How to Combine SOPs, Spreadsheets, and Interviews into One Visio Swimlane

Description and use

<p>No single source usually tells the whole truth about a business process. The SOP describes the approved procedure, the spreadsheet contains operational fields and routing codes, and interviews reveal what people actually do. Building a Visio swimlane from only one of them creates a partial—and sometimes misleading—picture.</p> <p>The better approach is evidence reconciliation: extract process elements from every source, record where they agree or conflict, resolve material gaps, and only then generate the diagram.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit

Problem

<p>No single source usually tells the whole truth about a business process. The SOP describes the approved procedure, the spreadsheet contains operational fields and routing codes, and interviews reveal what people actually do. Building a Visio swimlane from only one of them creates a partial—and sometimes misleading—picture.</p> <p>The better approach is evidence reconciliation: extract process elements from every source, record where they agree or conflict, resolve material gaps, and only then generate the diagram.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit

Outcome

<p>No single source usually tells the whole truth about a business process. The SOP describes the approved procedure, the spreadsheet contains operational fields and routing codes, and interviews reveal what people actually do. Building a Visio swimlane from only one of them creates a partial—and sometimes misleading—picture.</p> <p>The better approach is evidence reconciliation: extract process elements from every source, record where they agree or conflict, resolve material gaps, and only then generate the diagram.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit

Evidence

How to Combine SOPs, Spreadsheets, and Interviews into One Visio Swimlane

Source