The Synthis Process Modeler includes hundreds of “shapes” that can be placed onto your Map. Because these “shapes” are actually more than just artwork, you generally will see them referred to as “Elements.” You can capture rich detail about an Element using the Element Property Editor, and reuse an Element on multiple Process Maps. When starting your Process Map, try to avoid getting lost in the detail. For the first pass at creating your Process Map, and for about 90% of what you ever will need, we recommend using the following Elements:
Figure 1: Process Mapping Stencil
- Start Point – Use a Start Point to represent the action or trigger that initiates your process. Each high level Process Map should start with at least one Start Point. It is a good practice to start your Process Map by placing your identified Start Points on the upper left of your map. More on Start Points >>
- Activity – The majority of the Elements on your map will usually be Activities. An activity is something that someone or something performs. A good practice is to name your Activity a “Verb + Noun” phrase starting with capital letters. Good examples of this naming convention are “Drive Car,” “Empty Trash,” “File Report,” “Take Inventory,” and “Call Customer.” More on Activities >>
- Edge – Edges are the lines that connect one Element to the next. They are often called “Arrows.” Edges create the “flow” of your Process Map, carrying the reader from one step to the next. Double click on the Edge to give it a label and click and drag anywhere on the Edge to bend it. More on Edges >>
- Decision – Decisions represent branches in your process. Decisions are used most effectively when they are concisely phrased Yes/No question. Good examples of Decision names are “Bill is Due?”, “User Authenticated?”, “Time Expired?”, and “Requirements Satisfied?”. Try to stick with Yes/No questions and, if possible, always label your outgoing Edges and try to stick with a consistent direction for your “Yes” arrows and for your “Now” arrows. We highly recommend working your flow from left to right and making your “Yes” Edges flow to the right and your “No” Edges flow down. More on Decisions >>
- End Point – The final step in your process should be followed by an End Point. End Points are not actions or activities themselves but represent a terminal state of the process. Your map can have multiple End Points. A simple example is one End Point to represent a successful termination and a second End Point to represent termination due to a failure. For a Customer Enrollment process, an End Point may be simply “Customer Enrolled”. A second End Point may be “Enrollment Canceled”. More on End Points >>
- Process Maps – Process Maps Elements can appear on a diagram just like any other Element. Place a Process Map on your diagram to represent a drill down into sub process or use them in place of a Start Point to represent an entry from a call parent process or preceding sub process. Similarly, as you can see in Figure 2, you also can use Process Maps to represent exits to another sub process or back to a calling parent process. Quick tip: If you can double click on the Process Map icon, the Process Modeler will open up that Process Map and jump you to it. More on Process Maps >>
Figure 2 - An Example Process Map Using Only the Six Basic Shapes
Starting with these 6 shapes will help you get the basics of your process down quickly. After you have completed this “rough draft,” you can go back and use the “Change Type” Process Modeler feature to convert Elements into types that you feel better represent steps in your process. One place where this is extremely useful is converting an Element into a Process Map Element. As an example, let’s say that on your first pass you identified an Activity called “Open Support Ticket.” Later, you realize that “Open Support Ticket” is actually complicated enough that it needs to be explained in a Process Map of its own. Simply change “Open Support Ticket” to a Process Map and document your sub process there. Make sure to check out Process Mapping 101 tutorial for more tips on getting started with the Process Modeler.
