Chartered Lean Six Sigma Business Consultancy
Transform Your Business with Process Mapping, Modelling, and Mining in Lean Six Sigma
Discover the Power of Visualising, Simulating, and Analysing Your Processes for Unmatched Efficiency and Quality
In the fast-paced world of business, gaining a deep understanding of your processes is crucial for staying competitive and continuous improvement. We believe that clarity and efficiency in your workflows are the cornerstones of success.
Today, I want to share insights into three powerful techniques: process mapping, process modelling, and process mining.
Combined with Lean Six Sigma, these tools can transform your business operations. Let's dive into how each technique works and how they can help you achieve excellence.
Process Mapping: Visualising Workflows
Think of process mapping as creating a detailed map of your work processes. It's like drawing a blueprint of every step involved in getting things done. This visual tool is fundamental for understanding how your team operates and spotting areas for improvement.
For more in-depth detail around the power of process mapping have a look at this around Value Stream Mapping
Why We Love Process Mapping:
- Clarity, it gives everyone a clear picture of the process
- Communication, it fosters better teamwork by providing a common understanding
- Spotting Bottlenecks, it helps identify inefficiencies and delays
- Standardisation, it ensures that everyone follows the same process
In Lean Six Sigma, we use process mapping in the Define and Measure phases of the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) methodology. By visually representing the process, we can better define the problem and measure current performance.
Process Modelling: Simulating and Analysing Processes
Process modelling takes things a step further. Imagine being able to simulate your processes and see how changes might impact them before implementing anything. That's the power of process modelling.
Why We Love Process Modelling:
- Simulation, test different scenarios to predict outcomes
- Deep Analysis, gain deeper insights into process performance and variability
- Optimisation, identify the best ways to improve the process
- Risk Management, understand potential risks and how to mitigate them
In Lean Six Sigma, process modelling is particularly useful in the Analyse and Improve phases. It allows us to test our ideas and validate improvements in a virtual environment before making real-world changes.
Process Mining: Uncovering Hidden Insights
Process mining is like having a detective that uses your IT systems' (whether that be LIMS, ERP or Excel) data to uncover the true story of how your processes work. It provides a data-driven approach to understanding your workflows.
Why We Love Process Mining:
- Data-Driven Insights, get an accurate picture of how processes are executed using real data
- Transparency, reveal the true process flows, including any deviations
- Continuous Improvement, support ongoing monitoring and improvement of processes
- Compliance, ensure that processes are followed according to regulatory requirements
Process mining aligns with Lean Six Sigma by providing valuable data for the Measure and Control phases. It enables us to measure process performance accurately and monitor improvements over time.
How We Use These Techniques
Lean Six Sigma aims to improve process efficiency and quality by eliminating waste and reducing variability. Here's how we utilise process mapping, modelling, and mining integrate using Lean Six Sigma methodology:
- Process Mapping: Used in the Define and Measure phases to understand and document the current state of a process
- Process Modelling: Utilised in the Analyse and Improve phases to simulate process changes and predict their impact
- Process Mining: Applied in the Measure and Control phases to gather real data on process performance and ensure sustained improvements
By integrating these techniques, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of our processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement changes that lead to significant performance gains.
What is meant by process mapping?
Process mapping is a visual way to detail the steps in a workflow, from start to finish.
By creating a clear picture of who does what (and when), you can spot inefficiencies, eliminate waste, and improve quality.
In Lean Six Sigma, process mapping is a key tool that helps everyone understand the end-to-end process and uncover hidden opportunities for improvement.
What are the 5 levels of process map?
While different organisations may label these levels slightly differently, you’ll often see five levels of process mapping:
- Level 0 (High-Level Value Chain or Macro View) – Shows the broadest overview of your organisation’s value creation flow.
- Level 1 (Process Overview) – Outlines the main steps within a single process, giving a ‘big picture’ understanding.
- Level 2 (Detailed Process Flow) – Breaks down each step in more detail, showing how tasks connect.
- Level 3 (Activity or Task-Level Details) – Shows the finer points of individual activities and responsibilities.
- Level 4 (Work Instruction, SOP Standard Operating Procedure or Step-by-Step Guide) – Offers the most granular level, often including instructions, system steps, and standard operating procedures.
What are L1, L2, L3, and L4 processes?
When people talk about L1, L2, L3, and L4 processes (sometimes skipping L0 or L5), they’re usually referring to the levels of detail in mapping. It’s essentially the same concept as above, just with a slightly different naming convention:
- L1 – High-level overview (the ‘big picture’ of the process).
- L2 – More detailed breakdown of main process steps.
- L3 – Deeper look into specific actions and sub-steps.
- L4 – Very granular detail, often including work instructions and detailed quality checks.
No matter the notation, the idea is always the same: the higher the level number, the more detail you include in your map.
How do I create a process map?
Here’s a straightforward approach to building a process map:
- Define the Scope. Identify the start and end points of the process you wish to examine, so you don’t map areas that aren’t relevant.
- Gather the Right People. Bring together all stakeholders and subject matter experts who understand each step of the process.
- List the Steps. Brainstorm and list out all key steps in order. Keep it simple at first – you can add detail later.
- Visualise the Flow. Use a flowchart or other mapping technique to arrange the steps sequentially. Arrows, decision points, and symbols help clarify how tasks connect.
- Validate and Refine. Double-check your map with the team to ensure accuracy. Then, look for bottlenecks, redundancies, or waste. If necessary, refine the process to eliminate these issues.
Why Process Mapping Matters in Lean
Process mapping is essential for spotting where and how waste, defects, and delays creep in. By laying out your workflow visually, you can quickly identify non-value-added steps and focus on what truly matters to your customers or end-users.
Whether you’re new to Lean Six Sigma or a seasoned practitioner, having a clear process map is one of the most powerful ways to drive continuous improvement.
If you’ve got any further questions about process mapping or how to integrate it into a Lean Six Sigma project, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Frequently Asked Questions about Process Mapping
At VA Innovation, we’re passionate about helping businesses unlock their full potential. Process mapping, process modelling, and process mining are powerful tools that, when combined with Lean Six Sigma, provide a robust framework for understanding, analysing, and enhancing your business processes. We’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Reach out to us today, and let's work together to drive your organisation toward sustained success and operational excellence.
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