This web page accompanies “Using Process Mapping to Identify Patient Safety Hazards in Micro-Systems” in Quality and Safety in Healthcare. by John Grout

Flow charting is an early and continually popular approach to process mapping. Examples of flow charting and supporting information are widespread.

The level of detail that can be captured can be excruciating.  The icons that are available allow description of details including input devices (including outdated computer cards and punch tape) output devices, storage media, and every decision. Decision criteria can be included as text in the diamond-shaped decision icon and alternative paths based on the decision shown as arrows eminating from the icon. This ability to show decisions (if-then statements) very explicitly along with logical operator icons (summing junction, or, sort, extract, and merge) make the logic of multiple paths through the process very clear.  Summing All this detail rarely fits on one page and so the “off-page connector” allows for multiple pages to be used, if necessary. The full set of icons is shown below

There is no specific pre-specified numbering scheme in flowcharting that allows flowcharting to present hierachical links.  However, since almost any process can be described by subprocesses, it is reeasonable to believe that a number scheme could be devised to allow unique and coherent  process map numbering that would allow hierarchical links to be created.

Multiple flows can be easily included on the flow chart but unlike IDEF-0 no explicit conventions are provided to distinguish one flow from another. The author of the map must take care to use the text within the icons and along the arrows to make the question of what is flowing through the map clear.

No Specific means of showing organization structure exists for flow charts, although a variety of conventions could be created. If organizational structure is to be shown, one solution would be to “retrofit” the flow chart with “swimlanes.”

A small flow chart is shown below.

[Process Mapping] [Flow Chart] [Top Down] [Swim Lane] [Value Stream]