SiliciumHex FieldKit

Problem Solving & Quality · Observe

As-Is Process Flowchart

Draw the process as it really runs today — with loops, workarounds and waiting — by walking it with the people who do it.

  • Time1 h
  • FormatTeam
  • StageObserve

As-Is Process Flowchart: what it is and why it works

An as-is process flowchart shows how a process actually runs today, not how the procedure says it should. The team agrees the start and end of the section to map, then walks it physically with the people who do the work, following the product, the fluid or the paperwork. Every operation, decision, wait, transport, inspection and rework loop is drawn as it really happens. The map then marks where the problem is detected and where it could be created, and is compared step by step with the written procedure.

Problems often live in the gap between the documented process and the real one: informal workarounds, extra checks, material that waits at a handoff, a decision taken on an unwritten rule. A map drawn from the procedure hides exactly those details. Walking the process makes them visible, and involving operators means the map gets corrected on the spot. The as-is flowchart comes after SIPOC, which fixes the boundaries, and usually during or after a gemba walk. It then supports root-cause work, since every gap between map and procedure is a lead, and later the design of standard work, which turns the improved process into the new documented reference.

What you need

  • Agreed start and end points, typically from a SIPOC
  • The current written procedure or work instructions
  • Operators and technicians who run the process, ideally from several shifts
  • Brown paper, sticky notes and markers, or a simple mapping tool
  • Time to walk the process physically

What you get

  • A flowchart of the real process, including loops, waits and workarounds
  • Marked points where the problem is detected and where it could be created
  • A list of gaps between the map and the procedure
  • Rough times or volumes at key steps, where measured
  • A shared picture the team can use to design standard work

When to use it

When the procedure describes one process and the floor runs another.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Agree the start and end of the process section to map.
  2. Walk the process physically with the operators, following the product, the fluid or the paperwork.
  3. Draw each step, decision, wait, transport, inspection and rework loop as it really happens.
  4. Mark where the problem is detected and where it could be created.
  5. Compare with the written procedure and list every gap — each gap is a lead.

Worked example: Repeat-assay disagreement in a mine laboratory

Illustrative scenario — figures are realistic but not from a real company.

A gold mine's on-site assay laboratory finds that repeat assays disagree with the originals beyond tolerance on about 8% of grade-control samples, against a 3% internal target. The written procedure shows a clean, linear flow from sample receipt to fire assay.

  1. The lab supervisor and two technicians agreed to map from sample drop-off at the receiving window to pulverized pulp bagged for weighing.
  2. They followed batches through sample preparation over a full shift, building the map with sticky notes on brown paper on the lab wall.
  3. The walk revealed steps absent from the procedure: bags stored on the floor when the drying oven was full, the barren-quartz flush of the pulverizer skipped at peak load, and a relabeling step when field tags were unreadable.
  4. The team marked where the problem was detected (repeat-assay comparison) and where it could be created: pulverizer cleaning, relabeling and floor storage.
  5. Comparison with the procedure gave seven gaps; the skipped flush and the relabeling step were rated most likely.

Result. Assays of the barren flush material showed carry-over whenever the flush was skipped, and a week of checks found two confirmed sample swaps at relabeling. Extra pulverizer capacity at peak times and barcoded tags printed in the field brought repeat disagreement down to 2.6% over two months. The procedure was then rewritten from the improved map rather than from the old document.

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Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

  • Mapping from the procedure or from memory.Walk the process and draw what you see; the real flow is the whole point.
  • Leaving out waits, loops and checks.Draw non-value-adding steps explicitly; that is usually where problems and delays hide.
  • Mapping only one shift or one product.Check the map with other shifts and product variants; workarounds often differ between crews.
  • Blaming people for the gaps.Treat each deviation from procedure as information about the system, and ask why the workaround exists.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an as-is and a to-be process map?

An as-is map documents how the process works today, including workarounds and waste. A to-be map shows the intended future process after improvement. Drawing the as-is map first matters: it shows where problems come from and provides a baseline. Jumping straight to a to-be map often means redesigning an idealized process that never matched reality.

What symbols are used in a process flowchart?

Common flowcharts use rectangles for operations or tasks, diamonds for decisions, arrows for flow, and rounded shapes for start and end. Flow process charts in the Gilbreth tradition distinguish operation, transport, inspection, delay and storage. Choose one simple symbol set, show its key on the map and use it consistently, so anyone can read the chart without explanation.

How detailed should an as-is flowchart be?

Detailed enough to show where the problem could be created and where it is detected, and no more. Start at a level where each box is a distinct task or handoff, and zoom into finer detail only around the steps that matter. A map that covers a wall with tiny steps is hard to use and often hides the important loops.

Origin

Flow process charts — Frank B. & Lillian M. Gilbreth, presented to ASME, 1921; later process-mapping practice.

Related methods

More in “Observe”

Go where the problem happens and collect facts, counts and timelines — not opinions.