Process Mapping

“A great hands-on resource, training supplement, and reference…”

Why This Book?

At the time, (1996) I’d already been working well over a decade to help improve the results that organizations achieve from the work that their people do. As part of that work, I’d personally created custom learning materials on a variety of quality improvement tools-especially “how-to” (procedural) instruction and job aids.

Also, during that time, I found the Three Levels of Performance framework that I learned from Geary Rummler to be particularly useful and effective.  I still do.

The Three Levels Framework helps you “view” work at the Organization, Process, and Performer levels. At the Organization and Process levels, Geary introduced two key tools (relationship maps and cross-functional process maps, respectively) to help diagnose and improve work.

Many of my clients asked for “something on process maps.” And so this book was born. The Basics of Process Mapping contains “how-to” information and examples for 3 types of maps, one for each of the Three Levels of Performance.

At the time I wrote this book, I noticed that most of the quality or process improvement tools and examples were most often illustrated in manufacturing settings, but the growth in jobs (work) was occurring in non-manufacturing settings.

For this reason, I used all non-manufacturing examples and language throughout the book to illustrate how these tools apply. Over the years this trend has accelerated such that service and knowledge work are now the predominant forms of work in the economies of the “developed” nations worldwide.

Timing is everything.

- Robert Damelio