Process Mapping and Redesign Training Course: SIPOC, BPMN and Waste Removal

Programme Summary

Process mapping and redesign is the subject of this one-week training course for process owners and senior operations leaders, ending in a redesign pack for one live process. Many cross-functional processes are never drawn end to end, so delays and rework go unseen. The programme moves from scoping and mapping to diagnosis, redesign and testing, with each tool applied to the participant's own process. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme on process mapping and redesign to mixed-organisation cohorts.

The Business Case

A process that crosses several functions is paid for by all of them and owned by none. When it is not mapped, queues, duplicate checks and unclear approvals add cost and slow service in ways that no single budget line shows. Leaders who map the real flow and redesign it with the people who run it can remove avoidable work.

• Cycle Time: Falls as waiting, rework and unnecessary approvals are located and removed.
• Process Cost: Falls as duplicated effort and avoidable errors are designed out.
• Service Reliability: Rises as owners, indicators and escalation routes are defined for each process.

Principles and Evidence Base

• SIPOC: Scoping a process by suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers fixes its boundary and frames Session 1.
• BPMN 2.0 (ISO/IEC 19510): The standard notation for process diagrams structures the current-state and future-state maps in Sessions 2 and 4.
• Lean waste analysis: Classifying waiting, rework, over-processing and hand-offs guides the diagnosis in Session 3.
• DMAIC and the ISO 9001 process approach: Defined inputs, outputs, owners and indicators shape the control plan in Session 5.

Intended Participants

• Process owners who are accountable for a flow that crosses several teams.
• Operations directors who must cut delay and cost across a function.
• Heads of function who sponsor improvement projects and approve redesigns.
• Quality and excellence leaders who coach teams in improvement methods.
• Transformation leads who prepare processes for automation or a new operating model.

Typical functions include operations, finance, customer service, supply and quality teams in public bodies, banks, manufacturers and healthcare providers.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to define a process boundary and its customers with a SIPOC table.
2. Participants will be able to construct a current-state map in BPMN 2.0 that shows roles, hand-offs and decisions.
3. Participants will be able to diagnose bottlenecks, rework loops and wasted steps from process evidence.
4. Participants will be able to design a future-state process that removes waste and clarifies ownership.
5. Participants will be able to prioritise redesign options by benefit, effort and risk.
6. Participants will be able to justify a redesign pack with indicators, owners and a control plan.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Process Mapping Scope and Boundaries

Where does a process start and stop, and who does it serve?

• SIPOC Scoping Table
• Process Owner and Customer Register
• Process Hierarchy Map
• Improvement Candidate Screen
• Stakeholder Interview Guide

Day 2: Current-State Process Mapping

How is the work actually done, step by step and role by role?

• BPMN 2.0 Swimlane Diagram
• Hand-off and Decision Point Log
• Walk-the-Process Observation Sheet
• Time and Volume Data Capture
• Exception Path Inventory

Day 3: Process Diagnosis and Waste Analysis

Which steps add delay, cost or error, and what causes them?

• Lean Waste Classification
• Bottleneck and Queue Analysis
• Rework Loop Tally
• Cause and Effect Diagram
• Value-Adding Step Ratio

Day 4: Process Redesign and Future-State Design

What would the process look like with the waste and unclear ownership removed?

• Future-State Swimlane Map
• Approval and Control Simplification
• Standard Work Instruction
• Redesign Option Scoring Matrix
• Pilot and Test Plan

Day 5: Applying the Tools to One Live Process

Do the scope, maps, diagnosis and redesign form one pack that an owner can run?

• Applying the Session 1 SIPOC Scoping Table
• Refining the Session 2 Swimlane Diagram
• Testing the Session 3 Bottleneck and Queue Analysis
• Checking the Session 4 Redesign Option Scoring Matrix
• Completing the Redesign Pack and Control Plan

Methodology

The programme uses a structured exercise method built on anonymised process records, case documents and timing data from several sectors. Participants map and analyse a process of their own in peer groups, test each draft against evidence and receive written facilitator feedback on every exercise set.

• Suggested activity: Mapping an order or request process from sticky notes into a formal swimlane diagram.
• Suggested activity: Tracing a repeated delay through queue data to its cause.
• Suggested activity: Scoring three redesign options against benefit, effort and risk.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a redesign pack for one live process. It holds a SIPOC table, a current-state map, a waste and bottleneck diagnosis, a future-state map and a control plan with indicators and owners. The pack is used at work to brief the sponsor, plan a pilot and agree who runs the redesigned process once the change is in place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is process mapping and redesign suitable for managers with no improvement background?

Yes. Process mapping and redesign assumes familiarity with your own processes and builds notation, diagnosis and redesign skills step by step, without prior Lean or Six Sigma study.

Which standard or model does process mapping and redesign rest on?

Process mapping and redesign here rests on BPMN 2.0, also published as ISO/IEC 19510, together with SIPOC scoping, Lean waste analysis and the ISO 9001 process approach.

How is the pack from process mapping and redesign used at work?

You use the redesign pack to brief the sponsor, plan a pilot, assign process owners and track indicators once the redesigned process goes live.

How does process mapping and redesign differ from business process reengineering?

Process mapping and redesign improves an existing flow step by step from evidence, while business process reengineering rebuilds a cross-functional process from a clean sheet.