Confirm that the issue has been resolved.Get more information from the customer if needed by tech support.It might not be as clear, but you could figure out the process if you had to.Īs you can see, each individual or department has their own lane, and the tasks that each is responsible for are contained within that lane. Even the example I have here could be understood if flipped vertically, as is. Ideally, with a completed swim lane diagram, it shouldn’t make much difference which orientation you use. If you prefer a vertical diagram, by all means, create yours vertically. ![]() ![]() This diagram is laid out horizontally for the simple fact that it fits better on a standard computer screen. If you look at the diagram below, you can see that each one is given their own lane, starting with the customer at the top since they will be the one to kick off the process. For this diagram, I’ve used a very simplified help ticket process (and a very talented graphic designer) to illustrate the basic foundations of a swim lane diagram. Swim lanes use standard flowchart symbols to represent different events within the process, such as when a decision should be made or a specific action should be taken.īefore we get into the nitty-gritty of building your own diagram, let me walk you through what a completed diagram will look like. The diagrams themselves are made up of parallel lines – either horizontal or vertical – with each lane representing an actor or entity (such as department, team, employee, etc.) who has a role within the process. This chart is simply meant to illustrate the symbols you’re most likely to need – or encounter – when designing your own swim lane diagram. It should also be noted that the number of flowchart symbols is actually quite extensive – especially if you take into account individual variations and customizations. Most processes may only use the start/end, decision, and process symbols, but more complex processes with several players involved will obviously need to represent a wider variety of interactions. The image above shows some of the most common symbols used in swim lane diagrams. Today, they are an integral part of business process mapping (BPM). ![]() As IT expanded, so too did the use of swim lane diagrams. In 1993, the swim lane diagram was introduced into computer modeling, after which Microsoft added it to Visio. As a result, these diagrams are also sometimes referred to as Rummler-Brache Diagrams, but I’ve already got a “swim” theme running here so I’ll stick with swim lanes. Brache released their book, Improving Performance: How to Manage White Space on the Organization Chart, in 1990. The swim lane as we know it didn’t really get popular attention until Geary A. Still, they were more or less the same: multicolumn charts were used (like swim lane diagrams) to depict operations that involved more than one individual or department. Of course, back then, they were called “multicolumn charts,” which were very early versions of the modern process flowchart. Swim lane diagrams can be traced all the way back to the 1940s. The biggest benefit is that, by mapping processes across the different “lanes,” it becomes very simple to break down complex processes to keep a client informed, help managers identify broken processes, and train employees in new skills. They’ve been used to document processes from project management to student tutorials. Swim lane diagrams are versatile charts that allow you to easily visualize each step of a process, as well as who is involved and which steps they’re responsible for.
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