Mastering To Be Process Mapping: How to Design Better Workflows for the Future
If your current operations feel chaotic or inefficient, you're not alone. Many companies struggle with broken processes—until they discover the power of to be process mapping to design optimized workflows for the future.
This simple yet strategic technique helps you visualize how a process should work after improvements, making it a cornerstone of successful digital transformation and business process management (BPM).
What Is “To Be” Process Mapping?
To be process mapping is a technique used to design the future state of a business process.
While the as-is process map shows how things currently work, the to-be process map illustrates how things should function after improvements like automation, task restructuring, or role changes.
It answers questions like:
- What steps can be eliminated, merged, or automated?
- How can handoffs be reduced to improve speed and accuracy?
- Which tools or systems can support this new workflow?
This forward-looking map becomes your blueprint for change—and ultimately, for better results.
Why Use To Be Process Mapping?
To be process mapping isn’t just a documentation exercise—it’s a critical thinking tool that helps you design smarter, more efficient operations. By visualizing the ideal future state of a process, your organization can move from firefighting to strategic execution.
✅ 1. Boost Operational Efficiency
Inefficient workflows lead to delays, duplicated effort, and employee frustration. To be process mapping allows you to redesign processes to:
- Eliminate unnecessary steps
- Automate repetitive tasks
- Minimize handoffs between departments
🌟 2. Align Processes with Business Goals
Designing a to be process ensures your operations are intentionally structured to deliver measurable value aligned with KPIs and customer expectations.
🤖 3. Enable Process Automation
You can’t automate chaos. A to be process map acts as a foundation for automation by:
- Defining clean inputs and outputs
- Clarifying rules and exceptions
- Identifying integration points with IT systems
👥 4. Improve Collaboration and Accountability
Mapped workflows clarify responsibilities and expectations, helping teams work together more effectively and with greater ownership.
📊 5. Support Continuous Improvement
Once implemented, the to be process becomes your new baseline for performance tracking and future refinement.
When Should You Create a To Be Process Map?
Understanding the right timing for designing a future-state process map can dramatically increase the value and impact of your transformation efforts. While many organizations wait until major initiatives force change, to-be mapping is most effective when applied proactively.
🔧 1. Before Automation Projects
Automation can only succeed when the underlying process is already efficient and well-structured. Before introducing tools like RPA or workflow engines, use to be mapping to simplify, standardize, and clarify the process—so you’re not automating chaos.
👉 Learn how to streamline business processes for better efficiency
🔁 2. During Digital Transformation
Digital transformation isn’t just about technology—it’s about redesigning how work gets done. Future-state mapping helps align processes with new systems and ensures digital tools support strategic outcomes rather than replicate outdated practices.
👉 Explore real-world digital transformation examples across industries
📉 3. After Performance Audits
Audits often reveal breakdowns, delays, or compliance issues. Rather than patching over these symptoms, to-be mapping gives you the opportunity to redesign the process at its core—addressing root causes and embedding stronger controls and accountability.
👉 Understand the purpose and impact of a business process audit
🌱 4. When Launching New Services or Products
Designing from a blank slate is a golden opportunity. Mapping the ideal process from the start ensures consistency, scalability, and a great user experience—while avoiding the pitfalls of improvisation or departmental silos.
♻️ 5. As Part of Continuous Improvement
High-performing organizations revisit their processes regularly—not just when something breaks. To-be mapping supports ongoing refinement, helping teams evolve with changing conditions, customer expectations, and internal goals.
👉 See how to apply business process improvement techniques
🧩 6. During Organizational Changes
When teams restructure, merge, or adopt new roles, existing workflows often no longer fit. A to-be map offers clarity by realigning responsibilities and decision points—minimizing confusion and ensuring a smoother transition.
👉 Explore top change management models to guide transformation
How to Create a To Be Process Map (Step-by-Step)
Building a to be process map is more than just drawing shapes on a screen. It’s a structured and collaborative effort that combines deep business knowledge, hands-on input from frontline staff, and strategic oversight from decision-makers.
The goal is not just to create a visual diagram, but to design a process that is logical, realistic, and aligned with your organization's operational and strategic goals.
🔍 1. Analyze the “As Is” Process
Before designing the future state, you need a clear understanding of the current state. Interview process owners, observe workflows, and gather performance data. Look for pain points, redundancies, rework loops, and missed handoffs. This diagnostic phase ensures that your future design is rooted in real issues.
🌟 2. Define Goals and Metrics
Establish what the new process must achieve. Are you aiming to reduce processing time, improve quality, lower costs, or enhance customer experience? Defining success criteria helps ensure the to-be design has a clear direction and can be evaluated effectively.
💡 3. Ideate Improvements with Stakeholders
Involve people who understand the process firsthand—those who execute and those who manage it. Encourage open dialogue around what works, what doesn’t, and what could be streamlined, automated, or restructured. This phase often reveals small changes that can deliver major impact.
🧱 4. Design the To Be Workflow
Translate your ideas into a structured visual flow. Use BPMN, swimlane diagrams, or process flowcharts to illustrate task sequences, decision points, and role responsibilities. Focus on simplicity, readability, and logical flow. Ensure that all exceptions, dependencies, and triggers are clearly represented.
📝 5. Validate with Stakeholders
Review the map with key stakeholders across departments. Is the process achievable given current tools and staff? Are there compliance or risk concerns? Gather feedback, refine the map, and secure agreement from all parties who will be affected by or responsible for the new workflow.
🚦 6. Plan Implementation and Change Management
A great process map is useless without execution. Create a rollout plan that includes communication strategies, training sessions, system changes, and success tracking. Ensure people know not just what’s changing, but why—and how the new process will help them work better.
⚠️ Common Pitfalls to Avoid in To Be Process Mapping
Designing future-state processes has enormous potential—but only if it's done with care. Below are common mistakes that can undermine your efforts, along with how to avoid them.
❌ Skipping stakeholder involvement
✅ When future processes are mapped without input from the people who execute them daily, the result is often an idealized—but unworkable—design. Stakeholder insights ground your map in operational reality and increase team ownership.
❌ Overcomplicating the map
✅ A to-be process that tries to solve everything at once can become confusing and hard to implement. Keep the design simple and focused to drive adoption and make communication easier across teams.
❌ Ignoring real-world constraints
✅ Ambitious process designs that ignore system limitations, budgets, or workforce capacity tend to stall during implementation. Always balance innovation with technical and operational feasibility.
❌ Losing alignment with business goals
✅ Process improvements that don’t connect to strategic priorities often lack executive support. Ensure every change contributes to outcomes like efficiency, quality, compliance, or customer experience.
❌ Forgetting to maintain the map
✅ Many teams stop updating their documentation after rollout. A to-be process map should evolve with the organization, remaining a reliable foundation for training, audits, and continuous improvement.
❓ FAQ – To Be Process Mapping
What is the difference between "as is" and "to be" process mapping?
"As is" process mapping refers to the documentation of how a business process currently operates, including all of its inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and real-world deviations. In contrast, a "to be" process map represents the improved, ideal future version of that process—showing how it should work after optimization, automation, or restructuring.
Why is "to be" process mapping important?
It’s a critical step in process improvement because it creates a shared vision for how things can work better. A "to be" map helps teams reduce waste, align with business goals, and prepare workflows for automation or digital transformation.
When should I use "to be" process mapping?
This technique is especially useful before launching automation initiatives, migrating to new systems, or redesigning services. It’s also valuable after audits or performance reviews. In continuous improvement cultures, to be mapping is a proactive tool to stay ahead of problems.
What tools are used to create a "to be" process map?
Teams commonly use BPMN tools, or diagramming platforms like Lucidchart, HEFLO, or Bizagi. These platforms allow users to build structured, collaborative diagrams that support analysis and communication.
Can "to be" process mapping help with automation?
Absolutely. A "to be" process map helps identify which steps should be automated and where logic, integration, and exception handling are required—ensuring a successful and efficient implementation.
Who should be involved in "to be" process mapping?
You should include process owners, frontline workers, IT professionals, and change agents. This mix ensures that the process is practical, supported, and aligned across teams.
What is process mapping in ERP?
In ERP projects, process mapping helps visualize and align business operations with the capabilities of the ERP system. It reveals gaps and supports smooth configuration and deployment.
What is process mapping in ISO?
In ISO standards like ISO 9001, process mapping supports clarity, consistency, and accountability. It’s a critical tool for ensuring compliance and preparing for audits.
What is another name for process mapping?
It may also be called workflow mapping, business process modeling, process diagramming, or simply flowcharting—depending on the context and tools used.
What is a SIPOC or process map?
A SIPOC diagram is a high-level view used to outline Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers. It's often used in Six Sigma to define boundaries before creating detailed maps.
What is process mapping in Six Sigma?
In Six Sigma, process mapping is used within the DMAIC framework to analyze workflows, identify variation or waste, and design improvements. Tools include SIPOC, value stream maps, and detailed flowcharts.
🏢 Real-World Examples of To Be Process Mapping
To better understand how to be process mapping can support large-scale transformation, it's helpful to look at real cases where organizations applied the methodology alongside Capgemini’s ESOAR framework—Eliminate, Standardize, Optimize, Automate, Robotize.
This approach ensures that automation doesn't simply speed up broken processes. Instead, it begins by eliminating what doesn't add value, then standardizes and optimizes what's left. Only after that are automation (via digital tools) and robotization (via RPA) introduced to maximize efficiency, control, and ROI.
Below are two real-world examples that demonstrate how major organizations applied to be process mapping—using Capgemini’s ESOAR (Eliminate, Standardize, Optimize, Automate, Robotize) methodology—to transform operations and drive measurable results.
🏦 Global FMCG Company – Finance & Accounting
Challenge: Despite having standard global processes, many finance tasks still relied on manual inputs and local workarounds.
How to-be mapping helped:
- Eliminate: Removed redundant tasks and rationalized banking and journal entry processes.
- Standardize: Implemented common templates and enforced global process models.
- Optimize: Improved SAP HANA usage, automated reconciliations, and enhanced workflows.
- Automate: Introduced tools for forex processing and proactive product costing.
- Robotize: Deployed RPA for fixed assets, template validations, and reconciliations.
Results: Achieved 44% effort reduction in key finance areas. Gained better visibility and compliance through automated controls and fully integrated processes.
🏭 Major Manufacturing Client – Shared Services
Challenge: Believed their existing SAP implementation was efficient, but still faced process inefficiencies across regions.
How to-be mapping helped:
- Eliminate: Removed low-value steps, such as hard-copy printing.
- Standardize: Harmonized processes across different countries.
- Optimize: Improved SAP utilization and streamlined supporting tools.
- Automate: Automated reporting, case routing, and data transfer.
- Robotize: Used RPA for tasks like invoice data consolidation, vendor checklists, and trial balance prep.
Results: Delivered 25–50% improvements in payment and invoice efficiency. Increased user satisfaction and reduced manual effort by leveraging existing tools more effectively.
📚 Related Resource
For additional real-world examples across industries, check out our article: Transformative Business Process Redesign Examples That Drive Results
🏛️ Government Agency – Citizen Services
Challenge: A national agency responsible for issuing business licenses faced long approval times, duplicated data entry, and low transparency for applicants.
How to-be mapping helped:
- Eliminate: Removed redundant internal reviews and manual paperwork routing.
- Standardize: Unified workflows across regional offices with a shared licensing model.
- Optimize: Connected application data with existing national ID and tax systems.
- Automate: Deployed self-service online forms and automated status notifications.
- Robotize: Used RPA to extract data from uploaded documents and cross-validate submissions.
Results: Processing time for business licenses dropped from 20 to 5 days. Citizens gained visibility into application status, and staff workload was reduced by 40%.
🎥 Watch: TO BE Process Mapping Explained
For a dynamic overview of the TO BE mapping strategy and how it supports continuous improvement, watch our video discussion:
This video explores how TO BE mapping enables business transformation by eliminating inefficiencies, aligning departments, and leveraging BPM tools like HEFLO to create future-ready process models.
🧠 Conclusion: Design the Future Before You Build It
Great organizations don’t just react—they design what comes next. With to be process mapping, you can turn ambition into action and shape processes that truly move your business forward.
By visualizing the ideal state, aligning with business goals, and enabling automation, this approach turns process design into a strategic advantage.
📘 Want to take the next step? Explore our practical guides on BPMN, automation tools, and proven methods for redesigning high-impact processes.
Don’t just improve the past—design the future.
