You do not need specialist software or notation to understand a process. One hour, the people who do the work, and a wall or whiteboard are enough to see where time is lost. The goal is a shared picture, not a perfect diagram.
Minutes 0–10: agree the boundaries
Pick one process and write its start and end on the board: "Client signs proposal" to "First invoice sent", for example. Anything outside those two points is out of scope for this session.
Invite the people who actually do the steps, not only the manager who oversees them.
Minutes 10–30: walk through a recent real case
Use a specific example from the last few weeks rather than the process as it is supposed to work. Write each step on a note in the order it happened, with the role that did it. Include waiting: "waited for approval", "waited for client documents".
Do not argue about the right way yet. Record what happened.
Minutes 30–45: mark the stall points
Go back through the map and mark three kinds of problem with different colours:
- Waits — work sitting with nobody acting on it.
- Rework — steps repeated because something was missing or wrong.
- Handoffs — moments where work passes between people or tools and can get lost.
Minutes 45–60: choose one change
Look for the stall point that affects most cases and is within the team's control. Often it is a missing input that causes rework, or an approval with no named owner. Agree one change, one owner and a date to look again.
Photograph the board. That photo is the first draft of your SOP and your best guide to what, if anything, should be automated later.
Key takeaways
- Map a real recent case, not the ideal process.
- Waiting, rework and handoffs are where time disappears.
- Leave with one change and one owner, not a long list.
