Create a swimlane diagram to show who owns each step in a process. Name the roles and handoffs, then check that return paths go to the right owner.
Define roles before drawing lanes
Use roles that actually perform work. Do not mix a department lane with a stage such as “Review”; stages describe when something happens, while lanes identify who does it. Decide whether an automated service needs its own lane or belongs inside a team responsibility.
If two roles can approve a task, explain whether either approval is sufficient or both are required. That rule changes the handoff structure.
Trace a returned request
Follow a request that needs clarification. It leaves the manager, returns to the requester and comes back for a fresh decision. Check that the revised request does not bypass required approval. For a budget failure, name the role that can resolve it rather than routing work back to an arbitrary earlier step.
Use a flowchart if the responsibility dimension is irrelevant. A process map is useful when deliverables and activity boundaries matter more than decisions.
Use the diagram during a handoff review
Ask the people who own adjacent lanes what information they need to accept the task. Add that information to the connecting arrow or supporting notes. Confirm the actual escalation route and distinguish a waiting state from an activity.
A swimlane does not assign work or notify participants. It gives the team a shared description to review before implementing the process.
Make it about your work
Edit this starting prompt, then send it when you are ready.