Imagine managing a business like running a busy city. Each part—its traffic, services, and utilities—needs to function smoothly for the entire city to thrive. In business, process management plays a similar role, ensuring that everything works together seamlessly. And just like how cities have maps at different scales, BPM uses different levels of process mapping to help businesses understand and improve how they work. Let’s dive into these levels, from the broad overview to the intricate details, to see how they shape a well-functioning business.

Understanding the 5 process levels

Level 1: Category—The Big Picture 🌎

At Level 1, we see the highest level map of the business. It’s like looking at a city map that outlines all the major districts, showing you the essential areas but not the specific streets. On level 1, you categorize the organizational functions to which processes belong. This level includes categories like "Customer Service," "Supply Chain," or “Enterprise Risk, Compliance, Remediation, and Resiliency". Each of these categories represents a major function or area of focus for an organization.

This level helps businesses understand the different domains that need management, making it ideal for high-level planning and strategy discussions.

Level 2: Process Group—Zooming In on Key Areas 🏙️

Zooming in to Level 2,we reach the process groups. This is like focusing on one part of a city — say, the industrial neighborhood —and mapping out its key roads and features. Each process group brings together related processes that serve a common purpose. For example, "Manage Enterprise Risk" encompasses all the processes needed to manage risk across different parts of a business.

This level gives more structure to how specific areas of work are organized, making it easier to prioritize resources and align teams around common goals.

Level 3: Process—Mapping Out Specific Routes 🛤️

Level 3 gets even more specific. It’s like identifying the main streets within the industrial neighborhood our city map, showing how people move between key points. A process is a detailed path that includes the essential elements needed to accomplish a specific task. For example, "Manage Business Unit and Function Risk" might cover different aspects of managing risks within a specific department.

This level is critical for breaking down the workflow into manageable parts, allowing managers to focus on the specific actions required to achieve desired outcomes.

Level 4: Activity—Understanding the Key Events 🔍

At Level 4, we identify the activities within a process. Think of it as zooming in on intersections and understanding what happens at each traffic light or stop sign. Activities represent the specific events or steps that occur within a process. For example, "Develop Mitigation Plans for Risks" includes all the actions needed to prepare for potential risks, such as identifying risks, creating action plans, and reviewing those plans.

This level helps businesses ensure that every critical event is covered, making it easier to optimize and streamline operations.

Level 5: Task—The Detailed Blueprint 📝

Finally, at Level 5, we reach the most detailed layer: tasks. It’s like examining the blueprint fora specific building, showing every room and feature. Tasks are the specific actions performed to complete an activity. For example, within the level 4 activity "Develop Mitigation Plans for Risks," you might have a level 5 task like "Assess Adequacy of Insurance Cover".

This level ensures that every person knows exactly what to do and how to do it. It’s essential for training, consistency, and minimizing errors.

Examples

Level 1: Category
‍These represent broad functional areas that encompass multiple related activities:

1. 10. Manage Enterprise Risk, Compliance, Remediation, and Resiliency – This category includes processes aimed at minimizing risks and ensuring compliance across an organization.
2. 6. Manage Customer Service – This covers all the processes related to customer interactions, from addressing inquiries to managing feedback and support.
3. 5. Manage Supply Chain – This includes overseeing procurement, logistics, and inventory management to ensure that products reach     customers efficiently.

Level 2: Process Group
‍These groups represent related processes that achieve a common purpose within a category:

1. 10.1 Manage Enterprise Risk – A group focused on the broader management of risk across various business units.
2. 6.1 Manage Customer Feedback – A group focused on collecting, analyzing, and responding to customer feedback.
3. 5.1 Procure Materials – A group that includes processes around sourcing and purchasing materials needed for production.

Level 3: Process
‍These are specific processes within each process group:

1. 10.1.4 Manage Business Unit and Function   Risk – Focuses on identifying and mitigating risks specific to different departments within an organization.
2. 6.1.3 Analyze Customer Satisfaction Data – A process that involves studying customer feedback data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
3. 5.1.2 Evaluate Supplier Performance – Focuses on reviewing and assessing the performance of suppliers to ensure quality and reliability.

Level 4: Activity
‍Activities represent key steps within a process:

1. 10.1.4.3 Develop Mitigation Plans for Risks – Activities might include identifying potential risks, prioritizing them, and drafting action plans.
2. 6.1.3.2 Compile Customer Survey Results – Activities here could include collecting responses, organizing the data, and preparing it for analysis.
3. 5.1.2.1 Conduct Supplier Audits – Activities include visiting supplier sites, reviewing production standards, and documenting compliance.

Level 5: Task
‍Tasks represent the most granular level, detailing specific actions to complete an activity:

1. 10.1.4.3.1 Assess Adequacy of Insurance Cover – Tasks could include reviewing current coverage levels, comparing insurance options, and preparing a recommendation report.
2. 6.1.3.2.1 Clean and Organize Survey Data – Tasks might involve removing incomplete responses, coding qualitative data, and preparing it for statistical analysis.
3. 5.1.2.1.1 Prepare Audit Checklist – This might involve identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate, creating the checklist, and ensuring it aligns with company standards.

Mapping technique

Below you can find a table that summarizes what you read so far. In addition, you will find that different process mapping techniques focus on different levels of a process. For example, flowcharts are a common technique for mapping level 3 processes, and work instructions with detailed step-by-step instructions are more common in level 5.

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Why Understanding These Levels Matters

By understanding and using these levels, businesses can create a clear and structured approach to managing processes. Each level, from the big-picture category to the detailed task, provides valuable insights that help improve efficiency, reduce risks, and streamline operations. The goal is to ensure that every part of the business functions like a well-oiled machine, just like a city that runs smoothly from the busiest highway to the smallest alley.

So, next time you’re looking at a process in your business, think about the level you need to map it in. Are you strategizing at a high level, or diving into the details to make things run more smoothly?