process mapping

Definition

Structural analysis of a process flow (such as an order-to-delivery cycle), by distinguishing how work is actually done from how it should be done, and what functions a system should perform from how the system is built to perform those functions. In this technique, main activities, information flows, interconnections, and measures are depicted as a collage on a large sheet of (commonly brown) paper, with different colored 'Post-it' notes or slips of paper. This graphic representation allows an observer to 'walk-through' the whole process and see it in its entirety. Also called brown papering.