Introduction
Business process mapping is the practice of scoping, understanding, and assessing business processes for potential improvement. It supports a process-oriented approach to a business domain, identifying "end-to-end" business processes that cross existing organizational boundaries. Business process mapping leads to recommendations as part of a business case that can include improvements in process workflow, information technology, policy, and human resources.
Business process mapping is intended to be cross-functional and highly participatory, so that all business units involved gain a shared understanding of key business processes and can work together to improve them. The method is both top-down and bottom-up, and supports more detailed analysis such as as-is workflow modeling, proposing a to-be process, and defining functional requirements for a solution.
Since 2014, the Enterprise Architecture program has offered training in a business process mapping method taught by Alec Sharp of Clariteq Systems Consulting. As UW projects apply this method it is being adapted to UW needs, resulting in the materials featured on this page.
Resources