This appendix describes a simple approach to drawing corporate workflow diagrams, which can be useful for understanding how a company works and for training others about the process. They can also provide great help in identifying problems and figuring out solutions.
Specific company problems can lead to investigation of workflows related to that specific problem. However, you shouldn't wait until you have a problem before you put together a clear understanding of the overall corporate workflows.
For a small company, creating a simple workflow diagram is usually sufficient. A simple workflow diagram helps you understand how the company works, from creating estimates to shipping the product. Although complex methods exist for creating and analyzing these diagrams, the benefits of complexity are mostly realized by larger companies.
A good practice is to analyze several common workflows as part of your initial corporate orientation:
Quote and estimation process
Order-build-invoice process
Internally defined product development process
Customer change order process
To create a simple workflow diagram, start by talking to people in the organization to understand how the company works. Make sure you include input from sales, marketing, operations, and finance teams as well as customers and vendors. These conversations should clarify the steps in the workflow and the expectations of individuals participating. Then grab a pencil and paper and follow these steps:
Create a large dashed box to represent your company.
Create boxes for each team in the workflow, labeling each with the team name and the function performed in parentheses.
Create boxes for external customers, users, and vendors.
Draw lines with arrows to show requests for work and work delivery paths. Add notes to arrows to indicate items delivered as needed for clarity.
Figure C-1 illustrates the building blocks used in a workflow. Although this is a fairly simple set of building blocks, it shows how you can map most workflows easily.