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How to Create Effective Business Workflow Diagrams?
How to Create Effective Business Workflow Diagrams?

February 24, 2022

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Business documents such as a Scope document or an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) document can benefit from diagramming to allow business users to be able to conceptualize what a future-state solution may look like.

The saying that “a picture can say a thousand words” may be cliché, but the saying holds true, especially in the production of business-facing deliverables.

Why do we need to create effective business workflow diagrams?

An effective diagramming of a business workflow can facilitate a clear understanding of the boundaries of a business process. This allows the reader to see where and when the process flow can leave the business process that is being documented.

Such diagrams convey can complex information to your audience or help elicit nuanced details when performing tasks such as requirements.

Diagramming these process flows can be an effective tool that an analyst uses to shed light into the nuances of the business process that may not have been so evident.

There are 3 ways we can create effective business workflow diagrams

 

>> Color code your diagram

 

A concept can be explained easily if it is being communicated to domain experts. But what if a concept needs to be explained to people belonging to diverse backgrounds, say for example executive stakeholders across different business verticals?

Color code your diagram

A well-drawn visual can help communicate concepts to diverse audiences.

You do not necessarily need to be an artist to conceive helpful diagrams, but it helps to have an artistic eye when trying to combine multiple concepts into one image. Employing simple techniques such as color-coding diagram elements can help your audience visualize certain concepts, such as the flow of data to and from different sources.

In my example above, the effective use of colored illustrative diagrams helps, for instance, convey what information is being passed from a data source to the proposed solution and back.

It can allow a business user to see how each element of their existing business systems and external data sources, for example, can be combined by your solution.

>> Keep your diagram simple and concise


Try to make your diagram as concise as required for the audience. The previous diagram contains a lot of information and can be overwhelming for a reader. If you are simply trying to convey a simple concept or a simple flow, keeping the diagram simple and concise is usually best.

>> Utilize numbering to direct your narrative


If you want your audience to follow a certain narrative when looking at your diagram, a simple, but effective tool is to utilize a simple numbering schema.

Since the typical focus for English-language text is from left to right, adding a numbering schema in your diagram can be very helpful in directing how the reader views your diagram, especially if the diagram is not sequentially drawn. This helps in the accurate consumption of information.


Benefits of effective diagramming in Business Process Documents


Frequently, when gathering requirements for an initiative or project, requirements analysts can be presented with descriptions of in-scope business processes by business stakeholders in the form of step-by-step lists or verbal descriptions of the process.

Diagramming these process flows can be an effective tool that an analyst uses to shed light on the nuances of the business process that may not have been so evident.

Graphical depictions of a business process can allow the business stakeholder to visualize their business process and provide value-add information in the form of business rules that may not have been evident with the initial verbal or written description.

For example, the diagramming of decision points in a business flow diagram can help to elicit what business rules should be observed in the event of a negative outcome in the decision process.

On multiple occasions throughout my career, I have seen examples of written step-by-step documentation of business processes that define what to do when everything goes correctly, but are lacking in terms of instructions on what to do if the outcome is negative.

Conclusion


The effective use of diagrams in your business-facing documents can help by leaps and bounds in being able to convey complex information or help elicit nuanced details when performing tasks such as requirements gathering.

Effective diagramming will help you to tell your story to your audience and can help to bring about clarity. You do not need to be an artist, but you need to be concise. A good picture can absolutely help you say a thousand words.

Author — Francis Roque, DLT Labs

About the Author: Francis is a seasoned expert in the Business Analysis domain whose experiences span Fintech, Financial Regulation, Human Resources, Telecom, Consulting, Managed Services, Freighttech, and Distributed Ledger technology.


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