Knowing and documenting the user’s process is an important step when designing Salesforce. It’s actually one of the first steps in understanding how things currently work.
If your client is moving from a legacy system to Salesforce, the current process should include what the legacy system does. Similarly, when designing the future state within Salesforce, the system should be included in the diagram.
Each user role and the system should have its own designation, called a swim lane. They’re called lanes because it looks like the top-view of a swimming pool.
There are 4 basic building blocks to use in
- A terminator block, used for the start and end of the flow
- A step block, the basic block for each step in the process
- A decision block, phrased as a question with a “yes” and “no” outcome
- A subprocess block, which refers to another user flow for further details
Color isn’t really important here, as long as the blocks have a different color than the background. This helps for readability.
The label for each block should be brief and high-level. The intention is to understand the basic movement and dependencies between roles and the system.
Here’s an example
The takeaway
Keeping user flows simple and straightforward allows everyone to quickly understand what the desired process will be. Once they are established and agreed upon, the system design can begin.