Process Mapping

SEEING TRANSPORTATION AND MOVEMENT: PROCESS MAPPING

Mike Dixon, PhD

Understanding how people, materials, and information move through an operation requires systematic observation and documentation. Process mapping provides the foundation for identifying both necessary and wasteful movement in operations. Like a choreographer studying dancers’ movements, operations managers must learn to see, document, and analyze the complex patterns of movement in their processes.

Basic Process Mapping Techniques

Process mapping starts with documenting the current state of operations. The basic process map uses simple symbols to show the sequence of activities, including

What follows is taken from this source: https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart.

One step in the process. The step is written inside the box. Usually, only one arrow goes out of the box.

Direction of flow from one step or decision to another.

Decision based on a question. The question is written in the diamond. More than one arrow goes out of the diamond, each one showing the direction the process takes for a given answer to the question. (Often the answers are “yes” and “no.”)

Delay or wait

Link to another page or another flowchart. The same symbol on the other page indicates that the flow continues there.

Input or output

Document

Alternate symbols for start and end points

Creating an effective process map requires direct observation and careful documentation. Start by walking through the process, noting each step and movement. Pay particular attention to transitions between activities often reveal hidden transportation waste. For example, in a restaurant kitchen, tracking the movement of a single order might reveal that ingredients make multiple trips between prep stations and cooking areas.

When mapping processes, capture both the intended flow (how things should move) and the actual flow (how they really move). The gaps between these often highlight opportunities for improvement. Include time estimates for both activity and movement to understand the full impact of transportation on process performance.

Example of a process map, source: https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart

Moving Beyond Basic Maps

While basic process maps provide a foundation, seeing movement requires additional tools. Think of it as moving from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional view of operations. This means incorporating:

• Physical distances
• Time dimensions
• Frequency of movement
• Volume of materials
• Equipment requirements
• Personnel involved

For example, a basic process map might show that parts move from storage to assembly. A more detailed movement analysis would reveal that this simple arrow represents:

• Multiple trips per hour
• Long walking distances
• Several handling points
• Different personnel involved
• Various equipment used

This deeper level of analysis often reveals waste that remains hidden in simpler process maps.

Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping builds on basic process maps by adding critical information about:

• Process time at each step
• Wait time between steps
• Information flow
• Material flow
• Inventory levels
• Customer requirements
• Supplier connections

A value stream represents the complete sequence of activities, both value-adding and non-value-adding, required to bring a product or service from initial concept through delivery to the customer. Unlike a simple process map, value stream mapping captures the entire flow of both materials and information, including supplier inputs, internal processing steps, and final delivery to customers. The map shows not just the sequence of steps, but critical data like process times, wait times, inventory levels, and information flows-revealing how material and information actually move through an organization. This comprehensive view helps identify where transportation waste and delays occur in the broader system, rather than just within individual processes.

Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-value-stream-map-35a09801-999e-4beb-ad4a-3235b3f0eaa3

Value stream maps help reveal the bigger picture of movement across an entire operation. They show how materials and information flow from suppliers through internal processes to customers, often uncovering transportation waste hidden between traditional departmental boundaries.

Spaghetti Diagrams: Visualizing Physical Movement

While value stream maps show the overall flow, spaghetti diagrams capture the physical reality of movement in the workplace. Named for their resemblance to tangled pasta, these diagrams trace actual paths taken by people, materials, or information on a floor plan or layout drawing. Creating a spaghetti diagram involves:

1. Starting with an accurate layout drawing
2. Following and tracing movement paths with continuous lines
3. Using different colors for different people or items
4. Recording the frequency of each movement
5. Measuring distances traveled

For example, tracking a nurse’s movement during medication rounds might reveal surprising patterns- multiple trips to the same locations, crossing paths, and backtracking that aren’t apparent without this visual tool. The resulting tangle of lines often provides compelling evidence of transportation waste and opportunities for layout improvement.

Source: https://www.vistable.com/blog/materialflow-intralogistics/what-is-a-spaghetti-diagram/

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spaghetti-map-anca-mocan/

Common Transportation Patterns to Document

Understanding transportation waste requires recognizing both obvious and subtle movement patterns in operations. Start by observing the regular flow and predictable movement of materials from receiving to storage, or finished goods to shipping. These established routes often become so routine that their inefficiencies go unnoticed. Then look for the less obvious patterns, such as urgent movements to address stockouts or information flows that trigger physical movement. Pay particular attention to how different flows interact and potentially interfere with each other, like when production material movements cross paths with maintenance activities.

Key patterns to document include:

• Regular delivery routes and timing
• Material handling equipment movement cycles
• Information flow between departments
• Product family transportation paths
• Support service movement patterns

Each pattern should be documented with:

• Frequency of occurrence
• Distance traveled
• Time required
• Resources involved
• Impact on other operations

Distance Charts

Distance charts, also known as distance matrices, provide a systematic way to analyze and document the physical distances between different locations, workstations, or departments in an operation. These charts present distances in a simple grid format, making it easy to see movement patterns and identify opportunities for reducing transportation waste.

Creating Distance Charts

Building a useful distance chart starts with identifying key locations in the operation. Measure actual walking or transport distances between these points, not just straight-line distances. Record these measurements in a matrix where both rows and columns list locations, with the intersection showing the distance between any two points. For example:

Using Distance Data

The real value of distance charts emerges when combined with frequency data- how often movement occurs between locations. By multiplying distance by frequency, you can identify the highest-impact transportation waste. For instance, a long but infrequent movement might be less important than a shorter but very frequent one. This analysis often reveals surprising patterns and helps prioritize improvement efforts.

Frequency Chart (moves per day):

Total Movement Impact (distance x frequency per day):

This analysis reveals that while shipping to receiving represents the longest single distance (400 feet), the most significant movement waste occurs between storage and assembly (175 feet ×32 trips = 5,600 feet per day), making it a prime target for improvement efforts.

Observing and Documenting Transportation

Developing the ability to recognize transportation waste requires both keen observation skills and systematic analysis. Like a detective looking for clues, operations managers must learn to see beyond the obvious and identify patterns that reveal unnecessary movement in their processes. Like a traffic study, we need to capture both the regular patterns and unusual movements that occur in operations.

Direct Observation Techniques

The most immediate signs of transportation waste appear through careful workplace observation. Multiple handling points often provide the first clear indication of waste. Consider a typical restaurant operation: A single ingredient might be unloaded at the receiving dock, moved to general storage, transferred to the kitchen prep area, returned to refrigeration, and finally moved to the cooking station. Each transfer represents a potential opportunity for wasteduction.

Watch for items that are:

• Picked up and set down repeatedly
• Transferred between multiple people
• Moved between temporary locations
• Handled by different departments
• Stored in multiple places before final use

Traffic patterns and congestion offer another visible signal of transportation waste. In manufacturing facilities, watch for areas where forklifts frequently wait for other vehicles to pass, or where pedestrian paths intersect with material handling routes. These intersection points not only slow operations but also create safety risks and indicate poor flow design.

Look for:

• Intersecting pathways where people or materials frequently cross
• Bottlenecks where movement slows or stops
• Areas where multiple operations compete for movement space
• Peak period congestion points
• Queuing or waiting due to movement constraints

Movement distances often reveal waste that has become normalized in operations. When workers must regularly walk long distances to retrieve tools or materials, these movements have usually been accepted as “just part of the job.” For example, in healthcare settings, nurses might walk several hundred feet to retrieve routine supplies, a distance that seems reasonable for any single trip but accumulates to miles of walking over a shift.

Observable signs of excessive movement include:

• Long walking paths between related operations
• Materials stored far from point of use
• Centralized resources requiring frequent trips
• Backtracking or circular movement patterns
• Cross-facility transport of routine item

Process-Based Transportation Waste Recognition

Work-in-process (WIP) accumulation serves as a key indicator of transportation waste. WIP refers to any materials, items, or information that have started but not completed their journey through an operational process-neither raw material nor finished product, but in-between.

When WIP accumulates between process steps, it often signals poor flow and excessive movement. Watch for partially completed work waiting to be moved to the next operation, like unfinished assemblies between workstations or documents waiting for transfer between departments. High WIP levels typically indicate opportunities to improve layout and reduce unnecessary transportation.

Work In Process (WIP) Accumulation-watch for:

• Materials waiting to be moved
• Queues before and after transport
• Buffer or Back-up stock at multiple locations
• Partially completed work waiting for movement
• Accumulation points between operations

Time-based signals reveal themselves through delays and waiting. In service operations, customers waiting while employees retrieve items or information indicate potential transportation waste. In manufacturing, products waiting for transport between operations often indicate opportunities for layout improvement or process redesign.

Time-Based Signals- monitor for:

• Delays waiting for transport
• Search time for materials or information
• Queue time before movement
• Schedule disruptions due to movement delays
• Transport-related overtime

Information flow patterns can expose hidden transportation waste. In many organizations, information follows convoluted paths that mirror outdated physical processes. A customer order might bounce between multiple systems and departments, each transfer representing a form of transportation waste that delays completion and risks errors.

Look for inefficient information movement patterns:

• Multiple data entry points
• Paper documents moving between departments
• Information waiting for transfer
• Redundant communication channels
• Manual information carrying

Documentation Methods

When observing transportation patterns:

• Pick observation points that provide clear views of movement paths
• Record at different times of day to capture variation
• Note both planned and unplanned movements

Use a structured approach to record observations:

1. Transportation Log

• • Time of movement
  • What was moved
  • Origin and destination
  • Equipment used
  • Quantity moved

Any delays encountered

2. Layout-Based Recording

• • Mark primary transport routes on facility maps
  • Note locations of material handling equipment
  • Identify storage and staging areas
  • Document intersection points
  • Record distances between connected processes

3.Photo/Video Documentation

• • Capture typical movement patterns
  • Record peak period conditions
  • Show problem areas and bottlenecks
  • Demonstrate current transport methods

Analytical Approaches to Recognition

Movement analysis provides concrete data about transportation patterns. Rather than relying on casual observation, a systematic study using tools like spaghetti diagrams can reveal the full extent of movement waste. These analyses often surprise even experienced managers, showing how simple processes involve complex movement patterns.

Cost indicators help quantify the impact of transportation waste. Beyond obvious costs like material handling equipment and labor, look for hidden expenses such as damage during transport, excessive packaging requirements, and space dedicated to movement paths. These costs often prove substantially higher than initially estimated.

Quality impact signals often point to transportation waste. Products damaged during movement, missing items, and documentation errors frequently indicate excessive or poorly designed transportation. In food service, for example, quality issues often arise from multiple product transfers between temperature-controlled environments. Indicators

Employee feedback provides valuable insights into transportation waste. Workers frequently develop detailed knowledge of movement inefficiencies but may view these as unchangeable parts of their jobs. Creating opportunities for open discussion about movement patterns often reveals improvement opportunities that management hasn’t recognized.

Workarounds and adaptations signal transportation waste that employees have tried to address independently. When workers create unofficial storage locations or personal caches of frequently needed items, these usually indicate opportunities to reduce transportation waste through formal process improvements.

Differentiating Necessary vs. Unnecessary Movement

The goal of transportation analysis isn’t to eliminate all movement; transportation is essential for operations. The key is distinguishing between necessary transportation that adds value and unnecessary movement that creates waste. Consider a hospital pharmacy delivering medications to patient floors: moving medications to patients is necessary, but multiple trips due to poor scheduling is waste.

Necessary Transportation:

• • Movement that directly enables value creation
  • Delivery of materials to point of use
  • Movement required by regulatory compliance
  • Transportation for safety or quality requirements
  • Essential cross-functional movements

Unnecessary Transportation:

• • Multiple movements of the same item
  • Moving materials to temporary storage locations
  • Transport due to poor layout design
  • Movement to work around problems
  • Excessive movement due to batch sizes

Ask These Questions:

1. Does this movement directly support customer value?
2. Could this transportation be eliminated by changing the layout?
3. Is this movement happening because of inefficient processes?
4. Could the frequency of movement be reduced?
5. Is this transportation caused by working around problems rather than solving them?

Remember: Even necessary transportation should be minimized through better layout, scheduling, and process design. The goal is to reduce the impact of required movement while eliminating unnecessary transportation entirely.