Swimlane Diagrams

Summary

A process diagram organized into horizontal or vertical lanes representing different roles or departments — making clear exactly who is responsible for each step, and where handoffs happen.

• 1Build a swimlane diagram for a cross-departmental process (e.g. order fulfillment).
• 2Learn why handoff points between lanes are often where processes break down.
• 3Practice identifying an unnecessary handoff that could be eliminated to simplify the process.