Process Mapping Basics

Process Mapping Basics

Mapping your first process

You've just created and opened your very first process, but don't know where to start. This article will help you understand and learn the basics of process mapping in Spark!

Define the scope of your process

Before mapping anything, it is best to spend time thinking about the scope:
  1. What is the process about? Find a good title. Think of a sentence starting with "How to...?"
  2. What triggers the process, what is the starting point?
  3. What tells the process it is finished, what tangible outcome has been produced? 


The start and end points use what we call a "Whybox". "Activity Boxes" and "Whyboxes" are used in between the starting point and the end point.

Other questions to think through

  • Who is the owner of the process?
  • Who needs to be involved in the definition of the process?
  • Who needs to be trained on the new process?
  • What changes can be / cannot be made?
  • What is regulatory framework? Is there any compliance risk?
Know that we know what to map, we can start to map our process!

Add boxes to the canvas

The first step is to add Whyboxes and Activity Boxes to your process, this can be done by clicking dragging the boxes from the left panel onto the canvas. Very simple.


Describe what happens

The standard rectangular shaped boxes (that we call Activity Boxes) are used to describe what happens - the work to be done - and who does it - the role or people responsible to carry out the activity


Best practices

  • What happens: Start describing the activity with a verb. (Tip: Focus on the action that is being done).
  • Who does it: Use roles to assign these actions to someone

Describe why it happens

To better understand the work done, context is key. The second box is called a "whybox" and will describe...
  • What triggers a process
  • What outcome are produced


Connect boxes




Click and drag from one of the anchor points of the box. A green line will appear that lets you connect one box to another.

You can drop the line anywhere on the canvas to create a new box, the new box will be linked to the current one.

Select one or more boxes 

Select 1 box

Click anywhere on the box

Select several boxes together

  • Draw a selection square (shift + drag & drop if you are in "panning mode")

  • Hold CTRL or COMMAND and select the boxes you want

Move boxes on the canvas

  1. Click on a box to select
  2. Drag and drop it anywhere on the canvas to move it around. If you drop it "outside" the canvas, the canvas will be extended automatically


Remove one or more boxes

  • To remove a box: Click on a box and click the bin (🗑) icon on the bottom left corner of a box.

  • Or select the boxes by using Ctrl+Left Click:
    • Edit menu > Delete
    • Press Del or Backspace on your keyboard


What next?

Now that you have learned the basics of process mapping in Spark, here are some ideas to help you take the next step in your process mapping journey:
  • Enrich processes with attachments
  • Create a hierarchical model and enter detailed view
  • Arrange box (alignment, spacing)
  • Add icons to make your process more attractive
  • Add titles and make the most out of note boxes
  • Group boxes

    • Related Articles

    • Process map page settings

      Feature available to: Editor • Admin What are the page settings These are the settings that relate to the canvas/page that a process is developed onto. You can configure these settings based upon your mapping preferences and for printing/PDF ...

    • Copy and Paste Box Content

      Copy and Paste Box Content Introduction When mapping a process, you may find there are times when you want to copy over content from one box to another. Instead of repeating the actions of adding the same content to numerous boxes, why not learn this ...

    • Manage Process Stylesheets in Spark

      Available in Product Plan: Mapping (1 stylesheet) • Analysis (1 stylesheet) • Management (unlimited stylesheets) Feature available to: Admin (Create stylesheet), Editor (Select stylesheet to use on a process) Stylesheets are one of the tool to create ...

    • Archiving and unarchiving processes

      Archiving and unarchiving processes Learn about Archived processes including how to archive processes, where to find your archived processes and how to unarchive them. Why archive a process? Archiving processes is a great way to keep your workspace ...

    • Deleting processes/documents

      Deleting processes/documents Learn about how to delete processes/documents that you no longer require. Warning: Spark is not responsible for any content including sensitive information which is deleted by the user. Introduction Sometimes you may have ...