Process mapping, in the form of flow charting, was first introduced to industrial engineering businesses in the 1920s. Used to help employees visualize each and every aspect of the business' functions and thus improve productivity, process mapping has since been adopted by most industries in one form or another, including education. Within the field of education, process mapping has been a somewhat common technique used by administrators and teachers for the past several decades.
Process mapping is a way in which organizations can cut down on waste, redundancy and inefficient practices. Maps are created for specific aspects of a business' operations to provide a visual plan of the correct or most efficient process required to complete a given task or achieve a specific goal. In education, process maps are used in several different ways, both in the classroom to strengthen teaching strategies and, more commonly, for administrative purposes.
Process maps in education promote both efficiency and communication by providing a visual guide for students, parents and educators. On the administrative side, process maps have helped streamline matriculation, grading, discipline and budget allocation processes. For students and parents, process maps usually serve as a helpful depiction of the school's process for graduation or the necessary steps required of post-secondary schools for admission. Process maps are also beneficial when teaching specific concepts in core subject areas, such as the concept of upward mobility in social science.
Process maps are essentially flow charts or diagrams that outline the sequence of steps in a given process. Most process maps will have both input and output variables, controllable variables, and resources that affect outcomes. While a process map can be drawn out by hand on a sheet of paper, there is also a wide array of computer software that can create differing styles of process maps based on user entry of the variables, steps and/or tasks in a process.
While process maps are extremely helpful as a visual tool, the information within them is fluid and likely to change on a regular basis. Processes that were diagrammed 10 years ago will inevitably be different now based on the progressive theory of the mapping concept. Particularly in education, process maps are likely to change on an annual basis to reflect the current trends in teaching and the most efficient methods for educational administration.