Find the beginning
Name what starts the piece of work you are following. An incoming request, a scheduled review and a discovered issue may lead into different paths.
Ask: What actually brings this work into view?
Workflows / Observation / Visual thinking
See the work
between
the steps.
A practical starting point for observing how work moves, drawing what you find and asking better questions about the handoffs, decisions and waiting in between.
Build a workflow observation record →01 / Look before improving
An observation
before an explanation.
A useful current-state map begins with what you can establish. These lenses help separate the movement of work from assumptions about why it moves that way.
Notice the transfer
Look for the moment context, responsibility or a work item moves between people or systems. Record what the next person needs to continue.
Ask: What has to travel with the work?
Make waiting visible
A pause can have several explanations. Record what is observed and what is still unknown before labelling it a delay or assuming a cause.
Ask: What is the work waiting for?
02 / Draw a bounded example
Map a piece of work.
Keep the questions.
You do not need a complete model of an organisation to begin. A clear example can reveal which relationships need more attention.
Read the resource approach →-
01
Choose one piece of work
Use a clearly bounded example rather than trying to map every variation at once. Record its start, finish and the setting in which you observed it.
-
02
Capture the sequence
Write the activities in the order you can establish. Mark questions and missing information instead of filling gaps with how the process ought to work.
-
03
Add context and ownership
Record the roles, inputs and decisions relevant to each transition. Distinguish the person performing a task from the person able to clarify a decision.
-
04
Review the map with others
Invite people familiar with the work to check the sequence and language. Keep disagreements and exceptions visible until you can examine them.
03 / Let the question choose the view
Different diagrams
reveal different things.
Choose the simplest view that supports the discussion. Add detail when it answers a question, rather than because another notation makes it possible.
A / A SEQUENCE
Follow the journey
A simple sequence helps describe the main path through a bounded piece of work. Use it when the first question is what happens and in which order.
B / ROLE LANES
Look across handoffs
Role-based lanes help show where work moves between responsibilities. Keep the lanes tied to the question rather than turning the diagram into an organisation chart.
C / A DECISION VIEW
Explore a branch
A decision view helps examine a specific point where the work may follow different paths. Name the decision and the information used to make it.
04 / Make the labels do useful work
An arrow needs
some context.
A shared diagram is easier to review when the words explain what its shapes and connections mean. Keep a small legend when your notation could be read in several ways.
| Element | What to name | A useful convention |
|---|---|---|
| Activity | A verb and the object being worked on. | Use a label such as “review request” rather than a department name or an ambiguous noun. |
| Handoff | What moves, and between which roles. | Keep the item and necessary context visible; do not assume an arrow explains the transfer. |
| Decision | The question that determines the next path. | Label the branches so a reader can understand what makes the routes different. |
| Unknown | A point requiring further observation or clarification. | Mark it explicitly and record a source or person who may help resolve it. |
05 / Turn the map into a conversation
Review the evidence,
not just the drawing.
A polished diagram can still contain unresolved assumptions. Keep the source record beside it and use the review to decide what needs checking next.
Keep the source
Record whether a point came from observation, a document or a conversation. Add enough context to find the source again without placing unnecessary personal information in a shared map.
Keep the exception
When someone describes a different path, note the conditions around it. Decide whether it belongs in this map, in a separate example or in the open-question list.
Keep the next question
End the review with a precise question, a source to consult and a person responsible for the follow-up. A clearer question can be a useful result before any process change is proposed.
A clear place to begin
One example.
A more useful map.
The observation guide brings the question, sequence, sources and unresolved points into one practical record.
Open the workflow observation guide →