A process is a series of steps taken to accomplish a certain task. The supplier, in shipping the stapler, and the Mail Room, in delivering it, also engage in processes. If the stapler doesn't show up, something went wrong in one of the steps in one of the processes. To find the lost stapler, you would go back and check each step of the processes to identify where the stapler got snagged. A team tool that makes it easy to examine processes is flowcharting.
Flowcharts provide a visual picture of a process.
They identify each step to be taken and each decision to be made. Teams must flowchart how a process actually works, rather than how it is supposed to work. Flowcharting how it is supposed to work and then complaining about how it's not working won't be of any help. A team needs to analyze what is really going on to identify where problems occur. By working on a flowchart together, all the team members develop a shared understanding of the process and problems within the process.