Building and validating the current-state process map
Key Takeaway
Get stakeholders to agree on a process's input and outcome first, because that agreement sets the scope for every level of detail. Then draft the current-state map from existing documents and validate it step by step with the workers who do the process, even when they are hard to reach.
A current-state process map is a business process map of how work happens today. It is a visual representation of every step and decision made to complete a process from start to finish. A consultant builds it very early in a project, because the hardest part of improving a process is fully understanding what stakeholders do today and why they need something better. The consultant then validates the map with the people who actually do the work. After validation, the map can guide requirements, solution design, and the design of AI agents.
Define a process by its input and outcome
Define a process by its input and its outcome, not by the application it runs in. Real processes include other applications and manual activities, so Salesforce screens often do not cover the whole process. For example, Lead to Revenue starts with a lead qualified by marketing and ends with revenue booked into accounts receivable.
Stakeholders need to agree on the input and outcome before anyone drills into detailed steps, because that agreement sets the scope for every level of detail below it. When you drill down from an activity box to the next-level map, the next-level map is limited by that box's own input and outcome.
Getting this agreement often takes time, especially for a top-level map, because teams use the same words differently. For example, sales may see a lead as someone about to buy, while marketing may see a lead as anyone who registered for an event. Likewise, revenue could mean a signed contract, a raised invoice, or cash received.
A bank wants to map its account opening process. The retail team says the process starts when a customer submits an application. The compliance team says it starts when identity documents arrive. For the outcome, one team means an account number is issued, and another means the first deposit has cleared. Until the stakeholders pick one input and one outcome, nobody knows which steps belong on the map. They agree that the process runs from a submitted application to a funded account. Every detailed map below the top level now stays inside that range.