gengenbach-forensic-workflows-2012

transcription or workflow mapping process. In most cases, the process went through
several iterations and refinements before the workflow map was deemed by the
participant to be an accurate representation of institutional processes. The completed
versions of each institutional workflow map for managing born-digital content can be
found in the following section. Transcriptions were analyzed using open coding to
identify parallels and common threads throughout the interviews.
A Note on Workflow Mapping
At its most fundamental, process mapping “makes work visible.” 86 Process
mapping is a way of visualizing and documenting the activities of an organization such
that it: “can be performed effectively and efficiently,” “[c]an be managed effectively,”
and it “[o]ffers the potential for a competitive advantage.” 87 A flowchart, one of the most
basic methods of process mapping, is “a graphic representation of the sequence of steps
that make up a process.” 88 Flowcharts are frequently used to represent the steps in a high-
level workflow, where a workflow is defined as a sequence through which a piece of
work passes from start to finish. 89 I have chosen the term workflow map for the diagrams
I have created, as they map the current practices and processes that make up the
workflows for managing born-digital content within each of the institutions represented
by participants. The workflow maps are accompanied by a legend that defines the
different processes that are visually depicted, and are based upon workflow symbols
86 Robert Damelio, The Basics of Process Mapping. (Portland, OR: Productivity, Inc., 1996), 1.
87 Alan J. Raimas and Richard Rummler, “The Evolution of the Effective Process Framework: A Model for
Redesigning Business processes.” Performance Improvement 48 no. 10 (November/December 2009),
26, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pfi.20112/abstract (accessed May 2012).
88 Damelio, The Basics of Process Mapping, 10.
89 “Workflow,” Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workflow (accessed June
2012).
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