Is the Value of As-Is Mapping Worth the Pain it Takes to Create?

There is an almost unanimous consensus that mapping business processes for the to-be state is an important step in preparing for an ERP implementation. The same cannot be said for mapping the as-is state. Opinions on as-is mapping tend to diverge quite dramatically into one of two camps: Believers and Non-Believers. Understanding when and how to use as-is mapping can save your organization significant time and effort while still capturing the value it provides.

The Case for As-Is Mapping (The Believers)

Believers go all-in on business process mapping, creating extensive, detailed as-is maps as part of their ERP preparation. Their reasoning is sound: if you document both the as-is state and the to-be state, the gap between the two represents the change that must be managed for the implementation to be successful. For Believers, as-is business process mapping serves as the foundation for their ERP change management activities. It provides a clear baseline that helps teams understand exactly what is changing and where the greatest risks lie.

The Case Against As-Is Mapping (The Non-Believers)

Non-Believers take a very different view. It is not necessarily that they see no value in as-is process mapping, though that may be true for some. Rather, they would prefer to direct their efforts elsewhere. After all, almost everything is changing, so why spend so much time and effort creating as-is maps? Why not redirect that organizational energy toward creating better to-be state maps, or going after another ERP hot button such as improving master data integrity?

Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of this divergence of opinion is that it does not just come from inexperienced implementing organizations who may only do one or two ERP implementations in their entire lifetime. It also comes from the so-called experts, including system integrators and ERP software vendors, companies that do ERP implementations for a living. The fact that the experts cannot agree on what approach works best is a large part of what makes ERP preparation activities so confusing for implementing organizations.

A Practical Middle Ground

In spite of what your system integrator or software provider might tell you, as-is mapping does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. You can derive significant value from as-is mapping without spending hundreds of hours doing so. The key is knowing how, what, and what not to map. In our experience, the organizations that get the most out of as-is mapping are those that approach it strategically rather than exhaustively.

5 Tips to Get the Most Out of As-Is Business Process Mapping

1. Keep It at a High Level to Start

There is no need to dive in too deep when you first start mapping the as-is state. Document all the main process steps first, in quick, high-level block flow form, before taking things to a lower level. Think of this as creating an outline or table of contents before writing the detailed content. It is far better to have a cohesive, high-level view of the entire end-to-end process than to have a scattered, low-level view of certain areas while other areas are completely missing.

2. Do Not Worry About Transaction-Level Details

In general, it really does not matter what buttons you push today in your legacy system because those will all change, just like the Non-Believers said they would. Spending time documenting screen-by-screen workflows in a system you are replacing is one of the most common time sinks we see in as-is mapping efforts. When we advise clients on this, we recommend focusing on what people do and why, not on which fields they click.

3. Only Go Deeper When and Where It Makes Sense

Doing an across-the-board deep dive on all your as-is processes is extremely labor-intensive and often a waste of time. Resist the urge to go deep in any area unless and until the need arises to do so. That need typically does not present itself until you are well into the to-be state mapping and trying to improve an identified weak spot that requires deeper knowledge of the as-is state. Then, and only then, should you go deep into that one particular area.

4. Focus on the Area-to-Area Handoffs

In our experience, this is the single most important part of business process mapping and the one that is most often glossed over. This is where true integration happens and where the system world meets the physical world.

To understand how important area-to-area handoffs are, consider the typical interaction between the Business Planning area and the Manufacturing area.

The kinds of questions you should try to answer as part of that as-is mapping exercise include:

• How is the manufacturing and supply chain schedule communicated to the shop floor? Is it all electronic or does someone print a physical copy?
• How is a last-minute schedule change communicated?
• If manufacturing encounters an issue and cannot adhere to the plan, how is that handled?
• What physical event triggers the start of production for a given order?
• What physical event signifies the completion of production for a given order?
• If off-grade material is produced, how is that communicated? Does it receive a special label? Is it physically segregated?
• What information must be exchanged at shift change, and how is it gathered?

Because so many of these answers can fall outside of the formal system, it is critical to document both the as-is and to-be states for all area-to-area handoffs and incorporate those processes into the design, build, and test phases of your digital transformation.

5. If You Have Them, Use Them

To get the most out of your as-is maps, use them early and often:

• Before creating the to-be maps, mark up the as-is maps to highlight trouble spots or deficiencies in your current processes.
• Incorporate those marked-up as-is maps as part of the initial system integrator bid package (Request for Proposal) and use them to onboard any new resources.
• Use the as-is maps as reference documents to help organize activities and assess completeness for various project aspects.
• Compare and contrast the to-be and as-is maps to guide organizational change management activities.

What Is the Difference Between As-Is and To-Be Process Mapping?

As-is mapping documents how your business processes work today, including workarounds, manual steps, and informal handoffs that may not be captured in any system. To-be mapping defines how those processes should work in the future state, typically aligned to the capabilities of the new technology platform.

The gap between the two is where the real work of transformation lives. It represents the changes your people, processes, and systems need to absorb. In our experience, organizations that skip or rush the as-is step often struggle during to-be design because they lack a shared understanding of how things actually work today, not just how they are supposed to work.

How Long Should As-Is Mapping Take?

This depends on the scope and complexity of your organization, but the answer is almost certainly less time than you think. When we advise clients on this, we recommend a timeboxed approach: allocate two to four weeks for high-level as-is mapping across all major process areas, with the understanding that you can go deeper in specific areas later as needed.

Organizations that treat as-is mapping as an open-ended exercise often burn through months of effort and organizational goodwill before they ever get to the to-be state. A focused, high-level approach keeps momentum and preserves energy for the work that matters most.

When Should You Skip As-Is Mapping Entirely?

There are situations where as-is mapping adds little value. If your organization is undergoing a complete greenfield implementation with no legacy processes to carry forward, or if you are a smaller organization with relatively simple, well-understood processes, the effort may not be justified.

However, even in these cases, we recommend at minimum documenting area-to-area handoffs. These integration points are where the most critical process breakdowns occur during implementation, regardless of organization size or complexity.

Summary

As-is business process mapping does not have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor. By keeping most of the mapping at a high level and only going deeper at area-to-area handoffs and a limited number of identified critical areas, it is possible to derive almost all the value of fully detailed as-is maps with only a small fraction of the effort.

If you are preparing for an ERP implementation and want guidance on how to approach your business process mapping, contact us at eric.kimberling@thirdstage-consulting.com. Be sure to download our latest Digital Transformation Report for additional benchmarks and best practices.