Hi,
I'm currently learning all about process mapping at work because I have been given the task of refining the service our department provides within the health system.
First and foremost, can anyone recommend any software for the Mac which is good for this purpose? Secondly, is there compatible, or at least, comparable software I can use on Windows XP at work?
Any other tips or information about process mapping and your experiences with it would be very welcome (unless of course, it's just to say it's a waste of time).
Thanks!
Having done a lot of process mapping, here are my thoughts:
Simple flows can be done quite nicely in Keynote or PowerPoint. Once you start getting very complex with swim lanes that need to stay aligned, many steps or complex flows you'll need a mapping program.
Will you have to exchange files with PC users? If that is the case, the only real choice is software that is available on both platforms. Despite claims of import export I have found subtle conversion issues crop up that are a pain to fix and piss off the file's recipients. In that case, I recommend either PowerPoint or running Visio in Parallels or another VM. I do Visio in Parallels and am very happy with the result. I'd love to migrate to OG but have clients that need Visio files and I can't afford to have them get files that are not 100% perfect each time. If you are the only user or an all mac shop then check out OG.
If you plan to later add computational items to the flows - such as take data and convert it to turnaround times be sure your flow charting software can handle that. Visio does it as I recall (been a while since I needed that capability); not sure about OG but one of their users can weigh in.
On the actual mapping part, start with major activities and build out the subprocess as separate diagrams. That avoids having one huge, confusing flow and m,aces it easier to explain and analyze what is happening.
Develop a dictionary to define what each shape means - there are standard ones but you may need special ones for unique activities in health care - such as when a clinician provides medication to a patient; or when you turf someone to another department. That makes it easier for people to put the diagram in context by letting them see their touch points in the process.
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We even designed some web-based automated process mapping/analytics software we built to generate flowchart code that can be read by OG.
Tell us more.