Are you looking to improve your organization’s efficiency and effectiveness? Considering implementing a quality management system like ISO 9001 but unsure where to start? One valuable tool that can help is process mapping.
Through visualising and analysing your company’s processes, you can identify areas for improvement, streamline operations, and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the basics of process mapping in the context of ISO 9001.
What Is Process Mapping in ISO 9001?
Process Mapping in ISO 9001 involves documenting and understanding all the key processes within your business. It entails creating a “high-level” overview of your operations processes, documenting all processes step-by-step, and creating detailed process maps. By understanding the full scope of your business processes, your organisation can create standardised workflows, identify decision points, and continuously improve its quality management system.
Keys Processes to Consider in Business Process Mapping
You should take process mapping seriously because it has much to do with customer satisfaction and improved efficiency. Some of the key areas to consider in business process mapping include the following:
- Operations processes – These are the everyday tasks like production, shipping, and receiving.
- Support processes – These are activities necessary for operations that facilitate efficient strategic decision-making.
- Decision points – These are points in the process where decisions need to be made and documented, with input from stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and staff members.Business knowledge management involves Identifying any knowledge source that could help optimise workflows and improve the business’s overall success.
- Inspection and Test procedures – How test results are evaluated to ensure quality products or services are delivered to customers can be critical for customer satisfaction or regulatory compliance.
- High-level process designs – Developing detailed plans for high-level process designs such as enterprise architecture, product design, or financial accounting can help guide other design decisions throughout the organisation and create better efficiencies over time.
- Documenting Processes – Recording detailed descriptions of each activity in your workflows with diagrams and flowcharts to ensure continuity between teams or departments over time is essential for maintaining quality standards laid out by ISO 9000/9001 certification requirements.
Building a detailed process map is key to demonstrating how inputs and outputs move through an organisation.
How to Create a Detailed Process Map for ISO 9000
Here are the steps to follow when creating a business process map:
- Identify all the inputs and outputs associated with each business process your company performs.
- Mark each of these steps on a process chart and draw arrows between them to identify the flow of activities.
- Include decision points in this map, which will help you further analyse how your workflows are functioning.
- Add all relevant details to your process, including timelines and tools needed.
- Review and adjust as needed to incorporate feedback from stakeholders and make sure it aligns with ISO 9001 requirements.
- Once it meets all criteria, implement your process map within the quality management system.
How Best Practice Can Help
Process mapping is a great way to gain insight into your operations and processes, allowing you to improve efficiency while ensuring customer satisfaction continually. ISO 9001 certification is achievable for any business that documents processes and works towards continual improvement.
Our ISO 9001 certification services at Best Practice can help you better control processes and create detailed workflows for your business operations. Contact us today to learn more about how your business could benefit from ISO certification services.
