Do you want to learn how to quick-start just about any project and gain powerful insights into what problem needs to be solved?

Are you looking for a way to get your stakeholders engaged and break down barriers between departments?

Could you benefit from an approach that helps you ask better questions and get to the root cause of issues before you jump into software solutions?

Business Process Mapping is often the first visual model to create when scoping a new project or evaluating what the data is telling us about how to improve our organization. It's the gateway to meaningful business process improvement.

If you are ready to learn how to leverage a Business Process Map to discover, analyze, and improve your business, I've got the perfect training opportunity for you.

When you join the Business Process Mapping Workshop (all virtual -hosted on Zoom), you'll hone your analytical thinking skills, cultivate your process mindset, and simplify complex processes using an easy-to-understand understood visual model.

A Business Process Map is a visual model showing how work flows between people (and sometimes systems) in an organization to achieve a valuable business outcome.

This is a great technique to choose when:

• Starting a new project or exploring a new domain, to get an understanding of how work is performed and what problems exist in the current state.
• As part of analyzing potential off-the-shelf software solutions for a right business-fit, or before migrating one system to another.
• You find your team getting stuck on decisions about what the software needs to do, as a way of stepping back and looking at the bigger picture.
• There is a problematic process (often with a lot of finger-pointing) and you need to figure out how to fix it.
• You need to understand any aspect of your business that could use a little fine-tuning.

Here's an example Business Process Map created using a simple set of notations.

And while this model may be easy-to-understand, there are some specific nuances that go into getting it right! Nuances like:

• Having a clear starting and ending point.
• Making sure all the activities flow from one to the next, and are clear and specific action steps.
• Getting clear on who does what, or the roles and responsibilities, while not overlooking outside inputs and interdependencies between processes.
• Mapping out decision points and alternate paths, to ensure all variations are covered.
• Getting to the right level of detail at the right stage of the project.

And, I could go on!

But the point is that a lot of analytical capabilities go into creating a good process map - these are teachable skills (that sometimes look like magic when you implement them), and you'll learn them in this workshop!

I'm Laura Brandenburg. I'll be your instructor and facilitator for this live, virtual, highly interactive event.

When it comes to visual models, Business Process Maps are one of my favorite go-to analytical tools.

• As a business analyst I've witnessed the most seemingly simple visual model help coax information out of even the most stubborn stakeholders.
• And as a trainer, I've witnessed thousands of practicing and aspiring business analysts leap forward in their careers by leveraging this simple visual modelling technique to clarify and gain alignment before jumping into the detailed software requirements.
  

I didn't learn how to do business process analysis until later in my business analyst career. And once I did, it literally changed EVERYTHING.

• I became more business-oriented.
• My requirements were more focused.
• And I could provide better business context to the technical team.

I've now drawn hundreds, if not thousands, of them in my 20+ year career on software projects, and leveraged their power to focus my projects on solving the right problem and clarifying communication.

I've been teaching business analysts, product managers, and even software developers how to draw business process maps for over a decade.

One of my favorite moments is when I see a participant realign their thinking and take a complex mess of activities and turn it into a streamlined process map - and then be able to present it back to their stakeholders and witness them have a similar experience as they see their work in a new way!

I absolutely can't wait to witness YOUR AHA moment when it comes to process maps.

This is practical, real-world training opportunity prioritizing on-the-job application - so you leave the workshop with a properly-drawn process map that's relevant to an active project you are currently working on. This means both you and your employer receive an immediate benefit from your time and financial investment.

But even if you aren't on an active project right now, you can still draw a process map. You'll get a list of opportunities and ideas when you join to help you choose the most beneficial scenario for you.

In the Business Process Mapping Workshop, you'll:

• Develop your process mindset so you can focus on the right problems and break down barriers between departments.
• Receive a list of Business Process Mapping Ideas, so that whether you are currently on a project or not, you can identify a process to map during the workshop.
• Receive a Quick Reference Guide with process mapping symbols and notation for easy future reference.
• Map a Business Process, step-by-step, with Laura at your side, coaching you through the following elements: scoping your process, swim lanes / roles, activity boxes, lines and arrows, decision diamonds, sub-processes, inputs, and outputs.
• Have the opportunity for Laura to review snippets of your work as you go and to answer your questions if you get stuck.
• Learn how to identify and correct process mapping mistakes that create ambiguity, so every process map you draw going forward will be clearer.
• Engage in a structured peer-review session to receive feedback on your Business Process Map and deepen your confidence by providing feedback to your peers, as well as seeing processes from different domains and types of projects.
• Earn 3 PDs / CDUs for certification and re-certification needs for the ECBA™, CCBA®, or CBAP® from IIBA®.

The workshop is on Wednesday, May 15, from 1-4 PM Eastern and will be hosted via Zoom.

(A replay, excluding the peer review sessions, will be available if you can't attend live or want to revisit the session. But attending live is highly encouraged for the best experience.)

The first question I always get when I start to talk about visual modeling is about what software is needed.

I focus on foundational concepts and teach in a tool-agnostic way - that means you get to use ANY tool you have that enables you to create a process map - even if that means pencil and paper!

(Pencil and paper was an early technology, just like the printing press, that transformed how humans communicate - we just don't think about it that way anymore!)

Of course, you can also use modern-day tools like Microsoft Visio, Gliffy, and LucidChart, which have built in templates for all the notations we'll be using (and much, much more).

But I've certainly see BAs use Microsoft Powerpoint and a host of other tools. Whatever you have or have a bit of experience with is absolutely perfect.

A virtual whiteboard would be another great choice!

I'll be demoing in LucidChart and the great news is that LucidChart has a free trial option that will work perfectly for the workshop - so if you don't have a tool already, that's a great place to start.

We've helped thousands of course participants in over 60 different countries and in hundreds of different industries learn and apply these best practices on real-world projects and become more successful and effective.

I'd welcome the opportunity to help you as well.