Process Mapping: Integrating the Skills Required to Improve Processes

Process mapping is a tool that encourages the integration of science, engineering, and process knowledge with data and statistics to reveal opportunities to improve processes. This articles outlines the principles behind process mapping as they apply to chemical processes, both batch and continuous. It describes the basics of process mapping, defines appropriate categories for variables, and provides examples of a process map and its use to significantly improve a batch process and a continuous process.