It may be helpful to break the entire process down into discrete steps, either in words or in a drawing. For example, suppose that the process for which you want to establish a process flow is the filing of a homeowner’s insurance claim. Here is one possible set of steps:
The claimant triggers the beginning of the process flow by submitting a claim form with supporting information (the work item), so the initial activity might be verifying that the claimant is insured. If the claimant does not own a valid policy, someone will have to notify the claimant of the error. If the claimant is insured, then the work item can continue on to the next step. (This step may require a split.)
Someone has to evaluate the paperwork for completeness. If the claim data is incomplete, the company will need to request and obtain the missing information. If the claim is complete, it can continue on to the next step. (This step may require a split.)
The company assigns an adjustor to the claim. If there are no available adjustors, the claim will have to be put on hold.
The adjustor investigates the claim and verifies that it follows policy.
If the damage is not covered by the policy, then the company will have to deny the claim and notify the claimant.
If the damage violates minor policy guidelines, then the company may negotiate with the claimant.
The company pays the claim.
For an introduction to Design Console’s Process Modeling tools, please proceed to Process Modeling Basics.