Swimlane Model

What is a Swimlane Model?

A Swimlane Model visualizes a business process that categorizes and organizes activities into lanes. This is to illustrate who is responsible for each part of the process. Each lane represents a different actor, department, or function within the organization. The model type is used to map processes, workflows or procedures and to clarify roles and responsibilities.

Why should you use a Swimlane Model?

Swimlane Models are used to advantage to visualize and clarify how, for example, handovers and responsibilities should be organized. The Swimlane Model also helps you with:

1. Optimize your processes
   Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and redundancies in your workflows.
2. Documentation
   With the Swimlane Model, you create a clear and comprehensive description of business processes.
3. Communication
   Organizational communication is facilitated when all employees and stakeholders understand the business processes.
4. Analysis
   Analyse roles and responsibilities, ensure accountability, and align your processes with the objectives.

How do you create a Swimlane Model in 2c8 Apps?

In 2c8 Apps, you can easily create Swimlane Models and reuse objects from other parts of the business. Below, we will use an example to clarify the responsibilities and handover between a Salesperson and a Sales Manager in the ‘Manage inquiry’ process. We start by placing the roles of the Swimlane objects.

We then make settings for the Swimlane objects that say the roles are “Responsible” for all activities we place in the Swimlane. Then, we choose to place a flow from a request to a final quote. The activities that the roles are responsible for are placed in each role’s Swimlane.

In this way, we have visually illustrated how a process flows between the responsibilities of different roles. This creates clarity about which parts each role is responsible for.

Do you want to know more about the Swimlane Model?

We have created a free guide about the Swimlane model on our educational platform, 2c8 Academy. Click here to see it!