BA Launchpad

Process Mapping Masterclass
by Eccellenza Consulting

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BA Launchpad · Eccellenza Consulting
Process Mapping Masterclass
Trainer: Gladys Ajayi (BA Coach KayKay) · 9–10 May 2026
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Welcome

Process Mapping Masterclass

Two days. One case study. Real civil service skills you can apply from Monday.

Day 1
Saturday 9 May 2026
11:00am – 5:00pm
BPMN notation · As-is mapping · To-be redesign
Day 2
Sunday 10 May 2026
5:00pm – 7:30pm
User stories from pain points · Acceptance criteria · Stakeholders · Present
FULL CASE STUDY — MARCUS'S ESA CLAIM JOURNEY Marcus is 34, lives alone in Birmingham, has a chronic back condition and anxiety disorder, and has just been signed off work indefinitely by his GP. He needs to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) — the UK's main benefit for people who cannot work due to illness or disability.

The journey crosses two government departments:

NHS — GP Surgery: Marcus's GP signs him off with a fit note. The surgery holds all his medical history but has no direct digital connection to DWP.

DWP — Benefits Processing: Marcus calls the ESA helpline. DWP posts him an ESA1 form — 7–10 days to arrive. He fills it in by hand and posts it back. DWP manually checks eligibility — up to 13 weeks. DWP requests medical evidence from his GP by fax. The fax goes to a shared surgery number and is regularly lost. A Healthcare Professional conducts a Work Capability Assessment — face-to-face only at a centre Marcus struggles to reach. A decision maker reviews the report and posts a decision letter.

What Marcus experiences: 14 weeks of silence. Three contradictory letters. A missed WCA appointment because the letter went to his old address. He reapplies from scratch — running into debt, missing rent payments, and experiencing a serious deterioration in his mental health.

Your mission: Map the broken as-is process → Find the pain points → Redesign it → Translate pain points into user stories → Write acceptance criteria → Identify stakeholders → Present your findings.
Module 1 · Day 1

Why Does Process Mapping Matter?

Process mapping makes invisible work visible — revealing who does what, when, and where things break down.

MARCUS'S PROBLEM IN ONE SENTENCENobody at DWP or the NHS can see Marcus's full journey. Each team only sees their part. Nobody owns the handoffs. That's why things fall through the gap.
What process mapping does
Makes the end-to-end journey visible across all teams. Shows handoffs, decisions and waiting times that nobody currently owns.
What it gives you as a BA
A shared picture any stakeholder can read. Evidence for where to improve. The foundation for writing requirements.
🎯 Activity — What goes wrong without process mapping?

Drag each consequence into the correct category.

CITIZEN IMPACT
ORGANISATIONAL IMPACT
Module 2 · Day 1

BPMN Notation

The international standard for drawing process maps. Learn the elements, then prove you know them.

Pool
Boundary of one organisation.
e.g. "DWP" or "NHS"
Lane
One role/dept inside a pool.
e.g. "GP Surgery"
Task
One unit of work by a person or system.
e.g. "Complete ESA form"
Start Event
Thin circle — where process begins.
e.g. "GP signs off patient"
End Event
Thick filled circle — where process ends.
e.g. "ESA confirmed"
X
XOR Gateway
One path only — condition decides.
e.g. "Eligible?" → Yes/No
O
OR Gateway
One or more paths simultaneously.
e.g. "Evidence?" → GP and/or specialist
+
AND Gateway
All paths fire — all must complete.
e.g. "Notify AND update AND close"
🎯 Match each element to its definition
Module 3 · Day 1

Build Your Process Map

Start with a warm-up exercise, then map Marcus's full ESA as-is process.

Quiz Checkpoint 1 · Day 1

BPMN & Process Mapping — 10 Questions

0 / 10
Module 4 · Day 1

To-Be Redesign Challenge

Six pain points are embedded in Marcus's journey. Tick each one you identify, then propose your to-be fix. These carry forward into Day 2.

AS-IS PAIN POINTS — CAN YOU SPOT THEM ALL?① 7–10 day postal delay for ESA1 form  ② Paper form returned by post — risk of loss  ③ Up to 13 weeks manual eligibility check  ④ GP evidence by fax — frequently lost  ⑤ WCA face-to-face only  ⑥ Decision by letter only — no digital notification
Module 5 · Day 1

Gap Analysis

You now have two maps — the as-is and the to-be. A gap analysis sits between them. It answers: what needs to change to get from where we are to where we want to be? The gaps you identify here become your requirements.

HOW GAP ANALYSIS WORKS — THE CORRECT SEQUENCE Step 1 — As-Is: Map what currently happens (you did this in Module 3).

Step 2 — To-Be: Design what should happen (you did this in Module 4).

Step 3 — Gap: Compare the two. The gap is what is missing, broken, or absent that prevents you moving from as-is to to-be. The gap is derived by comparing — not invented independently.

The gap drives the requirement. The requirement drives the user story. This is the chain.
💡 The three columns: As-Is (what you mapped) → To-Be (what you designed) → Gap (what's missing between the two). Always read left to right — as-is first, to-be second, gap last.
🎯 Part 1 — Identify the gap

Each row shows an as-is state and a to-be target. Drag the correct gap statement from the pool into the matching row.

🎯 Part 2 — Complete the gap analysis table

You are given the as-is and to-be. Write the gap — what is missing between them.

🎯 Part 3 — Prioritise the gaps

Drag the six gaps into priority order — most urgent at the top. Then explain why your top gap should be closed first.

DRAG TO REORDER — most urgent first
Quiz Checkpoint 2 · Day 1

As-Is vs To-Be — 10 Questions

0 / 10

🎉 Day 1 Complete!

You've mapped the as-is, identified pain points, designed the to-be, and analysed the gaps. Come back on Sunday 10 May at 5pm for Day 2 — where your gaps become user stories.

Your work is saved automatically.

Module 6 · Day 2

Interactive As-Is Diagram

Click any box in Marcus's ESA claim lifecycle to reveal the full story and explanation for that step.

Human-triggered
System-triggered
NHS DWP CITIZEN HP GP signs offHuman-triggered GP sends evidenceBy fax ⚠ often lost DWP posts ESA17–10 day delay ⚠ Eligibility checkManual — 13 weeks ⚠ DWP requestsevidence from GP ⚠ Decision makerHuman decision Marcus calls DWPHuman-triggered Fills ESA1 by handPosts back ⚠ Decision letterPost only — no SMS ⚠ WCA — face to faceNo remote option ⚠ Click any box to explore the story
🎯 Functional vs Non-Functional Requirements

Drag each requirement into the correct category.

FUNCTIONAL — What the system must DO
NON-FUNCTIONAL — Quality / Speed / Accessibility
Module 6 · Day 2

User Story Generator

Four pain points from the as-is process. Build the correct user story for each.

0 / 4
Module 8 · Day 2

Acceptance Criteria Builder

Write testable Given / When / Then criteria for three ESA user stories.

Module 9 · Day 2

Stakeholder RACI

For the new digital ESA portal, drag each stakeholder into Accountable / Responsible / Consulted / Informed.

SCENARIODWP is building a new digital ESA claim portal. Who needs to be involved and how?
ACCOUNTABLE — owns the outcome
RESPONSIBLE — does the work
CONSULTED — gives input
INFORMED — kept updated
Quiz Checkpoint 3 · Day 2

Day 2 Knowledge Check — 10 Questions

0 / 10
Module 10 · Day 2

Stakeholder Presentation Prep

Present your findings to a senior DWP stakeholder in 3 sentences.

💡 A good BA can explain a complex process problem in 30 seconds. Your pitch syncs live to the teacher dashboard.
Sentence 1 — The current situation:
Sentence 2 — The impact on citizens:
Sentence 3 — The recommended change:
Digital Workbook

Your Learning Record

Everything you've done across both days. Your work syncs automatically to the teacher dashboard.

📓 My Workbook