Summary

Documenting business processes support shared understanding, identification of inefficiencies, and delivering transformation. It helps teams to define responsibilities, dependencies, sequential ordering, and outcomes, and supports training, knowledge sharing, auditing, and continuity.

Categories

The categories applicable to this standard are:

Architecture
  • Business Architecture
Product and Delivery
  • Business Analysis

Purpose

This standard outlines the tooling for documenting business processes within the Department for Education. It ensures consistent documentation and formatting of outputs to support service delivery and business process improvement. This standard applies to all individuals and roles involved in documenting, visualising, and improving business processes.

How to meet this standard

To document business processes, individuals must use an approved product, or a tolerated product in specific use cases.

Approved products

Approved product or service

Product or service
Visio
Vendor
Microsoft
Version
Evergreen
Use-case
Microsoft Visio is the preferred tool for diagramming and process mapping. MS Visio Online is included in DfE's M365 subscription and offers integration with SharePoint. Desktop Visio licences must be requested through the IT Help Centre.

Tolerated products

Tolerated product or service

Product or service
Lucidchart
Vendor
Lucid
Version
Evergreen
Use-case
Lucidchart is the secondary choice for diagramming and process mapping. It should only be used when Microsoft Visio does not meet diagramming and mapping requirements. Lucid Suite licences must be requested through the IT Help Centre.

Tolerated product or service

Product or service
PowerPoint
Vendor
Microsoft
Version
Evergreen
Use-case
Microsoft PowerPoint is a tolerated tool for diagramming and process mapping only where no other option is available and high-level visualisations are produced.

Declaring conformance with this standard

Conformance with the standard must be recorded every 12 months.

Owner and contacts

Standard owner
Emily Saunderson
Head of Profession - BA
Other point of contact
Barinderjeet Sahota