A process map shows on a single page how a company works: which activities lead the firm, which deliver the service to the customer, which support in the background? Anyone who wants to create a process map is often faced with the question of how detailed the picture should be and who is responsible for what. This guide shows how an SME finds, describes and links its processes. We give references to ISO 9001 in substance with the clause number; the text of the standard itself is protected and is not reproduced here.
What a process map is
ISO 9001 requires the organisation to determine the processes of its management system and to describe how they interact (clause 4.4 of the 2015 edition). According to the guidance of the ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group (ISO and IAF), this includes knowing for each process what goes in and what comes out, how the processes follow one another and how you recognise whether a process achieves its aim. The full list of requirements is in clause 4.4 of your copy of the standard. In this clause the 2015 edition requires documented information, to the extent that the company considers necessary to be able to rely on the effectiveness of its system; the standard does not prescribe form or content. As examples, the Auditing Practices Group mentions process sheets, process maps, IT workflows and turtle diagrams. The papers of this informal group are not formally endorsed by ISO and IAF.
A process map is the overview of all this. It is not a mandatory document with a fixed structure but an aid (practice, not normative): it makes visible which processes exist and how they are connected, and it is the entry point for employees, new starters and auditors.
Since 16 September 2026 the new edition ISO 9001:2026 has been available. In the certification bodies’ overviews of the changes, clause 4.4 is not singled out; however, they mention minor adjustments in other clauses from 4 to 10. Even so, check the requirements in your copy of the standard.
Three process types
In practice the map is divided into three groups (practice, not normative):
| Process type | Task | Examples in an SME |
|---|---|---|
| Management processes | Give direction, steer, improve | Strategy and objectives, management review |
| Core processes | Deliver the service to the customer | Sales, planning, service delivery, completion |
| Support processes | Create the conditions | Personnel, purchasing, infrastructure, improvement |
The core processes usually form a chain from the customer enquiry to the invoice and feedback. Management and support processes sit above and below.
Finding processes without getting lost
A common mistake is to break things down too finely. Thirty processes are hardly manageable in an SME. A well-tried rule of thumb (practice, not normative): five to ten processes on the map, with the details in procedures and work instructions beneath. This is how you find them:
- Think from the customer’s point of view. Which steps lie between an enquiry and the paid invoice?
- Group. Combine related activities into one process.
- Name. Choose names that everyone understands: “Order fulfilment” rather than “Process 3”.
- Set the sequence. Which process supplies the next?
The process profile
For each process you record the key details on a profile:
- Purpose: why does the process exist?
- Scope: which sites, departments or services does it apply to?
- Responsible job title: who is accountable?
- Inputs and outputs: what goes in, what comes out?
- Metrics: how do you recognise that the process is running well?
- Risks: what can go wrong? A brief note is enough.
The flow in lanes
Anyone who draws the flow assigns each step to a role. The result is called a swimlane diagram: each lane belongs to a role, and the steps run from left to right. A flow consists of four building blocks: start, activity, decision and end. A decision always has at least two paths (“yes” and “no”), otherwise it is not a decision. A flow that has no clear start and no end, or contains a step without a role, is incomplete.
A numbered list of steps is a useful addition. It is easier to read and to change than a diagram.
Responsibilities with the RACI matrix
The RACI matrix records who plays which role in each activity. The four letters stand for R (Responsible, carries out), A (Accountable, is answerable), C (Consulted, contributes) and I (Informed, is kept informed). The rule of thumb (practice, not normative): for each activity exactly one role with A and at least one with R. If there are two As, two people argue about responsibility; if there is none, nobody feels responsible.
Practical example: Muster Druck AG
Muster Druck AG in Musterhausen is a fictitious company with 30 employees. The executive management determines seven processes:
| Number | Process | Type |
|---|---|---|
| P-01 | Management and improvement | Management process |
| P-10 | Sales and order clarification | Core process |
| P-11 | Order fulfilment | Core process |
| P-12 | Invoice and completion | Core process |
| P-20 | Personnel and training | Support process |
| P-21 | Purchasing | Support process |
| P-22 | Complaints | Support process |
The operations manager describes process P-11 “Order fulfilment” as follows. The purpose is: to deliver orders on time and to the agreed quality. The metric is the share of orders delivered on time, with a target value of 95 per cent. The predecessor is P-10, the successor P-12. The flow has six steps in three lanes: start “Order received” (Sales), “Check print data” (Prepress), “Print order” (Printing), the decision “Quality OK?” (Printing), “Prepare dispatch” (Printing) and the end “Goods delivered” (Printing). If the answer is “no”, the flow returns to “Print order”.
She sets the responsibilities as follows:
| Activity | Sales | Prepress | Printing | Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check print data | A | R | C | – |
| Print order | I | C | R | A |
| Check quality and dispatch | I | – | R | A |
Each activity has exactly one A and at least one R. The process is thus completely described and can apply.
Checklist
- Processes determined from the customer’s point of view, not broken down too finely
- Management, core and support processes distinguished
- Every process has a name that everyone understands, and a number
- Profile with purpose, scope, responsible person, inputs, outputs and metrics
- Flow with start, end, roles for each step and two paths for each decision
- RACI for each activity: exactly one A, at least one R
- Predecessor and successor of the processes linked
- Related documents and quality objectives linked for each process
- Process map linked in the manual
- Reviewed after changes in the company
How KMU | base helps
QMS | base keeps the map, profile and flow in one place.
1. Process map. You arrange management, core and support processes on a single page and move them into the order you want. At the top you switch between process map and table.
2. Process profile. For each process you record purpose, scope, responsible job title, inputs and outputs, metrics and a risk note. Every change increases the version.
3. Flow in lanes. In the form you capture start, activities, decisions and end, each step with a role. QMS | base shows the flow in lanes and as a numbered list of steps.
4. Check before activation. Inconsistent flows and a RACI without exactly one A and at least one R are flagged; a process only becomes active with a valid flow. Employees see only active processes.
5. Links. You link predecessor and successor processes, controlled documents, quality objectives and standard clauses to the process. On the document you see in which processes it is used.
6. Roles and responsibility matrix. You describe roles with tasks, authorities, role holder and deputy and see the RACI matrix across all active processes. The org chart is generated from line managers, job titles and departments that you maintain anyway.
Where to find it: in the QMS | base sidebar, in the “Day to day” group, open “Processes”; authorised people with the right “Manage processes” create new processes via “New process”. The responsibilities are in the “Management system” group under “Responsibilities”. People with edit rights in the QMS can see this group. The starter pack in the QMS settings brings a process map with eight sample processes, with the sales process as a fully worked sample flow; you adapt everything to your company.
What QMS | base does not do: the flow is captured as a list of steps; QMS | base does not offer a graphical editor for dragging shapes or a turtle diagram. What your processes say is up to you: the check detects formal gaps, not whether the flow is correct in substance.
If you would like to try it yourself, take a look at the demo or open a trial account. If you have questions, we will be glad to help via the contact page.
Sources
- ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group: Guidance on Processes, Edition 2, 19.07.2020; the APG is an informal group and its papers are not formally endorsed by ISO and IAF; accessed 27.10.2026.
- Kiwa ZertPunkt: Mindestanforderungen der DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 an zu dokumentierende Informationen, overview (2015 edition, in German), accessed 27.10.2026.
- ISO: ISO 9001:2026 Quality management systems – Requirements, standard page, accessed 27.10.2026.
- DNV: ISO 9001:2026 Standard Revision, changes by clause, accessed 27.10.2026.
This guide does not replace legal or tax advice. Information as at 27 October 2026.