Org charts and process maps: who vs how
An org chart answers "who is responsible?" A process map answers "how does the work actually get done?" Teams that document only one of the two end up with half the picture: a clean hierarchy that says nothing about handoffs, or a process diagram with nobody's name on it.
Two diagrams, two questions
The org chart is structural: it changes when people join, leave, or move, and it says nothing about what happens on a Tuesday afternoon. The process map is operational: it follows one piece of work (an order, an expense claim, a support ticket) from start to finish, step by step.
Neither can stand in for the other. An org chart cannot show that an invoice waits three days between Finance and Sales; a process map cannot show that both teams report to the same director who could fix it.
Where they meet: swimlanes
A swimlane process map borrows the org chart's vocabulary. Each lane is a role or department taken from the org chart, and each step of the process sits in the lane of whoever does it. Every time the flow crosses from one lane to another, that is a handoff, and handoffs are where most delays and errors live.
Building the org chart first makes the process map easier: the lanes are already named, and it is obvious who owns each step.
A practical order of work
Doing the two in this order keeps each one simple:
- Draw the org chart: names, roles, reporting lines, departments.
- Pick one process that crosses departments and list its steps in order.
- Assign each step to a department or role from the org chart, which gives you the swimlanes.
- Look at every lane crossing and ask who is waiting for whom.
Tools for each half
OrgTree.app draws the org chart from a people list. Its sister editor, ProcessMapping.app, draws the swimlane process map from a spreadsheet of steps. Both are free, need no signup, and are built on QueryChart, so the two diagrams can end up in the same account.
Try it on your own team
The editor is free and opens with a starter org chart. One row per person, and the chart draws itself as you type. No signup required.
Create Your Org Chart Free