The turtle diagrams in my company basically are descriptions of the whole area/sector. Like "Acquisitions Area", "Quality Management Area", "Contracts Area". In the center of the diagram, we actually include several different processes.
I guess that somewhats helps auditing. As auditors usually audit areas. If they would audit multi-area processes through the Turtle Diagrams, they would have to go around the company and even outside (as we are a Civil Infrastructure Company).
On the other hand, I understand most Turtle Diagrams have more granularity, that is, they map smaller processes. Maybe even sub-processes.
We have 13 Turtle Diagrams, by Area/Sector. I imagine that companies with more granularity will have up to 50??? (if I count the processes listed in the center box of our Turtle Diagrams, we probably have more. Quality alone has like 12 Processes, such as "Internal Audits Planning and Execution", "Quality System Training", "Control and Revision of Documents and Registers", "Control Instruments Calibration", "Non-Conformity Control", etc)
roger,
Areas are not processes. Processes are work by man, machines, animals or a combination that convert inputs into output. Your organization is a system of
interacting processes.
To determine your system’s key processes you start with what your organization does to fulfill its mission such as: strategic planning, understand customer needs and then all the way through your organization of interacting functions to convert those needs into cash in the organization’s bank. These interactions include customers and suppliers and any other external entities that are essential to satisfy customer needs.
This end to end process is known as your core process and all other key processes such as purchasing, recruiting, training, controlling documentation, managing infrastructure, continually improving performance and auditing support it; indeed these are known as support processes.
The core process is captured (documented) but lacks enough granularity to act as a documented procedure. For this granularity you determine the key processes the comprise the core process such as marketing, designing service and (perhaps) products, planning production, production, delivery, invoicing and controlling credit. For this you’ll have worked with top management and they will have identified the process owners with who you work to capture each the key processes and their interactions.
Instead of using (widely deprecated) turtle diagrams, my clients created deployment flowcharts (using Teamflow or Visio) to act as procedures as a result of analyzing the key processes to capture them as they actually work (to fulfill their objectives) and interact with other processes in the system. The only documented procedure not flowcharted is Filing and Archiving because this works best as a table or spreadsheet.
Within processes and their documented procedures you may identify critical tasks where instructions are necessary to specify how the task is completed. Examples may include Validating Production Processes or Engaging Customers with Social Media (as part of the marketing process).
With a robust document coding scheme your system documentation will show how the document procedures, instructions and forms hang together.
Please note that it is not possible to document the whole system of processes and their interactions but you’re making sure that you are capturing what work adds value and prevents loss.
It’s reassessing risks and documenting how those risks (positive and negative) are addressed. BTW, most, normal people, call positive risks: opportunities!
If you want to assist your auditors then instead of turtle diagrams you could include a matrix (spreadsheet) of each system standard’s clauses and your system documentation at the procedure level (being as every instruction and form has a parent procedure).
I wish you every success,
John