Swim lanes- What are they and how do you interpret them? – Blog Post 2

In my last post, I talked about PB&Js and how a person could describe their process to make one. One way to show this process visually is through a swim lane. A swim lane is a process map, a visual that shows the start and end of a process (represented by a circle) , the actors (represented by text), activities (represented by a rectangle), and decisions (represented by a diamond) in a process, and how the process flows (represented by arrows). Another component in swim lanes is data stored, (represented by a cylinder).

Let’s go back to the components I stated, most are self-explanatory but there is one that can use some clarification: Actors. Actors can be a person, a job, or a component that carry out a process, such as performing an activity or making a decision.

Swim lanes are beneficial because they visually represent who does what in a system and when they do it. They are a way to visually identify a problem and solve it. This is helpful as visuals can help one understand a process much easier than reading a bunch of text can.