A business process is a natural group of business activities that create value for an organization. Process maps document business processes in easy-to-follow diagrams. It’s an example of a process map. Studies suggest that process maps are among the easiest to draw and are also among the easiest for novices to follow.
In businesses, a major process is usually the sales or order fulfillment process. A process map for this process (Figure 12-13) shows such business activities as customers placing orders, warehouse personnel picking goods, and clerks shipping goods. Managers can create similar maps that show just about any other process—for example, how an organization processes time cards for a payroll application, how a business responds to customer returns, or how a manager deals with defective merchandise”