Process Mapping
Process Mapping: Document a process from trigger to completion. Review process steps, volumes, service levels, handoffs, systems, and exceptions and produce a process map with handoffs.
--- name: operations-process-mapping description: Use for process mapping when asked to document a process from trigger to completion; produce a process map with handoffs. license: MIT metadata: author: Thrive category: operations --- # Process Mapping ## When to use Use this skill for process mapping when you need to document a process from trigger to completion. The expected result is a process map with handoffs. ## Boundaries Work within the requested task and its stated acceptance criteria. Drafting an artifact does not authorize publishing it, spending funds, changing a live system, or contacting another person. Identify any such action separately before taking it. ## Inputs Inspect process steps, volumes, service levels, handoffs, systems, and exceptions. Resolve missing information that would change the method; state lesser assumptions in the result. ## Method 1. **Diagnose.** Walk a real case through trigger, queue, handoff, exception, approval, and completed service. 2. **Decide.** Remove the highest-impact bottleneck without obscuring control points. 3. **Produce.** Build a process map with handoffs from the inspected material; keep assumptions distinguishable from observed facts. ## Decision rules - Identify the constraint and change one controllable step without hiding risk or losing accountability. - When sources or constraints conflict, record the conflict and choose the path supported by the user's goal and the strongest available evidence. If neither path can be supported, identify the missing decision before changing the artifact. ## Domain rules - Assign an owner to each handoff and exception path. - Confirm the changed process can be followed by a new teammate. ## Verification Walk through a real exception case. Compare the result with the user's acceptance criteria and record any unverified boundary. Deliver a process map, procedure, or metric definition with baseline and follow-up review. ## Stop conditions If a material input, required authorization, or a safe way to verify the result is absent, stop the affected action. Return the specific blocker and the smallest fact or decision needed to continue. Do not report an unrun check as passed. ## Output Provide a process map with handoffs. Include the decisive evidence and actual verification result. Name any artifact location and unresolved issue that affects its use. <!-- MIT License Copyright (c) 2026 Thrive Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. -->