Process Map Templates: Where and How To Choose One

November 15, 2021 (Updated: May 4, 2023)

papers with charts and graphs on light wooden table with cell phone to the left and white hands holding papers and touching cell phone to show process map templates

Process mapping is one of the first steps you can take when developing a marketing plan to get your ideas in order. Using these tools prepares your team for each step of a specific process. Maps also make it easier for your team and people from other departments to work together efficiently and produce quality output. Today we’re looking at all you need to know about process map templates with topics like:

What Is a Process Map?
Types of Process Maps
Process Map Symbols
What Are the Benefits of Process Mapping?
How To Create a Process Map
10 Process Map Templates

What Is a Process Map?

A process map is a visual diagram that shows the individual steps of business activities. In marketing, for example, a process map could show how each piece goes from ideation to publication. The diagrams also include information about the people involved in executing each step.

When creating a process map, you use universal symbols to show the actions of the steps in your process. You often add text inside the symbols to further explain the steps and connect each symbol with lines or arrows to show the flow of the process from start to finish.

Types of Process Maps

There are many types of process maps to use, depending on your resources, workflow, and desired goals. Some of these maps and their uses include:

Basic Flowchart

Image via Visual Paradigm

A basic flowchart is the simplest map you can make. It visually shows the most important steps in any process. Use this map to plan new projects, model and document a process, or solve problems. You can also use a basic flowchart to improve team communication and analyze and manage workflows.

Cross-Functional Flowchart

Image via Creately

Cross-functional or deployment flowcharts show the relationships between process steps and the teams or departments responsible for them. These diagrams include special features called swimlanes that explain who does what at each step. Separate the lanes with horizontal or vertical lines to form crows, columns, or a grid. Then place the symbols within those areas to show which steps of the process pass through each department.

Use the cross-functional flowchart to identify the roles responsible for each step in a process and how they relate to one another. You can also use it to highlight process flows throughout the company and identify potential delays or work duplications among groups.

Detailed Process Map

Image via ISixSigma

Detailed process maps go deeper than basic flowcharts. They look at all the steps and subprocesses of a workflow in depth. Use this type of map when you’re working with a process that has inputs and outputs at every step. You can also use a detailed process map to define workflow boundaries, triggers, and outcomes.

High-level Process Map

Image via Wisconsin School of Business

A high-level process map or a value-chain map is a “just the facts ma’am” type of document. It shows the primary activities of a process without the extra details of roles or decision steps. Most of these maps include less than five or six of the most basic steps in your workflow. Use a high-level process map to identify the most key steps in a detailed process.

Infographics

Image via Venngage

Did you know you can turn an infographic into a flowchart? This is a helpful option if you plan to use your process mak for marketing materials or company presentations. Creating a flowchart infographic makes your map easier to understand. But this option may stray from the symbol and text box conventions of other, more traditional, types of maps. Infographic process maps allow your team to show off its creativity while still providing all the helpful information necessary to make the process clear.

SIPOC

Image via Navvia

The acronym SIPOC stands for suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, and customers. As the name suggests, this map shows all the key elements of a process. Use it to identify items that fall into each category before creating a more detailed map. You can also use the SIPOC to define the vision for a complex process. When drawing this map, create a table with five columns, one for each element.

Value Stream Map

Image via Tallyfy

Value stream maps show the flow of information and materials necessary to bring a product or service to a customer. Use this map to record and measure the inputs and outputs of any process step. You can also use a value stream map to identify wasted time or resources within or among processes. This map style provides insight into decision-making and process flow and identifies where to focus future projects and subprojects.

Process Map Symbols

Each step in a process map has its own symbol, called a flowchart shape. There are nearly 30 standard shapes. Some are basic, while others are for very specific technical workflows, such as programming processes. It’s helpful to use a guide to understand what each symbol stands for, especially if you collaborate with other teams or departments that may use some of the specialized shapes. The guide includes:

Symbol	Name	Purpose
	Activity or Process	Represents a step within the process
	Decision	Represents a decision to make within the process
	Start and End	Represents the starting and ending point of a process
	Arrow	Represents the connections between steps and the direction of the process flow
	Document	Represents a step that generates a report or file within the process
	Subroutine	Shows actions that relate to a task that’s part of a larger process or a process within another process on its own flowchart
	Alternate Process	An alternative to the original process step you can use in its place
	Delay	Represents a stall or waiting period in the process
	Preparation	Shows a preparation step that’s necessary to complete before another step in the process
	Manual Loop	A sequence of steps or commands that repeat until someone stops them manually
	Loop Limit	Shows the point where a loop stops
	Connector	Connects one or more pages or sections in the chart that you can’t connect by an arrow or line
	Off-page Connector	Shows that a process continues off the current page, and includes a letter or number within the shape to direct to the next step elsewhere in the document
	Merge	Shows a step where subprocesses combine into one
	Extract	Shows where a process splits into two parallel directions
	Or	Shows where a process diverges into two or more branches
	Junction	Shows where two or more subprocesses merge into one
	Input and Output Data	Shows where materials or information enter and leave a process
	Multiple Documents	Shows a step that generates multiple reports or files
	Display	Shows a step that makes an information display to an audience
	Manual Input	Shows a step where users must input information manually
	Stored Data	Represents a step where collected data becomes stored
	Database	Represents the introduction or creation of a database within the process
	Direct Access Storage	Represents the introduction of a hard drive into the process
	Internal Storage	Used in programming to show information stored in memory instead of a file
	Collate	Represents part of the process that organizes data into a standard format
	Sort	Represents data, information, and materials sorted into a predetermined order

What Are the Benefits of Process Mapping?

Process mapping makes communication and understanding easier among team members, stakeholders, and customers. These visuals also serve as a testing and hypothesizing tool to determine what happens if you change the steps of a particular process. Aside from internal workflows, flowcharts serve as marketing tools to provide investors and customers with a reliable timeline and business plan for production. Maps make process documentation more reader-friendly and spread awareness of the responsibilities of each person involved.

How To Create a Process Map

Use these steps to learn how to develop a process map for your team and its goals:

1. Identify the Process

First, choose what process you want to show in your diagram. Consider picking a process that’s underperforming, a new one you want to introduce, or one that makes a direct impact on customer satisfaction. During this step, pick a name for your process if it doesn’t have one already. You can use it as the title for your map.

2. Assemble a Team

Make a list of everyone involved with the process, or who you expect to be involved with the process. When creating the map, get input from everyone about their work and how the process currently flows. Have your team list any potential steps you may not know about that take place within the workflow.

3. Gather More Information

Besides interviewing team members about their experience with the process, there are other questions and methods to consider, too. Determine where the process starts and ends and the steps between those two points. Find the inputs and outputs for every step of the process and when, where, and how to complete each step before moving to the next.

For example, if your team developed a process map for its content production workflow, you may look at the starting and ending points of ideation and publication. Then you may discover what steps fall between those points. You could also look at the inputs, such as the drafts of the content that go through the workflow, and the outputs, which are the published pieces. Then you can assign each task to a specific team member or department.

4. Put the Steps in Order

After you’ve gathered the data, arrange your steps in the right order. Depending on the type of map you choose, you may use multiple pages or have specialized sections for subprocesses within each page. Using a template, like the ones we share below, can help you figure out the best arrangement for any type of map.

5. Draw the Map

To draw or create your map, consider a word processing or slideshow program like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. Other options for creating your map include hand drawings and image creation tools like Canva or Adobe. If you don’t want to create a map from scratch, use a pre-made template and fill in the correct information.

6. Look for Improvements

Process maps do more than just list the steps of a workflow. They also help you see where there are inconsistencies or areas where you could improve the way you currently do things. Look for areas where you might have bottlenecks, delays, and inefficiencies within the system. Can you eliminate or revise any steps to solve these problems? Are there ways to make the process more efficient or logical? If so, fix them.

7. Implement and Monitor Improvements

The last step is to share your map with the right team members and stakeholders and implement the process. If you’ve changed an old process, implement smaller improvements first. Then you can move to move complex changes. Monitor your process or any changes you’ve made to see if they help make your process more efficient. If not, you can make further changes in the future.

10 Process Map Templates

Here are links to 10 process map templates you can find around the internet to help create your own:

Process maps can help you organize and streamline workflows throughout your company. Understanding the composition and design can make it easier to create one that fits your needs or find the right process map templates to save you time.

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