A sticky-note task mapping exercise for a team

Key takeaways

A task mapping exercise for a team gets everyone to write their recurring tasks on sticky notes, one per note, then group them on a wall by flow, such as order to cash. In 90 minutes the team sees duplicates (two people doing the same task), gaps (tasks nobody owns) and clusters of routine work that could move together.

• One task per sticky note, written as a verb plus an object.
• Group on a wall by flow, not by person.
• Look for duplicates, gaps and routine clusters.
• About 90 minutes for a team of 5 to 10.

Why map tasks as a team?

Because individual lists hide overlaps. When each person lists alone, nobody sees that three of them build the same weekly figures or that nobody updates supplier details. On a wall, grouped by flow, duplicates and gaps are obvious, and the team agrees the picture together, which helps later when work moves.

• How to identify tasks suitable for outsourcing
• Build a long list of tasks before you choose any

How do you run the session?

Prepare the flows in advance and keep the pace brisk.

• 1. Put four to six flow headings on the wall.
• 2. Give everyone 20 minutes to write tasks, one per note.
• 3. Each person places notes under the right flow.
• 4. Group identical tasks and mark duplicates.
• 5. Mark routine clusters and gaps with different colours.

• Run a task identification workshop with your team
• Swimlane diagrams: see who does each task

What should you do with the wall?

Photograph it, type it into your long list and add frequency and minutes for each task. Fix duplicates first, because two people doing the same work is pure waste. Assign gaps an owner. Then screen the routine clusters against the six signals; they often form ready-made blocks to hand over.

• Six signals that a task can be outsourced
• Task bundling: turn scattered small jobs into one role

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a team's wall of notes shows duplicated tasks, including two people reconciling the same supplier account, a few tasks nobody owns, and a cluster of routine order tasks that could move together as one block.

• See client work
• BPO Solutions for UK businesses

Task mapping checklist

• Prepare flow headings before the session.
• One task per note, verb plus object.
• Group by flow and mark duplicates.
• Mark gaps and routine clusters.
• Type the wall into the long list the same day.

• A 30-minute interview that finds tasks to hand over
• Swimlane diagrams: see who does each task

Next step

Book 90 minutes with your team, buy a pack of sticky notes and pick four flows. The wall will do most of the analysis for you.