Top 6 classic mistakes in process modeling and how to avoid them

Are you facing the challenge of modeling processes effectively within your company?

Do you realize that despite the importance of this approach, it is often fraught with pitfalls and can lead to ineffective or even counterproductive decisions.

Perfect! You are in the right place — AirProcess covers this topic.

This article will break down for you the most common mistakes in process modeling and provide proven strategies to avoid them.

Here’s what you will discover :

• Typical mistakes that sabotage process modeling initiatives.
• Practical solutions for each identified mistake.
• Concrete examples illustrating how to apply these solutions in your professional context.

By the end of this article, not only will you be able to identify and sidestep the traps of process modeling, but you will also possess the tools to significantly improve your company’s operational efficiency.

Now, let’s start with a definition!

1) What is a business process?

A business process is defined as an organized sequence of coherent activities that use various resources to transform inputs into valuable outputs.

This operational mechanism primarily aims to maximize the value created to meet the specific expectations of customers.

a) The purpose of business processes

The main objective of business processes is to increase productivity and improve operational efficiency to ensure greater customer satisfaction.

By focusing on streamlining workflows and automating repetitive tasks, companies can fully leverage digital transformation to optimize their value chain.

b) Concrete example of a customer order management process in 6 steps

1) Order receipt

The process begins when the customer places an order.

This can be done by phone, online, or in person.

Order details are recorded in an order management system.

2) Order validation

The order is then checked to ensure the requested products are in stock and that the customer information is correct and complete.

This step may require interaction with other systems, such as inventory management or the CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

3) Order picking and packing

Once the order is validated, products are picked from stock, packaged, and prepared for shipment.

This step often involves store or warehouse staff and can be assisted by automated warehouse management systems.

4) Order shipping

Packaged products are then shipped to the address provided by the customer.

The order management system is updated with shipment tracking information, allowing the customer to track their order.

5) Invoicing

Simultaneously or after shipping, invoicing takes place.

The customer receives an invoice for the purchased products.

This process may integrate with a financial management system for payment processing.

6) After-sales service

Once the order is delivered, customer service remains available to address any questions or concerns related to the order.

This can include handling returns, refunds, or exchanges in case of issues with received products.

2) Difference between mapping and process modeling

a) Business process mapping

Process mapping is a technique used to examine activities within an organization.

It locates the key processes and identifies their interactions while targeting improvements in the flow of materials and information.

This method makes it possible to visualize internal operations and simplify processes.

b) Business process modeling

Beyond simple representation, modeling enriches mapping by adding a deep analytical dimension.

It documents activities, evaluates their performance, and manages associated risks.

In fact, business process modeling plays a pivotal role in the optimization of information systems.

Thanks to it, it is possible to automate business processes to make the organization more agile and better adapted to rapid market changes.

3) The six classic mistakes

1) Lack of a precise methodology

Before starting process modeling, you must define a clear methodology.

The absence of a structured approach can lead to inconsistencies and compromise the effectiveness of the modeling.

Imagine a company that wants to improve its order management process but starts without establishing a clear methodology for modeling that process.

Without a structured methodology, teams may collect inconsistent or incomplete information, adopt inappropriate modeling techniques, or miss steps such as analyzing customer needs or documenting existing flows.

As a result, this disorganized approach could lead to a process model that does not reflect reality.

Moreover, this situation can lead to decisions based on erroneous data and ultimately to reform efforts that would fail.

2) Undefined objectives

Vague objectives can lead to modeling that does not meet the real needs of the business.

It is therefore very important to define precise objectives aligned with the company’s strategy to effectively guide modeling efforts.

For example, if you launch a modeling project to reduce operational costs without defining specific objectives.

Without a clear goal, such as reducing order processing time by 30%, modeling efforts can become scattered, addressing less important aspects of the process that do not significantly impact costs.

This can lead to a lack of tangible improvements despite the resources invested, because the project was not aligned with a specific, measurable goal.

3) Inadequate preparation of questions

Poor preparation of the essential questions to ask during the modeling phase can limit the depth and relevance of the information gathered.

Formulating targeted and relevant questions is essential to capture the essence of the processes to be modeled.

4) Incomplete description of activities

Take the time to provide a detailed description of the activities and processes involved.

Insufficient documentation can lead to process models that fail to capture the complexity or nuance of real operations.

And yes!

Imagine a team responsible for modeling a company’s customer service process that only prepares general questions like “What are the steps of the process?”.

And moreover, this team does not deepen its questioning with more specific questions like “What are the typical delays between each step and the delay factors?” or “What are the main customer complaints at each step?”.

This superficial preparation of questions could result in modeling that does not capture the critical details needed to truly optimize the process and improve the customer experience.

5) Limited participation of contributors

The lack of mobilization of key contributors, such as operational staff and business stakeholders, can reduce the accuracy and usefulness of process models.

Close collaboration is necessary to ensure that the modeling faithfully reflects operational realities.

Now, consider a company that undertakes modeling of its procurement process without meaningfully involving inventory managers and buyers.

If these key actors do not participate actively, the final model could omit crucial details like specific delivery time challenges or supplier selection criteria.

You can easily understand that this decision reduces the relevance and effectiveness of the modeled process in addressing real supply chain problems.

6) A failing verification system

Finally, inadequate verification of the modeling can lead to undetected errors and process models that are not operational.

Ensuring a rigorous verification phase is key to validating the accuracy and functionality of developed models.

To understand well, imagine a company that models the invoicing process without putting in place a robust verification system to test the model under different conditions, such as variations in billing volume or data entry errors.

If the model is not rigorously tested and verified, it could fail during large-scale deployment, causing billing errors and customer dissatisfaction due to having not identified and corrected these potential issues during verification.

4) Six tips to avoid mistakes

1. Adopt a structured methodology

a) Definition of a Structured Methodology

Adopting a structured methodology in business process modeling ensures consistency and efficiency throughout the project.

This methodological framework serves as a guide for all project stages, from data collection to the implementation of the modeled processes.

b) What are the benefits of a structured methodology?

1. Uniformity and clarity: a well-defined methodology helps maintain a consistent standard in the modeling approach, making results predictable and easy to understand for all stakeholders.
2. Improved efficiency: with clearly defined steps, modeling efforts are more focused and less likely to go off track, reducing time and resources spent.
3. Risk reduction: errors and omissions are minimized when each phase of the process is rigorously planned and executed according to a predetermined plan.

c) Practical example

Take the example of a manufacturing company that decides to review its production process.

By applying a structured methodology, the project team proceeds as follows :

• 1️⃣ Initial analysis: meetings with department heads to understand current challenges.
• 2️⃣ Data collection: use of standardized forms to collect precise information on each step of the production process.
• 3️⃣ Modeling: creation of process diagrams that reflect current operations and identify bottlenecks.
• 3️⃣ Validation: review of modeled processes with stakeholders to ensure accuracy and relevance.
• 5️⃣ Implementation: gradual deployment of new processes with training sessions for operators.

As you can see, adopting a structured methodology in process modeling is not just a best practice; it is essential to maximize the efficiency, quality, and relevance of business processes within the company.

2. Define clear objectives

a) Definition of clear objectives

Defining clear and well-articulated objectives is a major step in business process modeling.

This practice ensures that all actions taken are perfectly aligned with the company’s strategic goals and thus enables achieving measurable and meaningful results.

b) The benefits of defining objectives

• 1️⃣ Strategic alignment: it ensures that modeled processes directly contribute to the organization’s objectives.
• 1️⃣ Guiding actions: it directs all phases of the modeling project, from planning to execution and evaluation of results.
• 3️⃣ Performance measurement: it makes it easier to evaluate the effectiveness of modeled processes by providing clear criteria against which to measure success.

c) A practical example

Take the example of a logistics company looking to reduce its delivery times.

The objectives could be defined as follows :

• 1️⃣ The main objective: reduce delivery times by 20% over the coming year.
• 2️⃣ Sub-objectives:
  • Optimize delivery routes.
  • Improve coordination between warehouses and carriers.
  • Digitize parcel tracking to minimize routing errors.

e) Implementation

• 1️⃣ Planning: define clear steps for each sub-objective, with deadlines and assigned responsibilities.
• 2️⃣ Execution: implement the changes, starting with route adjustments, followed by logistical improvements and the deployment of new IT systems.
• 3️⃣ Monitoring and evaluation: use key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor improvements in real time and adjust strategies as needed.

3. Prepare targeted questions

This part of the process requires careful preparation of questions.

Asking targeted and thoughtful questions allows you to probe existing processes in depth and detect improvement opportunities.

This directly contributes to the quality and relevance of the final model.

a) Here is a strategy for developing effective questions

1. Understand the project’s objective:
   • Determine what you want to improve or solve through modeling.
   • Align questions with the organization’s strategic objectives.
2. Stakeholder engagement:
   • Identify who the process experts are and include their perspectives from the start.
   • Organize workshops with these stakeholders to generate qualitative insights.
3. Segment by theme:
   • Classify questions into different categories (efficiency, costs, customer satisfaction, etc.).
   • Ensure full coverage of all aspects of the process.

b) Here are some examples of targeted questions

• 1️⃣ For a sales process:
  • What is the average time to close a sale after the first customer contact?
  • What obstacles are frequently encountered by the sales team?
  • How are leads currently generated and tracked?
• 2️⃣ For a production process:
  • What are the failure rates of key equipment and their impact on production?
  • How are raw materials stored and managed?
  • Are there process steps where bottlenecks are frequent?

c) Putting answers into practice

• 1️⃣ Analysis of responses:
  • Use process management software to analyze responses and detect trends.
  • Organize review sessions to discuss responses with operational teams and decision-makers.
• 2️⃣ Integration into the model:
  • Adapt the process model based on responses to reflect operational reality.
  • Use responses to prioritize process changes and plan interventions.

4. Fully document activities

Comprehensive documentation of processes and activities is necessary to accurately capture the current state of operations within a company.

This serves as the foundation for any process improvement initiative by providing a detailed view of existing actions, responsibilities, and workflows.

a) What are the benefits of detailed documentation?

• 1️⃣ Total transparency: here, each step of the process is clearly defined and documented, which reduces ambiguities and aligns all stakeholders.
• 2️⃣ Identifying inefficiencies: it makes it possible to isolate bottlenecks, redundancies, or unnecessary steps that can be optimized or eliminated.
• 3️⃣ Facilitating training and onboarding: well-established documentation helps train new employees and integrate external stakeholders quickly.

b) Here is a practical example

Take the example of a manufacturing company that wants to optimize its production process.

Activity documentation :

• 1️⃣ Receipt of raw materials: precise description of receipt procedures, including quality checks and storage.
• 2️⃣ Assembly: details on the different assembly steps, machines used, and safety standards.
• 3️⃣ Quality control: protocols for checking the quality of finished products and handling returns.
• 4️⃣ Shipping: packaging procedures, shipment documentation, and coordination with carriers.

c) Implementation

• Use of BPM software: use specialized tools like AirProcess to map and document processes. This tool can help visualize the flow of operations and simulate changes to predict the potential impacts of proposed adjustments.
• Regular reviews: set up a review schedule to ensure documentation stays up to date with current operational practices.
• Sharing and collaboration:
  • Company intranet: make documentation available on the intranet to facilitate access and consultation by all employees.
  • Feedback sessions: organize regular meetings with teams to discuss the documentation and gather comments for continuous improvement.

5. Encourage active collaboration

Active collaboration from all business actors is essential for successful process modeling.

Involving those who know the processes best on a daily basis provides a comprehensive and accurate view, essential for building realistic and applicable models.

a) Benefits of active collaboration

1. Optimized accuracy: feedback from daily process users helps capture fine details often omitted in high-level descriptions.
2. Improved adoption: employees are more likely to adopt changes they helped design.
3. Stimulated innovation: open discussions can generate innovative ideas to improve processes.

b) Strategies to encourage collaboration

1. Workshops:
   • Organize brainstorming sessions with employees to explore pain points and improvement opportunities.
   • Use facilitation techniques to encourage participation from everyone.
2. Collaborative tools:
   • Deploy collaboration platforms where employees can easily document, comment, and track process changes.
   • Provide training on using these tools to ensure effective participation.
3. Continuous feedback:
   • Set up a continuous feedback system where employees can submit suggestions or concerns at any time.
   • Ensure each suggestion is considered and responded to, even if it is not immediately implemented.

c) Practical examples

• 1️⃣ Case of a manufacturing company:
  • Production technicians participate in redesigning the assembly process to reduce material waste.
  • Weekly meetings are organized to discuss progresses and adjust processes based on field observations.
• 2️⃣ Case of a customer service department:
  • Customer service representatives contribute to modeling the complaint handling process to improve customer satisfaction.
  • An interactive dashboard is used to track suggestions and changes made to the process, ensuring transparency and recognition of contributions.

6. Prioritize the verification phase

Verification is a step not to be neglected in business process modeling to ensure that developed models are not only accurate but also fully functional before deployment.

This phase helps identify and correct errors that could compromise process effectiveness.

a) Strategies for effective verification

1. Verification planning:
   • Clearly define verification objectives aligned with project expectations.
   • Establish specific success criteria for each process element.
2. Verification implementation:
   • Use simulations to test processes under various scenarios and conditions.
   • Organize process reviews with stakeholders to gather feedback and validate functionality.
3. Review and adjustment:
   • Analyze test results to identify failures or necessary improvements.
   • Modify process models based on feedback and data collected during tests.

b) Practical examples

• 1️⃣ Case of a manufacturing company:
  1. Production simulation: test new assembly processes to identify bottlenecks before implementation.
  2. Review meetings: weekly sessions with production teams to discuss the effectiveness of simulated processes and make real-time adjustments.
• 2️⃣ Case of a customer service:
  1. Response tests: simulate inquiries and customer service scenarios to verify response times and customer satisfaction.
  2. Continuous audit: ongoing monitoring after implementation to ensure the process works as intended and to adjust it if necessary.

c) Here are some benefits of prioritizing verification

1. Risk reduction: minimizes the risk of operational failures that could affect company performance.
2. Resource optimization: ensures resources are used effectively, avoiding waste due to undetected errors.
3. Continuous improvement: enables continuous improvement of processes through lessons learned from test and correction phases.

5) How AirProcess can help you in your project?

In a process modeling project, integrating AirProcess can make a significant contribution by enabling more agile and accurate management of business processes.

Here’s how AirProcess can strengthen and optimize process modeling in your company :

a) Defining objectives and KPIs

AirProcess allows you to clearly define objectives and integrate key performance indicators (KPIs) directly into customized forms.

This facilitates the collection of relevant data and continuous performance tracking, aligning modeling efforts with the company’s strategic objectives.

b) Creating integrated dashboards

The platform offers the ability to create dynamic dashboards that visualize performance in real time at different organizational levels.

This helps decision-makers monitor process effectiveness and quickly identify areas needing improvement.

c) Managing and tracking individual and team performance

With AirProcess, it is possible to configure personalized tracking for individual and team performance, which is crucial to ensure all members contribute effectively to achieving objectives.

d) Steering by different measures

AirProcess is adaptable to various types of steering such as remaining work, requirements, earned value, and remaining-to-do.

Its flexibility and customizable features support diverse management methodologies, making the tool highly relevant for varied contexts.

e) Performance analysis

The tool enables detailed performance analysis through forms and workflow tracking.

Collected data are used to identify trends and improvement areas, thus facilitating continuous optimization of processes.

f) Employee engagement

AirProcess’s user-friendly interface encourages active employee participation in performance monitoring.

This fosters a culture of continuous improvement and strengthens team engagement.

g) Flexibility and adaptation

As a no-code platform, AirProcess offers great flexibility and allows rapid updates to objectives, KPIs, and workflows in response to evolving business needs.

In summary, AirProcess is a powerful tool for improving business process modeling that provides an integrated platform to define, track, and analyze performance while actively engaging all company actors.

This integration not only helps avoid common errors in process modeling but also strengthens companies’ operational and strategic efficiency in a competitive and fast-changing environment.

6) Conclusion

We explored together the common mistakes in process modeling and the best practices to avoid them.

By adopting a structured methodology, defining clear objectives, preparing targeted questions, fully documenting activities, encouraging active collaboration, and prioritizing the verification phase, you can maximize the effectiveness of your business processes.

Process modeling is not just a series of technical tasks; it lies at the heart of strategic transformation for any company seeking to optimize its operations.

A thoughtful and methodical approach can turn potentially sterile initiatives into real levers for performance and customer satisfaction.

To deepen your understanding and mastery of process modeling, I invite you to explore other resources available on our site.

Whether to deepen your knowledge of specific tools or discover detailed case studies, we have a wealth of content to guide you.

Have you encountered similar challenges in your process modeling projects?

Which strategies have you found most effective to overcome these obstacles?

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are the 3 types of processes?

In the field of business process management, three main categories are generally distinguished:

operational processes, which focus on executing the essential tasks to create the company’s core value;

management processes, which aim to coordinate and optimize the company’s operations;

and support processes, which provide the resources and services necessary to support operational and management processes. These classifications help organizations structure their activities effectively and improve overall efficiency.

2) How to model a situation?

To model a situation, it is essential to follow a structured approach: start by identifying the key elements of the scenario, define the model’s objectives, and use appropriate tools such as flow diagrams to map the process visually. This approach enables clear understanding and better business process management.