Process Map
A process map is a visual diagram that shows the steps of a process in sequence, from start to finish, including the order of actions, decision points, and handoffs between the people or systems involved. It makes a process easy to see at a glance so it can be understood, analyzed, and improved.
What is a process map?
A process map is a picture of how work flows. Instead of describing a process in paragraphs, it lays the steps out visually — boxes for actions, diamonds for decisions, arrows for the direction of flow — so anyone can trace the path from trigger to outcome. Process mapping is the activity of creating one: walking through a process and drawing exactly what happens, in what order, and who does it.
The value of seeing a process rather than reading it is that the shape becomes obvious. Bottlenecks, redundant steps, unnecessary approvals, and points where work gets handed off and stalls all jump out of a diagram in a way they don't in prose. That's why process maps are a staple of operations and process-improvement work — you can't fix a flow you can't see.
Process maps range from a simple linear flowchart of a handful of steps to a detailed swimlane diagram showing how work crosses between departments. What they share is a small, standardized visual vocabulary — a set of symbols understood widely enough that a map drawn by one person reads clearly to another.
Key characteristics
Visual and sequential
A process map shows steps as connected shapes in order of execution, so the flow from start to finish is readable at a glance rather than reconstructed from text.
Uses standard symbols
It draws on a shared visual language — ovals for start/end, rectangles for steps, diamonds for decisions, arrows for flow — so maps are interpretable by anyone familiar with the convention.
Shows decisions and branches
Beyond a straight line of steps, a process map captures the points where the path splits based on a condition, and where each branch leads.
Makes handoffs visible
Especially in swimlane form, a map shows where work passes between people, teams, or systems — the seams where processes most often break down.
A tool for analysis, not just record
The point of mapping is usually improvement: once the flow is visible, you can spot redundancy, delay, and risk, and redesign the process deliberately.
Process Map examples
Basic flowchart
The simplest and most common process map — a linear sequence of steps with the occasional decision point. Ideal for straightforward, mostly sequential processes like an approval or a refund.
Swimlane (cross-functional) diagram
A map divided into lanes, one per person, role, or department, showing who does each step and where work crosses lanes. Best for processes with multiple owners and handoffs.
Value stream map
A lean-focused map that traces a process end to end while capturing time, delays, and waste at each stage — used to find where a workflow loses efficiency.
Process map vs SOP
Both document a process, but they answer different questions — and teams often use them together.
| Process map | Standard operating procedure | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | A visual diagram of steps and flow | Written, step-by-step instructions |
| Question it answers | How does this process flow, and where does work go? | Exactly how do I perform each step? |
| Best for | Seeing the whole flow, spotting bottlenecks, analysis | Following a procedure and doing the work correctly |
| Level of detail | High-level; shows the shape, not every click | Granular; concrete actions, often with screenshots |
| Typical use together | The map shows the process at a glance | The SOP details how to execute each mapped step |
How to create a process map
- 1Define the process and its boundaries — pick a clear start (the trigger) and end (the outcome) so you know what you're mapping and what you're leaving out.
- 2List the steps in order, walking through the process as it's actually performed rather than how it's supposed to work on paper.
- 3Identify who does each step and where work hands off between people, teams, or systems — this is what you'll put into swimlanes if you use them.
- 4Mark the decision points where the path branches, and draw out what happens along each branch.
- 5Lay it out with standard symbols and connecting arrows, then walk the finished map with the people who do the work to confirm it matches reality.
- 6Use the map to spot bottlenecks, redundant steps, and delays — then redesign the flow and update the map as the process changes.
Common process map symbols
Process maps use a small set of standardized shapes, drawn from flowchart convention. An oval (or rounded rectangle) marks the start and end points — the terminators. A rectangle represents a process step or action. A diamond is a decision point, where the flow branches based on a yes/no or conditional answer. Arrows (flow lines) connect the shapes and show direction. A parallelogram often denotes an input or output, and a document shape represents a report or record produced by a step.
You don't need every symbol to draw a useful map — most process maps get by with terminators, steps, decisions, and arrows. The reason to stick to the standard shapes rather than inventing your own is legibility: the whole point of a visual language is that other people can read the map without a key.
Process maps and Glyde
A process map and a step-by-step guide answer different questions: the map shows the shape of a flow, while a guide shows exactly how to perform each step. Glyde produces the second. Record a process once in the browser — or upload an existing screen recording — and Glyde writes a structured SOP with purpose, prerequisites, and annotated, numbered steps for the work itself.
In practice the two pair well. A process map gives you the high-level view of a workflow and its handoffs; Glyde fills in the executable detail behind each box on the map, so the people doing the work have both the overview and the precise instructions. If your goal is to capture how a process actually runs step by step — the raw material you'd map from, and the how-to your team follows — that's the job Glyde does directly.
Process Map, answered
What is a process map in simple terms?
What are the main process map symbols?
What's the difference between a process map and an SOP?
How do you create a process map?
Related terms
Process Documentation
Recording how a process is performed so it can be followed, improved, and scaled — what it includes and the fastest way to do it.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
A documented, repeatable set of steps for doing a task the same way every time — what goes in one, formats, and how to build them.
Process vs Procedure
A process is the high-level flow of a workflow; a procedure is the step-by-step how — plus where policy fits, with clear examples.
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