Process analysis

Information you collect about your processes can be formatted into a flowchart. A flowchart can help you to identify reusable elements, the beginning and the end of record life cycles, and the parts of the life cycle that can be managed by a workflow process.

You could diagram your business process on paper, on a blackboard, or using a graphics software program to create a flowchart. Writing or diagramming a business practice helps you to analyze it. It also provides you with a map of your process flows that you can use when you create a workflow process. Your goal is to produce a detailed diagram that shows all of the routes that a record can take through your enterprise during its life cycle.

Your research must include the following information:

• The names and roles of the people who interact with records during a process
• The processes that are used to manage specific records
• The records that enter the process, and where the records go when they exit the process
• The records that are managed during a process
• The length of time it takes for a record to go through a process
• The parts of your current process that are working well and should be kept
• The parts of your current process that are not working well and should be changed or removed

As you document your business process, make note of trouble spots, such as undocumented procedures, or different ways to complete the same task. Address these issues and refine your business processes before you create and implement a workflow process.