From IPAPI

Most organizations already have some form of process documentation in place. Process documentation could be work instructions, process flow charts, workflow diagrams, or even software applications. ANYTHING that describes the work people and machines do or how people and machines do their work is a form of process documentation.

• It is important to note that process definitions ARE NOT processes. A process is the set of real activities performed by people or machines that produce an outcome.

IPAPI Definition

Process Documentation - Process Documentation is anything that attempts to: 1) describe the work people and machines do; 2) describe how people and machines do their work; 3) or describe the “experience” of a user or consumer of the process.

Overview

Process documentation can exist in many forms. The most common forms of process documentation are graphical diagramming and procedural text. The method and approach to documenting processes in organizations varies widely.

There are also different perspectives that process documentation can represent. Graphical diagramming is often based on flowcharting or workflow models. Procedural documentation can be focused on the outcome of the process (the steps that need to be taken and the instructions for doing each step) or specific job activities. All forms of process documentation can be based on interim outcomes, lines of business, functional areas, or any other form of organizational structure that may be in use. Processes often follow the functional hierarchy in place within an organization.

No form of process documentation can ever capture the complete and true essence of a process. Instead, each form of process documentation captures a portion of a process’ “essence.”

Process documentation can also inject errors into a process. While many people perceive process documentation to be “the process,” the real process is what actually happens when work gets done. The majority of processes have infinite variation in how work actually gets done and what happens when work is being performed. Because process documentation is a version of the real process that has been translated by people into a process documentation form it is impossible to capture the variation that exists in most processes.

Finally, process documentation is not only a translation of the real process it is also a symbolic representation of a process. Regardless of the form the process documentation takes, all process documentation symbolically represents process in order to help people develop a shared and common basis of process understanding.