Swim Lane Template

aka Cross Functional Flowchart, Swim Lane Process Map, Down-Across, Deployment Flowchart, Metrics Based Process Map, or Makigami Analysis

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what

What is a

Cross Functional Flowchart

Your cross functional flowchart template (FlowSwim.xlsx or FunctionalFlow.xlsx)

has a swim lane for each person, department, or team that is involved with the process —

showing an intuitive graphic depiction of who is doing what, when, where, and for how long.

Sample Cross Functional Flowchart example. Download free trial

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Training

Prepare to use your

Swim Lane Diagram template

Define your Team Charter

3. What is the one very narrowly-defined scenario that this team will observe and map?

   This is where many process mapping teams go wrong.

   If you are leading a mapping event to improve this process,

   then you want to choose one very narrowly defined scenario, and keep your team's attention focused on it — without chasing rabbit trails of possible exceptions and different conditions.

   If you are creating a flowchart to serve as a decision tree for standard work,

   then you will want to learn how to use Paths and Scenarios.

4. Who should be on this team?

   A mapping team usually consists of 5-10 members. About half being workers from the process. Also representation from upstream suppliers, downstream customers, and outside eyes. Perhaps with standby support quickly available from supporting roles such as IT or maintenance. Use your Team Roles templates to clearly define the roles of your Leader, Facilitator, Executive Sponsor...

5. Allow enough time for your mapping event

   Typically 1-2 days for Current State, and 1 day for Future State

6. What are the Objectives, Measures, and Targets by which the performance of this team will be evaluated?

Observe the process

Perhaps start simpler

Some teams might choose to first sketch out the basic flow chart elements

using a Block Diagram, or sticky notes, or just pencil and paper,

and then when your team is ready,
transcribe those messy scribbled notes to a clean, legible, mathematically-correct presentation.

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how

How to use your

Cross Functional Flowchart template

Find and open your template

If you don't yet own a license, you can download your free trial now.

Save your working document

following the usual document storage and naming conventions established by your leaders

Open a Blank Sheet

Rename your new sheet.

If English is not your preferred language

Switch to your language, just like every Systems2win Excel template.

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headers

Now your team is ready to start using your

Swim Lane template

Enter data in the header fields

Team

Identify the Document Author, Process Owner, Executive Sponsor, and other team members.

Links

Perhaps use Link Icons to link to related documents.

State

Usually Current or Future

Revised Date

To change date format... Right-click > Format Cells > Number tab

Takt Time

Perhaps use your Takt Time Calculation template (Takt.xlsx)
or use the 'Insert Sheet' button to insert that Take Time Calculator sheet into your workbook.

User Field 1

Optional

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defaults

Define your Defaults

Do not skip this step!!!

Your data might not make any sense if you skip this step.

How can any math on your flowchart be correct if you haven't first defined your units of measure, work time available, and other defaults?

 

Below the print area in each flowchart sheet

Demand per Week

Cycle Time Unit of Measure

Andon - Capacity

Process ID?

 

 

In the Systems2win menu

 

In the lower right corner of each flowchart sheet

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steps

Cross Functional Flowchart

First Pass: Use Shapes to Show Process Flow

Define the start and end processes

Insert Snap To Grid shapes

Snap Off shapes

Later... after inserting all (or most) of your Snap To Grid shapes, and after completing most of your data entry and analysis (as described in the next training sections)...

then you will add the smaller Snap Off shapes.

Why wait? Because it is very common for your flowchart to change as you begin to analyze it deeper. So it is usually wise to wait to add your finishing touches as one of the last things that you do.

But we're going to teach you how to insert Snap Off shapes now... because you might want to add a few important Snap Off shapes sooner, rather than later.

When you're ready...

turn off Snap To Grid to add end points, text boxes, and other shapes

as well as arrows and connectors, which can snap and attach to other shapes

See training for connectors and arrows

which includes training for how to use Systems2win special features to connect multiple arrows to unusual places on shapes, and how to use backbone connectors to route arrows through awkward routes.

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hide

How to

Copy, Move, or Hide rows or columns

Notice that every Process box is associated with 4 rows & 6 columns.

Important - when you hide, copy, or move rows or columns, it is critical to keep related columns and rows together

Add or remove rows & columns

To size your work space as needed — use your button to 'Add or Remove Rows or Columns'.

If using an older version that does not have the button to 'Add or Remove Rows or Columns', then follow the instructions (below) for how to hide, move, or copy, or request us to send you the latest update.

To hide rows or columns

Hide all related rows and columns together.

Update the Lead Time Chart

Tip: When you use the button to 'Add or Remove Rows or Columns'. the Lead Time Chart gets updated automatically.

To move a process

It is only okay to move entire rows or columns.

Do not move individual cells,

or groups of cells associated with an individual process.

(or you will royally mess up your formulas)

If you need to move a process, there are 2 safe ways to do it:

1) Recreate the data

and then move the shapes
and then delete the data from the old location

2) Use Paste Special > Formulas

and then move the shapes
and then delete the data from the old location

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data

Cross Functional Flowchart

Second Pass: Enter Data

Enter headers, defaults, and blue boxes

We are assuming that you have already:

1. Entered data in your headers (at the top of your flowchart)
2. Entered your default data (in every one of the pink double-border cells, some of which are outside of the print area)
3. Completed the first pass through your flowchart, where you used shapes to illustrate a rough outline of the flow of your process. (At this point, you will have used mostly blue boxes, with very few connector arrows, textboxes, or other shapes that will be added later)

If you haven't completed all three of those steps, then go back and complete them now.

 

Enter your data for each Process Box

The Process Box

The largest cell is the Process Box.

At this point, you should have already completed the first pass through your flowchart, using (mostly) blue boxes to create a rough outline of process flow.

Here is a quick recap of key points for this large 'Process Box':

• All 'Snap To Grid' shapes are perfectly sized to snap to grid to fit this cell.
• Blue-border shapes define the flow of the process.

  After copying the appropriate blue shape, enter a brief description in the shape, usually starting with an action verb.

• Green-border shapes are one of several optional ways to clarify documents and data associated with each blue Process Box.

  If they are used at all, most green-border shapes are usually added very late — after most other data has already been entered.

Chart Labels

    aka Column Labels or Step Labels

The gold headers at the top of each column contain the labels that appear in the Lead Time Chart and Workload Balancing Chart.

There can be simultaneous processes in multiple swim lanes in each column. The labels that appear in your charts are the labels that you enter in the gold column header cells. The chart label should usually be identical to (or a briefer summary of) the label in the Process Box for the process with the longest process time in that column.

usertext

User Text Fields

Process ID

As already explained in the section above where you defined your Defaults...

If Process ID = TRUE,

then a unique process number will be automatically generated for each Process step.

exclude

Processes to exclude from formulas

When you see the symbol ■,

that means that the process is being excluded from some formulas.

A process that doesn't happen at all

Dead End Process (not on the Critical Path)

If the (red) ■ symbol is in the 'Dead End' cell,

(the cell just to the right of the 'Path' cell)

then that indicates that this is a Dead End process (not on the Critical Path)

which will therefore be excluded from calculations for Lead Time and Cycle Time

while (correctly) still being included in calculations for Process Time, Value Add Time, and Steps.

This feature requires a template v15 R160800 or higher.

Who

When you click the cell to the lower right of a Process box,

a dropdown list will appear with a list of choices for 'Who' performs this Process Step.

Reminder: Like every Systems2win template, on the DV sheet, you can define your own choices for your own drop down lists

Number of Workers

If more than one person works together as a team to complete the work,

then in the cell 2 columns to the right of the Process Box, enter the number of workers.

If left blank, it assumes 1 worker.

Process Time is measured in seconds, minutes, or hours

using the Cycle Time Unit of Measure that you chose in the Instructions section of the Help sheet

If there is more than one Worker

Then measure Process Time as if one worker were performing every step of the process.

Cycle Time is hidden, but is auto-calculated as = Process Time / # Workers

Notice that in the Time Sum Line beneath all the swim lanes, Cycle Time is shown for the one process that has the longest Cycle Time (in that column of simultaneous processes)

Learn more about Cycle Time

% Complete and Accurate

In the cream colored cell just to the right of Processing Time, enter the value for Percent Complete and Accurate

See online Lean Glossary to learn more about % Complete and Accurate

LT

Lead Time

Tip: It is often quite sufficient to use 'directionally correct' educated guesses for Lead Time, rather than wasting a lot of time gathering unnecessarily precise data

especially the first time that a process is being analyzed

perhaps becoming more precise in future rounds of continuous improvement.

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docs

Related Documents and Data (several options)

In addition to the flow of Process Steps,

it is also common to use your functional flowchart to depict any documents and/or data that are associated with each process step.

There are several alternative ways to illustrate and analyze

the documents and data associated with each process step.

Option 3) The 'Information' Row

Just below the bottom swim lane, you can use the 'Information' row to itemize forms, screens, and databases that store and/or carry data information.

This 'Information' row can be used in place of, or in addition to text boxes or green shapes to identify data repositories, paper forms, and computer screens (as described above).

CRUDS

Optional: CRUDS (what are you doing with those documents and data?)

In addition to just listing the names of the documents and data related to a process,

it can also be helpful (but optional) to briefly explain what is being done with each document or data repository.

You can enter your CRUDS codes into any of the 3 User Text Fields, (above, below, and beside each Process Box),

or... because the 'Who' field is rarely used (because the Swim Lane Title usually clarifies 'who'), you might use its dropdown list for CRUDS analysis.

Both ways are shown in the illustration.

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links

Links between related documents

Like all Systems2win templates, you can have bidirectional links between related documents.

1) To drill down to a related document

For example, you might add multiple link icons to enable users to quickly drill down to related documents such as

your value stream plan, visual work instructions, standard procedures, standard work, spaghetti diagrams, project plans, kaizen events, change management tools, other related flowcharts, and more

   

2) To roll data up from a related document

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sub

Two optional ways to handle

Complex sub-processes within a Swim Lane Flowchart

Advanced tips:

The column in the higher-level flowchart might contain a single Process Box,

or that column might have several Process Boxes
(to give a visual cue that multiple departments are involved... but without all the details that can be seen when the user clicks the Link Icon to drill down to the detailed flowchart for the sub-process)

Whenever you drill down or roll up between related documents

don't skip the training for document storage and naming conventions to avoid broken hyperlinks between related documents.

Advanced Tips:

This technique requires a template version 15.1 R180817 or higher.

If using an older template, contact Systems2win to get help to replace the Queue Time formula in the time sum line.

Perhaps visually delineate the group of related processes using a blue dashed Group Box

which you can copy from Systems2win menu > Copy Shapes

The Lead Time Chart will show some negative blue Queue Time before the first Queue Time

We wish we could write Excel for Microsoft, but that's how they handle it in their charts. Rather than offsetting the block of blue queue time right before the green process time, if the number is negative, they tack on an extra block of blue queue time before the process starts. The amounts are usually small, so the chart is usually still a valuable (only slightly inaccurate) graphic, but if it really bugs you, just drag the Lead Time Chart out of the Print Area.

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analyze

Cross Functional Flowchart

Third Pass: Analyze and Improve

Analyze your 'As Is' process

Conduct your Executive Briefing Meeting to get consensus that everyone agrees that your 'As Is' process is an accurate representation for the way things really are now.

Copy your 'As Is' sheet to start your 'To Be' sheet

Encourage people to think

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metrics

Your swim lane diagram template has lots of lean metrics and charts to perform process analysis that sticky notes and Visio simply can't do.

If your company has not yet provided a license, you can download your free trial now.

Analyze Lean Metrics in your

Swim Lane Diagram template

If and when you add data to your visual swim lane flowchart,

then all of the following lean metrics will auto-calculate,

freeing your team to accomplish the objectives of your Project Charter, rather than getting side-tracked trying to do advanced math, or to invent tools.

 

See the Lean Glossary to learn more about any terms that are not yet familiar to you.

 

Lead Time — the time it takes to complete the process — from start to finish

Lead Time = The sum of the longest Lead Times for each column of simultaneous processes, for those processes that:

1. Are not Dead End processes

   Learn more about why and how some processes are sometimes excluded from some formulas.

2. If you are using (optional) Path codes...

   then the process needs to be included within your currently-select Path.

Lead Time Chart

In the Lead Time Chart, the blue segments illustrate the Queue Time between processes,

the longest Queue Time for any process in the column

and the green segments illustrate Cycle Time

the longest Process time for any process in the column.

The chart label comes from the gold header at the top of each column. This chart label should usually be identical to the label in the Process Box for the process with the longest process time in that column.

Tip: When you click the button to 'Update Chart', if you get the error 'The maximum number of data series per chart is 255',

then that means that your swimlane flowchart has more process columns than an Excel chart can handle. (approximately 40 column groups)

All other math and analyses in your cross functional flowchart are still correct, but your Lead Time chart will not be functional.

Option 1) Just ignore the lead time chart. Perhaps drag it out of the Print Area, and resize other charts or text boxes to fill the space.

Option 2) Reduce the number of process columns. (see training for how to handle sub-processes)

Queue Time — the time BETWEEN steps

Blue segments in the Lead Time Chart.

How long do things sit and wait for the next process to begin working again?

Capacity — how many can we produce?

Rolled First Pass Yield — the percent of deliverables that are received by the downstream operation or customer that do not need correction, addition, clarification, or rework.

Product of % Complete and Accurate for each step

User Data — see training section for optional user analysis

Value % of Time and Activity Ratio — embarrassingly small numbers that dramatically illustrate how much room there is for improvement

Use the dropdown list to toggle between:

Value % of Time = Value Add Time / Lead Time

Activity Ratio = Process Time / Lead Time

Notice that the pie chart also shows your choice of either Value % of Time or Activity Ratio.

Staff Level — how many full time employee equivalents are required?

Work Time Available — with all the power of Excel to take into consideration all factors affecting your unique work schedule

Pulse (Pitch) — Pitch Pulse is the pace at which work is released and moves through the value stream

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dept

Departmental Metrics per Swim Lane

In addition to the bottom-line metrics, (in the lower right corner of your flowchart),

there are also calculations per swim lane

(found at the far right of your swim lane flowchart)

Process Time — For every unit processed,

How much time will be required from someone in this department or functional area?

Lead Time — How long do things sit in piles?

waiting for someone in this department or functional area to get around to working on them

% Complete and Accurate — What percent of deliverables come out of this department

without need for downstream correction, addition, clarification, or rework?

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VA

Value Add Analysis

In the cell below and 2 columns to the right of each Process box

(next to the cell for 'Who')

you can optionally enter codes and data for Value Add Analysis.

You can either use the pre-defined codes in the dropdown list, (and remember that all dropdown lists are defined on the DV sheet).

This allows you the flexibility to do value add analysis both:

1. The traditional way
2. and to invent creative ways to analyze productivity in ways that are more useful than traditional value add analysis.

For example, for many Lean Office and Administrative processes, every process step is technically 'non-value-add' from the customer's perspective, which isn't very useful or motivating for the people charged with improving the process.

Note: The older version had the option to defined user-defined codes for the 'Value Add Include' field. That feature has been discontinued.

 

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optional

Swim Lane Flowchart

Optional User-Defined Analysis

Your swim lane flowchart template has several fields that can be creatively used for user-defined analysis of perhaps process- or industry-specific measure that are important to your unique process.

Makigami Analysis fields

You can also use for any creative purposes the 2 text fields inspired by Makigami Analysis — 'Information' and 'Problems' per column.

User-defined dropdown lists

Like every Systems2win template, it is possible to personalize any one (or 2) of those 3 user-defined text fields to use one of the user-defined dropdown lists (allowing users to choose from the dropdown list values that you define on the DV sheet)

And/or... you might choose to simply add some of your own user-defined values to the dropdown list that already exists for the 'Dead End' code.

User-defined comparison metrics

In the bottom section for Summary Metrics, there is a field called 'User Data', which is designed to be easily used for any metric that you desire.

You can also easily copy that row for unlimited user-defined metrics,

but only the first one will be pre-programmed to automatically find and import comparison data when you click the button to 'Import Old State Data'.

User-defined calculation

If you want to personalize your template to automatically calculate and analyze a user-defined metric that requires math, (perhaps cost? or distance traveled?)...

then if (and only if) you use only non-numeric codes for value add analysis,
then you can hire Systems2win to help you write a formula that your team finds more valuable.

If you need assistance adding a custom formula, then Systems2win is optionally available at regular hourly billing rates. Custom programming is not part of free technical support.

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ImportOld

Optional: Old State Comparison

Click the button to Import Old State Comparison Data

then recalculate: CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+F9

Side-by-Side State Comparisons

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Scenarios

Optional: Paths and Scenarios

Perhaps add scenarios

We suggest that you wait until you have finished analyzing and improving your most common scenario

before adding data for multiple Path Codes and Scenarios to analyze different possible situations on a single flow chart.

On the same flowchart, you can use Path Codes and Excel Scenarios

to illustrate (and calculate) different Paths through which the thing being processed might flow.

Animated image, showing two Scenarios for Typical vs. Rush Order

(This is an image of the older version cross functional flowchart template)

Learn more how to use Path codes and Scenarios

to depict and analyze multiple possible process flows on one flowchart, without wasting your time re-drawing an almost-identical flowchart for each scenario.

In the pre-defined Scenarios on the Sample page,

you can learn from these two different scenarios:

1) Typical Learning
2) Expedited Learning

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highlight

Highlight Problems and Ideas

Do not skip this step!

You can enter (very) brief Barriers to Flow

in any of the 3 text cells surrounding each Process Box.

To (optionally) add a lot more detail about Barriers to Flow,

you can use Cell Comments,

and/or Links to related documents,

and/or the large text box below the swim lanes.

Improvement Ideas

The 'Improvement Ideas' text box is also found near the bottom of your swimlane flowchart template, (and can be easily dragged within or outside of the Print Area).

Use it as a catch-all for ideas whenever they arise.

And then facilitate brainstorming and consensus-building for which ideas to implement first.

Makigami Analysis — Problems

Optionally itemize problems for each column, using text or (perhaps colored) text boxes.

Remember that you can use Alt+Enter for 'paragraphs' within a cell.

In addition to (or in place of) this 'Problems' row, you can also use Bursts to highlight problems anywhere on your flowchart.

Action Plans

When an idea gets approved,

1. Shade the cloud on your map

   (to indicate that the countermeasure has been approved)

2. Add items to your Action Plan

You have several choices of templates to serve as your Action Plan:

  

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socialize

Publish and Socialize

Do not skip this step!

Conduct Briefing Meetings

And then conduct a second Future State Briefing Meeting

to obtain approvals for your proposed plans.

Publish and socialize your results

Socialize your results

the same way that you socialize results for your Standard Work improvements.

Hold the team accountable for results

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CI

Continuously Improve

Monitor Progress

Your Executive Change Agent should schedule periodic meetings (at least monthly)

to measure results, and ensure that your team actually accomplishes the mission of your team charter.

Rinse and repeat

Continuous improvement should be continuous.

Just like the value stream mapping cycle,

this process mapping cycle should be habitually repeated every 6 to 12 months.

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Own this

Swim Lane Diagram template

 

with many other Process Improvement Tools to analyze, improve, and standardize any process