Welcome
Process Mapping Masterclass
Two days. One case study. Real civil service skills you can use 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 · Acceptance criteria · Stakeholders · Present
FULL CASE STUDY — MARCUS'S ESA CLAIM JOURNEY
Marcus is 34 years old. He 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 unable to work due to illness or disability.
The current process spans two government departments:
NHS — GP Surgery: Marcus's GP signs him off with a fit note (formerly sick note) and issues a DS1500 medical evidence form for severe conditions. The GP surgery holds all of Marcus's medical history but has no direct digital connection to DWP systems.
DWP — Benefits Processing: Marcus calls the ESA helpline to start a claim. DWP posts him an ESA1 application form — it takes 7–10 days to arrive. Marcus fills it in by hand and posts it back. DWP manually checks eligibility over up to 13 weeks. DWP requests Marcus's medical evidence from his GP by fax. The fax goes to a shared surgery number and is regularly lost. A Healthcare Professional (HP) is then appointed by DWP to conduct a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) — this is face-to-face only at an assessment centre, which Marcus struggles to attend due to his back condition. After the WCA, a DWP decision maker reviews the HP's report and makes a decision. The decision letter is sent by post.
What Marcus experiences: He waits 14 weeks without any status update. He receives three letters with contradictory information. He misses the WCA appointment because the letter went to his old address. He is required to reapply from scratch. He eventually receives ESA — but not before running up debt, missing rent payments, and experiencing a significant deterioration in his mental health.
Your mission across this masterclass:
Map the broken as-is process → Identify the six pain points → Redesign the to-be process → Translate pain points into user stories → Write acceptance criteria → Identify stakeholders → Present your findings.
The current process spans two government departments:
NHS — GP Surgery: Marcus's GP signs him off with a fit note (formerly sick note) and issues a DS1500 medical evidence form for severe conditions. The GP surgery holds all of Marcus's medical history but has no direct digital connection to DWP systems.
DWP — Benefits Processing: Marcus calls the ESA helpline to start a claim. DWP posts him an ESA1 application form — it takes 7–10 days to arrive. Marcus fills it in by hand and posts it back. DWP manually checks eligibility over up to 13 weeks. DWP requests Marcus's medical evidence from his GP by fax. The fax goes to a shared surgery number and is regularly lost. A Healthcare Professional (HP) is then appointed by DWP to conduct a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) — this is face-to-face only at an assessment centre, which Marcus struggles to attend due to his back condition. After the WCA, a DWP decision maker reviews the HP's report and makes a decision. The decision letter is sent by post.
What Marcus experiences: He waits 14 weeks without any status update. He receives three letters with contradictory information. He misses the WCA appointment because the letter went to his old address. He is required to reapply from scratch. He eventually receives ESA — but not before running up debt, missing rent payments, and experiencing a significant deterioration in his mental health.
Your mission across this masterclass:
Map the broken as-is process → Identify the six pain points → Redesign the to-be process → Translate pain points into user stories → Write acceptance criteria → Identify stakeholders → Present your findings.
Module 1 · Day 1
What is Process Mapping and Why Does it Matter?
Process mapping makes invisible work visible. It reveals who does what, when, in what order — 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 — and why process mapping exists.
What process mapping does
Makes the end-to-end journey visible across all teams. Shows handoffs, decisions, delays and waiting times that nobody currently owns.
What it gives you as a BA
A shared picture that stakeholders from any department 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
BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is the international standard for drawing process maps. Learn the elements, then prove you know them.
Pool
The whole process boundary. One pool per organisation.
e.g. "DWP" or "NHS"
Lane
A horizontal strip inside a pool — one role or department.
e.g. "GP Surgery"
Task
A single unit of work — one activity by a person or system.
e.g. "Complete ESA50 form"
Start Event
Thin-bordered circle. Where the process begins.
e.g. "GP signs off patient"
End Event
Thick-bordered filled circle. Where the process ends.
e.g. "ESA payment confirmed"
XOR Gateway
Only ONE path taken — based on a condition.
e.g. "Eligible?" → Yes or No
OR Gateway
One or more paths — multiple can be true at once.
e.g. "Evidence needed?" → GP report and/or specialist
AND Gateway
All paths fire at once — every branch must complete.
e.g. "Notify AND update AND close"
🎯 Match each BPMN element to its definition
Module 3 · Day 1
Gateway Decision Challenge
Six scenarios from Marcus's ESA claim. Choose the correct gateway type for each decision point.
0 / 6
Module 4 · Day 1
Build Your Process Map
Start with the warm-up exercises to get comfortable with swimlanes and tasks — then map Marcus's full ESA process.
💡 Drag each task card into the correct swimlane. Get comfortable with the idea that different roles own different steps — before tackling the ESA map.
Quiz Checkpoint 1 · Day 1
BPMN & Process Mapping — 10 Questions
0 / 10
Module 5 · Day 1
To-Be Redesign Challenge
Six pain points are embedded in Marcus's journey. Identify each one, propose your fix. These carry into Day 2 as the foundation for your user stories.
AS-IS PAIN POINTS — SPOT THEM① 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
Quiz Checkpoint 2 · Day 1
As-Is vs To-Be — 10 Questions
0 / 10
Module 6 · Day 2
Interactive As-Is Diagram
Click any box in the ESA claim lifecycle to reveal the full story, trigger, and explanation for that step.
Human-triggered step
System-triggered step (automatic)
🎯 Activity — Functional vs Non-Functional Requirements
Each pain point generates a type of requirement. Drag into the correct category.
FUNCTIONAL — What the system must DO
NON-FUNCTIONAL — Quality / Speed / Accessibility
Module 7 · Day 2
User Story Generator
Four pain points from Marcus's as-is process. Build the correct user story for each by choosing role, action, and benefit.
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 claim 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? Get this wrong and you'll either miss a key voice — or flood the wrong people with decisions they shouldn't be making.
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
Communicate your findings to a senior DWP stakeholder in 3 sentences. Use the starters.
💡 A good BA can explain a complex process problem in 30 seconds. This builds that skill.
Sentence 1 — The current situation:
Sentence 2 — The impact on citizens:
Sentence 3 — The recommended change:
Digital Workbook