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Transform & support

Make your business processes visible, clear and improvable.

Business process mapping helps your team understand how work moves from request to completion. Document the current way of working, identify delays and unclear handoffs, then design a practical future process that fits your people, policies and LaraOffice implementation.

ASOPIT+
Bring business owners and process users into the conversation
Team reviewing business processes and planning improvements
Process discovery

Understand the work
before changing it.

People · Decisions · Handoffs · Controls

What a map can clarifyWho owns each step
Where approvals happen
Which records are needed
What happens when work fails
Example process framework
Shared understandingGive teams a common view of the process from start to finish.
Clear ownershipDefine who performs, reviews and approves each activity.
Visible bottlenecksFind delays, duplicated work and avoidable manual handoffs.
Practical next stepsTurn observations into prioritised improvements and requirements.
A structured approach

Map the current process, then design the future state

Start with how the work actually happens today. Agree on the desired outcome before deciding which steps should change or be supported by software.

Current state — how work happens now

Capture the real workflow, including workarounds and exceptions, not only the documented policy.

01
Trigger and inputsWhat starts the process, and what information or documents are required?
02
Tasks and handoffsWho does each task, which teams receive the work, and where is it recorded?
03
Decisions and exceptionsWhich approvals, checks, delays, rework and exception paths occur?
04
Outcomes and pain pointsWhat marks completion, and where are errors or waiting time most common?

Future state — how work should happen

Design a simpler, controlled workflow that is achievable for the business and its systems.

01
Remove unnecessary stepsReduce duplicate entry, unclear ownership and avoidable approvals.
02
Define roles and controlsAgree on responsibilities, approval thresholds and required evidence.
03
Specify system needsIdentify records, notifications, integrations, reports and access rules.
04
Validate and measureConfirm the design with users and define how improvement will be assessed.

Example: purchase request to receipt

A simplified illustration of a business process map. Your actual steps, approval rules and system behaviour should be validated with your team.

▤Request raisedNeed identified
✓Review & approvePolicy check
⇄Purchase orderSupplier selected
▣Goods receivedQuantity checked
◎Record & closeStock updated
Questions to resolve: What happens if a request is rejected, stock is short, goods are damaged or an invoice does not match the receipt?
What we examine

Look beyond the happy path

A useful process map captures responsibilities, decisions, information and the exceptions that can disrupt everyday operations.

♙

People and responsibilities

Process owners, performers, reviewers, approvers and the teams receiving each handoff.

⇢

Sequence and handoffs

Activities, dependencies, waiting points, duplicate work and cross-department transitions.

◇

Decision rules

Approval thresholds, eligibility checks, exception routing and conditions for proceeding.

▤

Data and documents

Required fields, source records, supporting documents and the systems where information lives.

⚑

Risks and controls

Common errors, missing evidence, segregation of duties and audit requirements.

◷

Performance measures

Cycle time, rework, backlog, exception rate and other useful indicators agreed with stakeholders.

Business team collaborating on a process improvement workshop
Useful deliverables

Leave the workshop with decisions, not just diagrams.

The depth of documentation depends on the size and risk of the process. The goal is to produce artifacts that teams can validate, implement and maintain.

  • ✓Current-state map
    Steps, roles, systems, decisions and known pain points.
  • ✓Future-state workflow
    An agreed target process with exception paths and controls.
  • ✓Requirements and gaps
    Business rules, data needs, integrations and unresolved questions.
  • ✓Improvement backlog
    Prioritised actions, owners, dependencies and success measures.
From discovery to action

A practical four-step engagement

Keep the work focused on a defined process, its stakeholders and the business outcome you want to improve.

Choose the process

Agree on the scope, process owner, start point, end point and reason for mapping.

Gather evidence

Interview users and review real examples, forms, reports, policies and exceptions.

Map and validate

Document the current and proposed flows, then review them with the people doing the work.

Prioritise changes

Agree on requirements, owners, measures and which improvements should happen first.

Start with one process that matters.

Discuss your operational challenge and identify the right scope for a process-mapping session.

Discuss your requirements
Frequently asked questions

Business process mapping FAQs

Understand the purpose, scope and expected outcomes before starting.

What is business process mapping?

It is a structured way to represent the steps, decisions, roles, inputs, outputs and handoffs involved in completing a business activity. It helps stakeholders discuss the same process using a shared view.

Do we need to document every process at once?

No. Start with a process that has a clear business impact, such as repeated delays, errors, unclear approvals or disconnected records. Expand the scope when the first mapping effort produces useful results.

Does mapping automatically mean automating the process?

No. Mapping helps clarify the work. Some improvements may involve changing responsibilities, policies or forms rather than adding automation. System changes should follow an agreed process design.

Can LaraOffice support the future workflow?

Potentially, depending on the modules, configuration and integrations available in your deployment. Validate the required steps, permissions, rules and exceptions against the actual system before committing to a design.

What should we prepare for a session?

Bring a process owner, representative users, sample forms or records, current procedures if available, examples of common exceptions and a clear description of the problem you want to solve. Avoid sharing unnecessary personal or confidential data.

How do we know whether a process has improved?

Agree on a baseline and a small set of relevant measures before implementation. Depending on the process, these may include completion time, rework, error rate, pending items or compliance with required checks.