ABSTRACT
The preparation of a comprehensive visual map1 of the university process chosen for improvement that identifies all the steps required both by the provider (i.e., university representatives) and beneficiaries (e.g., students, faculty, alumni, parents, employers, legislators) is an essential task for the LHE Project Team. The visual map of the university process targeted by the LHE team shows the flow of people, documents and forms, products, information, and so on as it currently occurs at the university. This mapping task allows the LHE team to personally experience and thoroughly understand the process or service from beginning to end. The visual map becomes an indispensable tool for communicating the current process to all those who are involved in the LHE project (e.g., LHE Project Team members, employees who contribute to the process, administrators who oversee the process). Importantly, it provides a practical starting point for the LHE team to determine which steps add value to the process, and identifies those steps the LHE team could recommend eliminating or changing to reduce waste and improve flow. A subsequent “future state” visual map of the process would then be prepared to reflect all improvements proposed by the LHE Project Team.
