Process Mapping Training
Every health department runs on institutional knowledge — the kind that lives in one person's head, built up over years. What happens when that person retires, gets promoted, or is out for a month? Process mapping is how you get that knowledge out of people's heads and into something your whole team can see, follow, and improve.
Why Process Mapping Matters for Public Health
Health departments are under pressure to do more with less — fewer staff, more reporting requirements, and a wave of new technology to evaluate. Process mapping is the foundation that makes all of it manageable. Before you can improve a workflow, automate a task, or onboard a new hire, you need to see how the work actually gets done today.
That's why health departments are mapping processes for quality improvement, onboarding new staff, accreditation evidence, succession planning, and — increasingly — AI readiness. You can't automate what you haven't documented. When a department maps a workflow step by step, decision by decision, they're building exactly the kind of structured understanding that AI tools need to be useful. No process map, no meaningful automation.
This training — led by Juliana McMillan-Wilhoit (COO/CPO) and Nebu Kolenchery (CRO) from F&T Labs — walks you through how to build your first process map, the five places it pays off, and how to run a mapping session with your team.
You'll build a process map from scratch — starting (yes, really) with a PB&J sandwich — and walk away with three things written down: a process, a person, and a date to get started.
Workload reduction in Sauk County, Wisconsin — after mapping a workflow and addressing what they found.
Take the Training With You
Start with the Guide. The template and slides are there when you're ready to run a session with your team.
Start Here · Process Mapping Guide
The comprehensive companion to the training: vocabulary, notation, facilitation tips, and a step-by-step walkthrough for mapping your first process.
Template
Ready-to-use slides with pre-built shapes and swim lanes. Bring it to your next team meeting and start mapping right away.
Download TemplateSlides
The slides from the training session itself. Download for your own reference or to share with a team member who couldn't make it.
Download SlidesFrequently Asked Questions
What is process mapping, in plain language?
Process mapping is the practice of drawing out the steps in a workflow — who does what, in what order, with what decisions along the way — so the work is visible to the whole team instead of trapped in one person's head. It's how you turn "Janet just knows how to do that" into something a new hire, a partner agency, or an AI tool can actually follow.
Why does process mapping matter for public health specifically?
Public health departments rely heavily on institutional knowledge: how to investigate a cluster, how to route a complaint, how to file a particular report. When staff turn over — and right now, they're turning over fast — that knowledge walks out the door. Process mapping makes the work portable. It also supports accreditation, quality improvement, and AI readiness, all at once.
How is a process map different from an SOP?
An SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is usually a written document — paragraphs and bullet points. A process map is visual: boxes, arrows, decision diamonds, and often swim lanes that show who is responsible for each step. Most teams find that the map exposes gaps the SOP hides — branches that don't connect, decisions no one documented, handoffs that drop the ball. The two work well together: the map shows the shape of the work, the SOP fills in the detail.
How do I run a process mapping session with my team?
Start small: one process, one room (or one Zoom), 60–90 minutes. Pick a process that's painful or that only one person knows how to do. Walk through it step by step with the people who actually do the work — not their managers. Capture every step, every decision, every handoff. Don't try to fix anything in the first session; just see what's there. The free guide above walks through facilitation in detail.
What does process mapping have to do with AI?
Everything. AI tools are only as useful as the workflows you point them at, and most "AI didn't work for us" stories trace back to a workflow no one had documented well enough to automate. A clear process map tells you exactly where AI can help (repetitive, rules-based steps) and where it can't (judgment calls, relationship work). It's the prerequisite, not the afterthought.
Do I need special software to make a process map?
No. Sticky notes on a wall work. So does a whiteboard photo, a PowerPoint deck (we provide a template above), Lucidchart, Miro, Visio, or draw.io. The tool matters less than the conversation. Start simple; upgrade tools only when the map outgrows them.
Funding Acknowledgment
This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
