The complete guide to spaghetti mapping

A spaghetti map is a valuable tool for optimizing business processes, streamlining workflows, and planning events. We're going to simplify the complex pathways of your business processes and make everything run smoother. 

In this guide, we'll cover everything about spaghetti maps — what they are, why they're useful, and how they can be applied to make your business operations more efficient. From cutting unnecessary steps in product delivery to boosting team collaboration and improving customer experiences, spaghetti mapping has got you covered.

Heads up: You won't get a pasta recipe by the end of this post. But I'll share the core ingredients and tips so you can master spaghetti mapping for seamless project management.

What is a spaghetti map?

A spaghetti map — also called a diagram, chart, model, or plot — is a visual tool you use to track the flow of products, information, or people within a process. By using this tool, you can map things like:

• The journey of a product from a warehouse to a customer's doorstep, highlighting any unnecessary stops or delays
• The path of a proposal from the initial draft to final sign-off, including all the stakeholders involved at every step
• A team member's walking time to get supplies, print documents, and return to their desk, identifying potential inefficiencies in their workflow

Spaghetti maps are all about making processes more efficient by reducing errors and waste. They're part of lean manufacturing, a methodology focused on optimizing production processes to make the most of your time, resources, and workforce in a project or business.

A spaghetti diagram example

The name "spaghetti" comes from the diagram's curved lines, which resemble tangled pasta. Here's an example:

Simply put, each spaghetti strand represents a path within a process. The main goal is to reveal inefficiencies, such as wasted movement, which can lead to streamlined processes and happier customers.

What is a spaghetti diagram used for?

Beyond supporting lean projects, spaghetti mapping is also used in Six Sigma and Total Quality Management (TQM) methodologies. With these approaches, the goal is to remove activities that don't add value to the customer, reducing errors and improving quality.

Check out our favorite ways to use spaghetti maps:

• Identifying inefficiencies in workflows and processes: Is your team drowning in deadlines? Create a spaghetti chart to track why they are struggling to meet deadlines in product development. By mapping the flow of information, documents, and approvals, you can enhance your understanding of project bottlenecks, like redundant communication loops or tasks getting stuck waiting for feedback.
• Improving customer experience (CX): Spaghetti diagram tools are valuable in mapping your customer journey and identifying pain points, allowing you to boost problem-solving while minimizing wait times.
• Planning events: Let's face it, organizing a gathering without visual tools is a recipe for chaos. Spaghetti models are great for managing physical events that involve arranging furniture and managing traffic flow. You can map the space, trace the flow of staff and attendees with different colors, and refine the layout to avoid congestion.
• Enhancing collaboration: All you hear in your team meetings are … crickets? Mural's 2024 Teamwork Research Report reveals that nearly three in five knowledge workers have actively considered leaving their jobs due to bad teamwork. Spaghetti diagrams FTW! They help you break down communication gaps, enabling employees to brainstorm solutions, reduce handoffs, and increase engagement and ownership.

Related: Check out our buyer’s guide to team collaboration software

How to create a spaghetti diagram: A 7-step guide

Let's walk through the seven steps to master spaghetti mapping and streamline your work processes:

1. Choose the right spaghetti mapping tool before starting

Unless you have Michelangelo's ceiling-painting hand-eye coordination, ditch the pen and paper for this step. Before starting your chart spaghetti, opt for a user-friendly online whiteboarding platform that enables your team to work collaboratively from anywhere. 

Make sure your spaghetti mapping software offers:

• A library of pre-built templates to streamline creation
• Version control to keep all your changes saved
• Enterprise-grade security to protect your work environment and comply with GDPR and CCPA regulations
• Video-meeting integrations to share your maps easily while discussing every detail
  

2. Define the process you want to analyze

Define your noodles — well, not literally. Once you have your visual work platform, choose the process you want to analyze. 

Focus on a specific area where you can identify bottlenecks. Is it taking too long for customers to get answers from your support team? Does your product development process feel like a tangled mess? Identify pain points before you grab the spaghetti.

Here are examples to get started:

• User journey: Map a user's steps from contacting customer support to getting help, uncovering areas where they might get lost or frustrated‌ resolving issues.
• Product development: Visualize the flow of your product from conception to launch, identifying roadblocks to provide a smooth project completion.
• Order fulfillment: Track an order’s movement from the moment it's placed to when it reaches your customer, pinpointing inefficiencies that can save you time and money. 

Related: How to identify the right problems to solve‍

3. Collect essential information

Gathering data on your processes is like assembling pieces of a puzzle. If some parts are missing, the picture isn’t complete. This step includes:

• Team alignment: Let's say you're optimizing the handoff process between marketing and sales to provide seamless customer transitions and avoid dropped leads. Talk to members involved and discuss what steps you should take. Remember to set your meeting goals before starting to address every critical point.
• Observing workflows: Can you physically follow the process yourself? If so, write down any delays or bottlenecks. Use sticky notes to categorize every issue you find, such as "backtracking," "redundant step," or any other relevant problem that impacts your workflow.
• Analyzing data: Do you have any process documentation relevant to the optimization, like customer feedback or internal reports? Include these insights in your spaghetti diagram.

4. Map the process visually

Here's where the fun begins! Use your spaghetti diagram software to represent the process flow visually. Explore features like:

• Drag-and-drop shapes: Use pre-built sticky notes and customize your own with different colors and formats to represent different stages of the process.
• Connecting lines: A spaghetti map has curved lines so that you can explore variations in colors, directions, and formats.
• Virtual collaboration tools: Ensure everyone on the team can comment, add images, and even vote for the best solutions during a meeting.
  

5. Analyze your spaghetti

Now that your visual creation is complete, take a step back and analyze it carefully. Look for areas where your "noodles" tangle:

• Are there any steps that seem unnecessary or redundant?
• Are there bottlenecks causing delays?
• Does the flow of information seem clear?

Please share your spaghetti: make this step collaborative! A global collaboration survey shows that 64% of workers claim poor collaboration costs them at least three hours per week in productivity. Get your team involved to identify details that you might have missed. 

6. Identify improvement opportunities

Use your analysis results to springboard brainstorming sessions for solution development. For example, if the spaghetti map reveals excessive movement between workstations, consider rearranging equipment or optimizing the layout for better efficiency. The goal here is to identify actionable improvements that simplify your workflows.

Add these best practices to your team meetings:

• Start with an engaging ice breaker to get everyone comfortable.
• Use brainstorming templates to make teamwork easier.
• Share brainstorming questions to inspire new ideas.

Related: How to facilitate your brainstorming sessions

7. Implement and track changes

Are you all ready, spaghetti? It's time to make sure your changes‌ are working. The tip here is to create a new spaghetti map after making changes. This practice allows you to compare the "before" and "after" and see if your adjustments made a positive impact.

Make sure you cover all these items before comparing charts:

• Analyze all the data available to design your new map
• Implement the changes correctly
• Inform all the parties involved about the new process
• Test and collected team feedback on your solution
• Allow enough time for adjustment

Related: A complete guide to improving processes at work

Start drawing your spaghetti maps with Mural

With Mural, spaghetti mapping becomes easier than ever. 

Our online process mapping software allows you to create spaghetti diagrams, brainstorm new solutions, and even make your team meetings more collaborative — and fun!

Mural integrates with the best apps for virtual meetings, design creation, and project management, so you don't need extra work to optimize your workflows and processes. Get started with our project collaboration software and share your spaghetti maps in real time, allowing your team to view, edit, and add new ideas.

Streamline your workflows and processes with Mural. Sign up for free.