Why would a company use a Process Mapping Technique? Select TWO.

Process mapping is a fundamental technique in business process management and improvement. Its primary purpose is to create a visual representation of the sequence of activities and decision points within a process. This "as-is" map serves two main functions. Firstly, it establishes a clear, shared understanding of what is currently happening and why (D), moving beyond assumptions to a factual baseline. Secondly, this visual analysis allows teams to scrutinize the process flow to identify non-value-added steps, bottlenecks, redundancies, and delays, thereby pinpointing areas of waste and inefficiency (C) for targeted improvement efforts.

A. To increase market share: This is a high-level strategic goal. While process improvements derived from mapping can lead to competitive advantages that increase market share, it is an indirect outcome, not the primary purpose of the technique itself.

B. To assist with budgeting: Understanding a process can help in estimating costs, but process mapping's core function is process analysis and improvement, not financial planning. Budgeting is a secondary application or benefit.

1. Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A., & Johnston, R. (2021). Operations Management (9th ed.). Pearson. In Chapter 4, 'Process Design,' the authors explain that process mapping (or flowcharting) is used to "describe a process in a way that makes it easy to understand, analyse and eventually redesign." The text emphasizes its use for identifying problems, inefficiencies, and understanding the current state. (Specifically, see section 'Process mapping symbols' and 'Analysing processes – some common questions').

2. Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., & Reijers, H. A. (2018). Fundamentals of Business Process Management (2nd ed.). Springer. Chapter 3, 'Process Identification,' and Chapter 5, 'Process Discovery,' detail the use of process mapping to capture the "as-is" process. The authors state, "The goal of process discovery is to produce an as-is process model... Such a model should help analysts to find answers to performance-related questions, for example, by pointing to rework loops or activities for which the resource allocation is insufficient." (p. 141). This directly supports identifying inefficiencies (C) and establishing the current state (D).

3. Jeston, J., & Nelis, J. (2014). Business Process Management: Practical Guidelines to Successful Implementations (3rd ed.). Routledge. In Chapter 9, 'Process Analysis and Design,' the authors describe the 'as-is' analysis phase, stating its purpose is to "understand the current processes, their activities, roles, and IT... and to identify the 'pain points' or problems." This aligns with establishing what is happening (D) and identifying waste and inefficiency (C). (DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315882793).