A process capture template for recording triggers, hand-offs, decisions, systems and exceptions before changing or automating repeated administration.
INPUT ─── DECISION ─── OWNER ─── RECORD
Map one completed outcome
Specification detail
‘Handle enquiries’ is too broad to map. ‘Record a website enquiry, assign an owner and send an acknowledged next step’ has a visible beginning and end. Choose one repeated outcome and state what starts it. Then define done in observable terms, such as a complete record with an owner and due date. This boundary keeps neighbouring activities from swallowing the map and makes it possible to see where work waits, doubles back or finishes without the next person knowing.
Capture reality with a recent case
Specification detail
Walk through a recent ordinary example with the people who perform the work. Record each action in order, including opening emails, renaming files, checking another system and asking for missing details. Do not begin with the policy manual or the process people think they should follow. Then run one awkward example through the same map. Differences between the documented route and actual work often reveal hidden spreadsheets, personal inboxes and judgement calls that determine whether automation would succeed.
Show systems and hand-offs explicitly
Specification detail
For every step, name where information enters and leaves: shared mailbox, form, spreadsheet, CRM, accounting package or paper file. Mark when data is retyped and when ownership changes. A hand-off is complete only when the receiver knows the item exists and has the information needed to continue. This exposes common failure points: a task marked done before the next queue is created, an attachment stored without a link, or a status changed without notifying the responsible person.
Practical template
Repeated-admin process capture template
Complete the fields while walking through one normal case and one exception with the people doing the work.
Process boundaryProcess name; exact start event; exact completed outcome; activities explicitly outside this map.
TriggerWho or what starts the work; channel; information received; how the team knows it has arrived.
Step recordFor each step: sequence number, action verb, owner or role, system used, input, output and evidence of completion.
Decision recordQuestion asked; permitted answers; information used; decision owner; route for each answer; route when uncertain.
Hand-offSender; receiver; item transferred; notification method; expected response; point at which ownership changes.
Data movementFields copied or retyped; source of truth; destination; duplicate records created; access restrictions.
Waiting pointWhat the item waits for; where it queues; who can see its age; reminder or escalation rule if one exists.
ExceptionException type; how it is detected; safe action; approval needed; route back to normal work or closure.
ControlRequired check; person responsible; evidence retained; consequence if the check fails.
Map ownershipProcess owner; version date; staff who tested it; unresolved questions; date or event that triggers review.