3 tables · 12 columns
Automation opportunity scoring template
Score each candidate workflow on five criteria, weigh it against hours spent, and pick the first pilot.
Workflow process map template
This process mapping template records a workflow one step at a time: who does it, what goes in and out, which system it runs in, how long it takes and where it waits. It is for operations and finance leads about to automate a process. Watch one real item, fill a row per handoff, then tag each step.
At a glance
- Format
- 2 tables · 10 columns
- Best for
- Operations, finance and support leads who are about to change or automate a workflow
- Copy as
- CSV, tab-separated for Sheets, or Markdown
- Last updated
- October 16, 2026
The template
Paste it into a sheet and fill it in while you watch the work. There are ten blank step rows and four exception rows. Add more if the workflow runs longer.
Workflow process map template
Free to copy. No email and no download.
- Workflow name
- Verb and object, for example Process supplier invoices.
- Process owner
- The person who can approve changes to it.
- Trigger
- What starts one item: an email, a form, a date.
- Items per month
- From a system report, not a guess.
- Systems involved
- Every tool an item touches, including email and spreadsheets.
- Mapped by and date
- So the next reader knows how fresh it is.
Steps
Fill inOne row for each handoff or decision. Record what people do, not what the procedure says.
| Step1, 2, 3. Use 3a for a branch. | What happensVerb plus object: Match invoice to PO. | Done byA role or a system. | Work typeRules, Model or Person. | InputWhat the step starts from. | OutputWhat exists when it ends. | System or toolWhere the work happens. | Touch time (min)Hands-on time per item. | Wait time (min)Time before the next step starts. | Rework or pain pointWhat goes wrong, and how often. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Exceptions
Fill inEvery route off the main path, with who deals with it and whether the rule is written down.
| ExceptionFor example, price differs from the PO. | How oftenPer 100 items, from a sample. | Who handles itRole. | What they doThe actual handling, in order. | Time to resolve (min)Hands-on plus waiting. | Rule written down?Yes, No or Partly. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scroll sideways to see every column.
How to fill it in
6 steps, in the order that saves rework.
- 1
Name the workflow and its trigger
Write it as one sentence, from what starts an item to what ends it. If the sentence needs the words "and also", you have two workflows. Map them one at a time.
- 2
Follow one real item
Sit with the person doing the work and follow a single item from trigger to finish. Write down what they do, including the spreadsheet on the side and the message to a colleague.
- 3
Add a row for every handoff or decision
Start a new row when the item moves to a different person or system, or when someone makes a choice. Three clicks by the same person in the same screen are one row.
- 4
Time a sample
Record touch time and wait time for a handful of items, ten if you can. Wait time is usually the larger number and the one people forget to write down.
- 5
Log the exceptions on their own table
Note how often each happens per 100 items and who handles it. The exceptions with no written rule are where an automation will need a person.
- 6
Tag each step Rules, Model or Person
Rules means fixed logic, Model means reading or drafting from unstructured input, and Person means judgment or approval. Then score the candidates with the automation opportunity scoring template.
A worked example
A made-up case, so you can see what a filled-in version looks like. None of the numbers are real.
Illustrative
Supplier invoice intake
Illustrative. The steps, times and notes below are made up to show how a filled row reads.
| Step | What happens | Done by | Work type | System | Touch (min) | Wait (min) | Pain point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open the email and save the attachment | AP clerk | Rules | Shared mailbox | 2 | 180 | Some invoices arrive in personal inboxes |
| 2 | Read the header and lines, key them in | AP clerk | Model | ERP entry screen | 6 | 0 | Skewed scans, a second language |
| 3 | Check for a duplicate | AP clerk | Rules | ERP search | 1 | 0 | Same invoice sent twice |
| 4 | Match to the purchase order | AP clerk | Rules | ERP | 4 | 0 | Price or quantity differs |
| 5 | Route to the budget owner when there is no PO or a variance | Budget owner | Person | 3 | 1,440 | Approver out of the office | |
| 6 | Post the bill and schedule payment | AP clerk | Rules | ERP | 2 | 0 | None recorded |
Scroll sideways to see every column.
How to read it. Touch time adds up to 18 minutes. Wait time adds up to 1,620 minutes, or 27 hours, and the approval wait is most of it. In this made-up case a faster invoice reader would barely move the end-to-end time. That is why the sheet asks for both columns.
Use it with
- TemplateAutomation opportunity scoring templateRank the workflows you have mapped by feasibility and hours.
- ToolAI readiness assessmentScore one mapped workflow on process, data, systems, volume, risk and people.
- BlogBusiness process automationWhat to automate first, the tools and what it costs.
- BlogWhat is AI workflow automationHow rules, models and people split the work in one workflow.
- SolutionWorkflow automationHow we build and run workflows inside your own systems.
- PageA sample workflow auditA fictional audit that starts with a map like this one.
Questions about this template
What is a process mapping template?
A structured sheet for recording each step of a workflow: who does it, what goes in and out, which system it uses, how long it takes and where it goes wrong. It captures how work runs today, so you can decide what to change.
How detailed should a process map be?
One row per handoff or decision. If the same person does three things in a row in the same system, one row is enough. Too much detail makes the sheet unusable, and too little hides the waits, which are usually where the time goes.
Should I map the process as it runs or as it should run?
As it runs today. A tidied-up version hides the exceptions and workarounds that cost the most time. Fix the process on paper afterward, once you can see where the real delays are.
Do I still need a flowchart?
Not for a first pass. The sheet is easier to total and sort, and every row maps to one box if you want to draw it later. Draw the flowchart when other people need to see the branches at a glance.
How do I decide what to automate from the map?
Total the touch time by work type. Steps tagged Rules or Model are candidates, and steps tagged Person stay with your team as approvals. Score the candidate workflows side by side with the opportunity scoring template, then check the top one with a measured sample.
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Mapped a workflow and want a second opinion?
A 30-minute call with an engineer. You will leave knowing what a system could do for that workflow and what it would take to build.
What happens next
- 1
Strategy call
We learn how the workflow runs today and what a good outcome would be.
- 2
Workflow audit
We map the process and measure where a system would save the most time.
- 3
Proposal
A written scope, timeline and fixed price for your first system. No obligation to build.