Using Excel to create a process or workflow document
Every process has actors and activities. We created an input template that makes it easy to identify who is doing what by tabulating information about the actors and activities in a process. This template is a great tool to use when you wish to create a process model when documentation is out of date, or doesn’t exist, or for providing to individual subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather their understanding of and activities in a process.
There are 3 short steps for using this template to create a process model:
1 – Create a list of actors
Identify the actors in your process. We recommend limiting the number of actors to less than 10 this will make managing the process and model easier. Remember, Actors are not people’s names they are the organizational titles for the people, systems, entities, etc. that perform activities. Enter the actor list in the column called: Process Actors in the Actor Listing worksheet.
2 – Create a list of activities
With your actors defined, go to the second worksheet labeled Activity Listing. In the Actor column, use the drop-down menu to select an Actor. In the column besides the Actor entered, labeled Activity, enter the activity which the Actor executes in the process. Be sure to start with the first actor in your process and try to enter each actor and their corresponding activity in sequence.
Place only one activity in each activity cell. If an Actor performs a series of activities, enter each activity into an individual cell.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to use action verbs to describe the activity being performed.
When the process moves to a different Actor, identify thene Actor in the Actor column and continue entering the associated activities.
Once all the actors and Activities have been identified, use the Save as from the file menus to save the worksheet as a PDF. This must be done from the Activity Listing tab.
3 – Create the Process Model
Log into your AI Process Model account and upload the PDF listing that you just created with the Actors and Activities. Submit the file to create your process model.
Click to download the Process Input Template:
