Process mapping examples

How to read these examples

Each example below shows the steps in order, the delays that typically appear between them, and the change that usually removes the most waiting. Notice that in all three cases the fix is about the gaps between steps — not about making people work faster.

If you haven't drawn a map before, start with how to create a process map and come back here for patterns.

Example 1: Order handling (customer order to shipment)

Who's involved: Sales, finance, warehouse

Steps

1. Order arrives (email, portal, or phone)
2. Sales validates the details and pricing
3. Decision: credit approved? → finance review if not
4. Warehouse checks stock
5. Decision: in stock? → supplier purchase order if not
6. Pick and pack
7. Carrier collects; customer notified

Where the time goes

• Finance review waiting in an inbox (1–2 days)
• Supplier lead time when stock is missing (3–10 days)
• Re-keying the order into a second system

The usual fix

Pre-approve credit limits for repeat customers and set a stock threshold that triggers reordering before an order arrives. Both remove waiting rather than speeding up work.

Business owner solutions

Example 2: Employee onboarding (offer accepted to productive)

Who's involved: HR, IT, line manager

Steps

1. Offer accepted
2. HR creates the employee record and contract
3. IT provisions accounts, laptop, and access rights
4. Manager prepares the first-week plan and buddy
5. Day 1: welcome, equipment handover, introductions
6. Week 1–4: training, first tasks, check-ins
7. 30-day review

Where the time goes

• IT request raised only after the start date is confirmed
• Access rights granted in sequence rather than in parallel
• First-week plan written the evening before day 1

The usual fix

Trigger IT provisioning from the signed offer, not the start date, and run HR, IT, and manager preparation as parallel lanes. Onboarding is the classic case where nothing is slow — everything just waits its turn.

HR solutions

Example 3: Support ticket (report to resolution)

Who's involved: Support, engineering

Steps

1. Customer reports an issue
2. Ticket triaged and categorised
3. Decision: known issue? → send known fix
4. First-line attempts resolution
5. Decision: resolved? → escalate to engineering if not
6. Fix delivered and verified with the customer
7. Ticket closed; cause recorded

Where the time goes

• Waiting for missing information from the customer
• Escalation queue between first line and engineering
• Repeat tickets for the same underlying cause

The usual fix

Capture the required details in the intake form, agree a service level for the escalation queue, and review recurring causes monthly. The third one is where the real volume disappears.

Operator solutions

Patterns across all three

• Most of the lead time is waiting, not working.
• Every handoff is a candidate delay — count them first.
• Steps that could run in parallel are usually run in sequence out of habit.
• Recurring problems repeat because the cause is never recorded, only the fix.

Once you see these patterns, the next step is a repeatable improvement rhythm — see the continuous improvement process.

How FollowLean fits

FollowLean lets you draw maps like these visually, keep them current as work changes, and attach improvement actions to the exact steps where the delay sits — so a map becomes an ongoing improvement loop rather than a one-off workshop artifact.

FAQ

What is a good example of process mapping?

A good example is small enough to draw in one session and painful enough to be worth improving — order handling, onboarding, invoice approval, or support tickets. All four have clear start and end points, several handoffs, and visible waiting time.

How many steps should an example map have?

Between 7 and 15 steps for a first map. Fewer than that and you have a summary; more and the map becomes hard to discuss in a group. You can always zoom into a single step later with its own detailed map.

Should an example include timings?

Yes, even rough ones. Adding an estimated duration and waiting time to each step is what turns a diagram into an improvement tool — it shows where the lead time really goes, which is almost never inside the steps themselves.