Operations Map

We created the operations map to serve as a jumping off point for a system implementation or product design project. Just as market maps define the market ecosystem for a product, the operations map defines the operational ecosystem for the use of a platform or the delivery of a technology-heavy product. 



Operations maps are used in multiple ways:

 

• As a tool for taking inventory of business processes, and identifying constraints, bottlenecks and overall capacity
• As a tool for capturing and eliciting requirements
• As a mechanism for communicating across organizational boundaries and getting people to work together in service of achieving greater efficiency

 

Consider an abstract product such as a health plan. Health plans might be considered a service but they are underscored by large technology platforms such as administration and claims systems. The operations map behind the health plan includes everything from the processes to support member enrollment, to the management of provider networks to the claims adjudication process. Another example might be a life insurance policy. From the outside, this product might be defined as a financial instrument. But from the inside, there are many technology platforms complemented by complex operational processes (from pricing and on-boarding to compliance, redemptions and tax reporting). While most firms understand the concept of a bill of materials for a product with "mass,", very few have the fingers on that same thing for complex systems or processes. 

While we originally developed the Operations Map to support the requirements analysis process, it has also demonstrated its value serving as the Operations Playbook for many of our clients, keeping everyone on the same page about what work needs to be done and how systems and data must serve the business.