20-50 (2-5) Minutes
1-20 (0) Days
1-4 (0) Days
Receives
Determination
Notice
No (70%)
10 (5) Minutes
30 (15-25) Minutes-5 Days
10 (5-15) Minutes-2 Days
Interviews
Client
Verification
Complete?
Makes
Determination
Rework 1
15-45 (10-40) Minutes
No (15%)
Yes (30%)
10 (5-15) Minutes-2
Days
Yes (85%)
Case Correct?
20-50 m Wait+Delay+Process
2-5 m Process Time
13
Process Analysis – Key Concepts
14
Process Mapping – Step 5
Benefits Application Process
Applicant
50% FTY
Visits Local
Office
Submits
Additional
Verifications
10-60 (0) Minutes
90% FTY
1-20 (0) Days
1-4 (0) Days
Receives
Determination
Notice
Receptionist
95% FTY
Registers
Client
20-50 (2-5) Minutes
No (70%)
80% FTY
Eligibility
Worker
30% FTY
85% FTY
10 (5) Minutes
95% FTY
30 (15-25) Minutes-5 Days
10 (5-15) Minutes-2 Days
Interviews
Client
Verification
Complete?
Makes
Determination
Rework 1
15-45 (10-40) Minutes
No (15%)
80% FTY
Supervisor
95% FTY
Yes (30%)
10 (5-15) Minutes-2
Days
Yes (85%)
Case Correct?
80% First Time Yield
15
Process Mapping – Step 6
Benefits Application Process
Applicant
5% VA
Visits Local
Office
Submits
Additional
Verifications
10-60 (0) Minutes
0% VA
90% FTY
50% FTY
1-20 (0) Days
1-4 (0) Days
Receptionist
25% VA
Registers
Client
20-50 (2-5) Minutes
5% VA
95% FTY
No (70%)
80% FTY
30% VA
Eligibility
Worker
Receives
Determination
Notice
36% VA
30% FTY
10 (5) Minutes
85% FTY
95% FTY
10 (5-15) Minutes-2 Days
Interviews
Client
Verification
Complete?
Makes
Determination
Rework 1
15-45 (10-40) Minutes
50% VA
No (15%)
80% FTY
20% VA
Supervisor
0% VA
30 (15-25) Minutes-5 Days
Yes (30%)
95% FTY
10 (5-15) Minutes-2
Days
Yes (85%)
Case Correct?
36% Value Add
16
Process Mapping – Step 7
Benefits Application Process
Applicant
5% VA
Visits Local
Office
Submits
Additional
Verifications
10-60 (0) Minutes
0% VA
90% FTY
50% FTY
1-20 (0) Days
1-4 (0) Days
Receptionist
25% VA
Registers
Client
20-50 (2-5) Minutes
5% VA
95% FTY
No (70%)
80% FTY
Data
30% VA
Eligibility
Worker
Receives
Determination
Notice
36% VA
30% FTY
10 (5) Minutes
85% FTY
0% VA
30 (15-25) Minutes-5 Days
95% FTY
10 (5-15) Minutes-2 Days
Interviews
Client
Data
Verification
Complete?
Makes
Determination
Data
15-45 (10-40) Minutes
50% VA
Rework 1
No (15%)
80% FTY
Supervisor
20% VA
Yes (30%)
95% FTY
Yes (85%)
10 (5-15) Minutes-2
Days
Case Correct?
Data
Data
17
Measuring
Process Scorecard – Benefits Application Process
Current State
Future State
% Improved
Average
Metric
Average
Metric
17.8
days
12
days
33%
74
minutes
66
minutes
10%
0.9%
percent
1%
percent
33%
7%
percent
30%
percent
307%
Number of Steps
8
steps
6
steps
25%
Number of Handoffs
6
handoffs
4
handoffs
33%
Number of IT Systems
4
systems
2
systems
50%
132.2
FTE
10%
Total Lead Time
Total Process Time
Overall Activity Ratio
Overall First Time Yield
Freed Up Capacity
147.2
18
Process Analysis – Key Concepts
• Lead Time – The total time from start to finish that it takes to develop a product or
deliver a service. This is the sum of Process Time and Wait/Delay Time.
• Process Time – The amount of time workers spend actually “touching” the work.
• Activity Rate – Lead Time/Process Time. Of the entire process duration, this is the
percentage of time workers spend actually doing the work.
• First Time Yield – Percent of the time that work goes through all steps correctly on
the first attempt. In this example, the steps in a benefits application process are
only “hiccup-free” 7% of the time.
• Number of Steps – Number of processing steps within an entire process.
• Number of Hand-Offs – Number of times the work is sent to another individual or
department to be completed.
• Number of IT Systems – An unduplicated count of the IT systems involved in the
entire process.
19
Freed Up Capacity
• Invest more time in innovation, training and conduct continuous
improvement activities
• Absorb additional work without the need for more staff
• Reduce staffing costs through natural attrition
• Spend more time improving the quality of work
• Spend more time interacting with clients and customers
• Provide better work/life balance
• Reduce backlog and stay caught up
• Collaborate with other organizations
• Take more time to think
20
Finding Inefficiencies
Inefficiency
Description
Steps, Hand Offs
Non-value add or unnecessary tasks and
routing in the process.
Overproduction
Production that is more than needed or
before it is needed.
Backlogs, Batches,
Bottlenecks
Waiting
Over Processing
Errors, Rework, Defects
Motion, Physical Layout
Transportation
Underutilized Talent,
Skills
Work that accumulates and is not
processed.
Examples
A document goes through multiple stages of
approval that doesn’t make it a better overall
product.
A client is asked to complete several forms that
each collect the same information.
Time spent waiting for the next step in a
process.
An agency is behind in processing paperwork.
Work is batched and distributed only once a day.
Work accumulates in the inbox of specialized
workers.
A document awaiting approval sits in an inbox
for several days on average.
More work or higher quality than is
required for the end product/service.
A worker requires more client documentation
than is required by policy.
Efforts caused by rework, scrap and
incorrect information.
A client forgets to sign a form so the form must
be returned to the client for signature.
Unnecessary movement of people.
A worker must walk to another section of the
building to retrieve paper records.
Unnecessary movements of products and
materials.
Underutilizing talent, skill or knowledge.
Records are manually shipped between offices.
Highly trained workers are completing
administrative tasks that could be easily
completed by less skilled staff.
21
Root Cause Analysis
Leadership
Operating in Silos
No Compromising
Blame-Oriented
Unnecessary Steps
Bottlenecks
Inflexible Procedures
Process Flow
Work Efficiency
High Employee Turnover
Slow System Response
Low First Time Yield
Unhappy Customers
Slow
Application
Processing
Times
Resistant to Technology
Lack of Problem Solving Skills
Environment
22
Redesign Tips
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t be restricted by the present day realities
Don’t consider costs
All ideas are good ideas
Look to the future
Design ideal processes
23
Potential Improvements
• Re-sequencing activities to streamline the process
• Amending the activities themselves to streamline the
process
• Error-proofing and standardizing the work
• Eliminating and reduce batches and bottlenecks
• Consolidate activities to one role to minimize hand‐offs
• Update staffing responsibilities and/or resource
allocation
• Relocate work teams
• Increase transparency of work so problems are visible
• Eliminate motion and transportation times
24
Gap Analysis
#
A1
Current State
Supervisors must conduct
complete review and sign off
of every eligibility transaction.
Future State
Supervisors will only review
high-risk and error-prone
eligibility transactions.




Action Steps
Define high-risk and
error prone cases.
Make required systems
enhancements.
Establish monitoring tool
to adjust high-risk and
error prone criteria.
Update standard
operating procedures.


Implications
This will radically
decrease the number of
case reviews that
supervisors need to
complete, freeing up
time.
This could lead to missed
errors on non-high-risk
and non-error prone
cases. Needs to be
monitored.
25
Options Analysis
26
Exercise – Morning Routine
• Map the steps out on paper
• Identify decision points
• Consider “processing time”
vs. “wait/delay time”
• Consider inefficiencies in the
process
27
Exercise – Morning Routine
28
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