#multi-view process mapping

One process model, many views (pt. 3 of 3) The most expensive process mapping problem is not “drawing”. It’s redraw. Every time a leader asks for a new view: • “Show it by department.” • “Now show it by system.” • “Now show it by risk.” • “Now show it as a value stream map.” …teams create another diagram, and drift multiplies. The alternative is the same operating model used by serious architecture and process tools: Model = the dataset (the process as data). View = a diagram generated from that dataset. Lens = a controlled reclassification that produces a new view without changing the underlying process. This is “one process model, many views”. What has to stay stable: • Step IDs (unique, durable) • Next Step IDs (connections) • Step descriptions (can change, but IDs stay) Everything else is metadata that can be reclassified for different audiences. A practical approach that works with lightweight tooling: 1. Create the canonical dataset (the system of record) One row per step, plus connections. 2. Render the baseline view in Visio Data Visualizer Swimlanes and phases show the operational story. 3. Create lens datasets (copies or derived tables) The steps and arrows stay the same. Only Function and Phase (and optional lens columns) change. Examples of high-value lenses: • Value stream lens: Function = VA/BVA/NVA, Phase = Active/Waiting/Rework • Governance lens (RACI – Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed): Function = Accountable role • Systems lens: Function = system of record used at each step • Automation lens: Function = automation potential (high/medium/low) • Risk lens: Function = risk category, Phase = control type (preventive/detective/corrective) Why this works in the real world: • Updates become row edits, not diagram surgery • Variants stop drifting because they share the same IDs and connections • Reviews get easier because the dataset can be versioned and diffed • Excel can quantify the map (handoffs, approvals, loops, counts by lens) • AI (artificial intelligence) tools become usable because they can read structured tables instead of screenshots Fast validation move: Convert 20 steps, import successfully, then change 1 lane assignment in the dataset and refresh. That round-trip is the moment the process stops being a picture and becomes a maintained model. If only one thing gets standardized, standardize Step IDs. That small discipline is what makes “many views” possible without chaos. Once the model exists, the work shifts from “draw and defend” to “measure and improve”. It also becomes easier to onboard new teams because the dataset is teachable. That speeds adoption. #ProcessMapping #Visio #DataVisualizer #BusinessAnalysis #Operations #ContinuousImprovement process mapping, raci, automation, risk and control, operations, business analysis, workflow, systems integration, decision rights

Multi-view process lenses (raci, value stream, risk, automation) Every stakeholder asks for a different “best version” of the same process map. Ops wants swimlanes by team. Leadership wants a value stream view (where time is wasted). Audit wants controls and evidence points. IT wants systems touchpoints. Automation teams want candidates and handoffs. Most teams respond the only way they can: redraw the process five different ways. That creates diagram sprawl and drift. Process lenses solve that problem. A lens is a controlled re-labeling of the same underlying process model to create a new decision-ready view without rewriting the process. The key requirement is simple: Model the process as a dataset first. Once the process is a table with: • stable step IDs • Next Step links (including branches and loops) • lane and stage fields …the diagram becomes output. Not the source of truth. Then a lens view becomes repeatable: 1. Copy the canonical dataset 2. Reclassify lanes and/or phases for the lens 3. Regenerate the diagram from the lens dataset 4. Summarize counts in Excel for fast insight High-value lens families that teams already recognize: • Value stream mapping (VA/BVA/NVA and Doing/Waiting/Rework) • RACI (Responsible/Accountable/Consulted/Informed) • Systems touchpoints (ERP, CRM, email, spreadsheet, manual) • Automation readiness (high/medium/low potential) • Risk and control mapping (preventive/detective/corrective) • Approval tier mapping (where governance slows throughput) Why this matters commercially: The lenses concept is what turns a one-time conversion into an ongoing operating model. One process model can produce multiple consistent views as questions change. The practical impact is real: • fewer “version” files • fewer debates about which diagram is current • faster executive readouts because the pattern is visible (handoffs, approvals, delay) • clearer ownership because lane assignments are controlled labels, not free text A practical start: Convert one real swimlane diagram into a dataset. Generate the baseline Data Visualizer diagram. Then create one lens view (value stream or RACI) to prove the method. When the dataset stays current, every lens stays current. A useful way to think about it: the dataset is the single source of truth, and each lens is a published view for a specific audience. That’s how the method stays credible and worth paying for. Once this is in place, the conversation changes from “can someone update the Visio” to “which view do we need for this decision.” That’s the difference between documentation and operating leverage. If a process has more than one stakeholder, it already needs more than one view. process improvement, process mapping, operations, business analysis, workflow, visio, swimlane, automation, lean, standard work