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Thanks to all participants for making this a rich discussion. Almost all of you spelled out the correct definition of Continuous and Attribute data and provided good examples. Also some of you pinpointed the area of confusion when the metric is a mix of continuous and discrete data e.g. percentages , practical usage of data, large amounts of discrete data being used as continuous , measurement gauge used etc.Kavitha Sundar provided a comprehensive explanation to data types with examples and inference. Congratulations Kavitha and thanks everyone for the your inputs.

There are various types of process mapping, but we can categorize them in mainly 5 groups. 1. SIPOC 2. High Level Process Map/Flow chart 3. Detailed process Map 4. Swim Lane Map 5. Value steam Mapping SIPOC:- SIPOC stands for Supplier – Inputs – Process – Outputs – Customer · The required inputs (and their providers) are listed to the left, and the key process outputs (and their recipients) are listed to the right. The SIPOC provides a focus for discussion of what the process is all about. · With SIPOC we will be able to know who supplies to process, what is the output of the process? What are requirements of a customer? · It is recommended to have a SIPOC for every project because they are helpful when discussing the process with others and simple to make. High Level Process Maps/High level Flow chart:- It provides an overview of the processes and objectives that drive an organization. The purpose is to provide quick and easy insights into what the process does, without getting into the details of how it’s done. Detailed Process Map/ Detailed Flow chart:- While studying the high level process map, if we want to get more detail of a particular process. We may need to make a details process map for that process. Swim lane Map:- Swim lanes is a technique used in process mapping to simplify the work procedure. The process is divided into several swim lanes. These are represented by the different people that will perform that job. Detailed process maps are often prepared in the swim lane format. This is because often there are multiple detailed process maps. Keeping track of who is supposed to do what may get confusing. Swim lanes help to simplify them. Value Stream Map:- VSMs are typically used in Lean applications. They are rich with information that is useful when planning process improvements. Value Stream Maps are sometimes called Material and Information Flow Diagrams. With value stream map we can see how material is moving from one process to another and how information is flowing. We can also see WIPs and its level. We can get relevant process details such as cycle time, change over time,etc. What is the wait time for information/product can also be gathered from a value stream map. They require more skill to build than simpler process maps, but they provide great information. Below is the summary of various process maps. Process Mapping When It is used SIPOC to get overview of what are inputs/outputs, what are customers’ requirements High level process Map Shows how the process works Detailed process Map To get deep understanding of the process Swim Lane Maps It shows which department is is involved with how much intensity in that process Value stream mapping It is the ultimate process map, which gives all the relevant detail about the process. For me Value stream mapping is the best template to do a process mapping. Now for an organization which is new to these tools, or for an organization which I am not aware of I will follow below sequence of process mapping.