Bringing clarity, transparency, and control to complex banking operations
Financial institutions need clear, audit-ready process documentation to manage operational risk, satisfy regulators, and drive efficiency. Our practice delivers industry-standard artefacts that bring transparency to front-to-back operations.
Is this you?
- ❌ Processes exist in people's heads, not documented
- ❌ High reconciliation breaks across FO, MO, BO
- ❌ Audit findings related to process gaps
- ❌ Manual steps creating operational drag
- ❌ Hidden operational risk that regulators flag
- ❌ Lack of transparency for governance and control
If these sound familiar, you need comprehensive process documentation.
What we deliver
BPMN 2.0 Process Maps
- L1 to L3 granularity - From high-level value streams to detailed task flows
- Industry-standard notation - Recognized by auditors and regulators
- Version-controlled - Full audit trail of changes
Front-to-Back Trade Lifecycle Diagrams
- FO → MO → BO → Risk → Finance - Complete end-to-end flows
- System interactions - How platforms integrate and handoff data
- Data flows - What moves where, when, and how
Exception Handling Flows
- Error scenarios - What happens when processes break
- Escalation paths - Who handles what, when
- Resolution procedures - How to fix and prevent issues
Cross-Functional Swimlane Maps
- Clear accountability - Which team owns which step
- Handoff points - Where things go wrong
- Dependencies - What relies on what
Data Flow & ETL Documentation
- Source to target - Complete data lineage
- Transformation logic - How data changes
- Validation rules - Quality controls
What this solves
Hidden Operational Risk
Document the invisible - make implicit processes explicit so you can manage, measure, and improve them.
High Reconciliation Breaks
Identify exactly where breaks occur in your trade lifecycle, cash flows, fee processing, and settlements.
Manual Steps and Operational Drag
Spot automation opportunities by seeing the full picture of manual interventions and workarounds.
Lack of Transparency for Audit & Regulators
Provide ECB, PRA, FCA with the crystal-clear documentation they expect - first time.
Processes in People's Heads
Capture institutional knowledge before people leave. Make operations transferable, trainable, and scalable.
Deliverables
You receive Tier-1 bank quality documentation:
✅ BPMN 2.0 process flows (L1, L2, L3)
✅ End-to-end trade lifecycle maps
✅ System interaction diagrams
✅ Cross-functional swimlane maps
✅ Exception handling procedures
✅ Data flow documentation
✅ ETL process specifications
All in Visio, LucidChart, or your preferred tool.
Who this is for
- Investment Banks - Equities, FX, Fixed Income trading operations
- Commercial Banks - Payments, trade finance, treasury operations
- Asset Managers - Fund administration, middle office
- Broker-Dealers - Trade lifecycle, settlement, reconciliation
- FinTechs - Building regulatory-compliant processes
Typical engagement
Week 1-2: Discovery & Scoping
- Stakeholder interviews (FO, MO, BO, Risk, Finance)
- Current state analysis
- System landscape review
- Scope agreement
Week 3-6: Documentation
- BPMN 2.0 process mapping
- Front-to-back flow diagrams
- Exception handling documentation
- Review cycles with SMEs
Week 7-8: Validation & Handover
- Stakeholder validation sessions
- Final documentation pack
- Handover and knowledge transfer
- Recommendations for improvement
Pricing
Process Mapping Engagement: £15k - £45k
Duration: 4-8 weeks
Scope: 3-10 key processes documented
Ongoing Documentation Support: £8k/month
For continuous process documentation and maintenance
Real results
Tier-1 Investment Bank (Equities Trading)
Challenge: No documented FO-to-BO trade flows, high break rates, audit findings
Delivered: Complete BPMN L1-L3 maps for 8 trade types, exception flows, system diagrams
Result: Break rate down 40%, audit finding closed, operational transparency achieved
European Commercial Bank (Payments)
Challenge: ECB review flagged lack of process documentation
Delivered: End-to-end payment processing flows, control points, RACI matrices
Result: ECB finding remediated, processes now audit-ready
Start here
Complimentary: Process Complexity Assessment
Share your current process documentation (even preliminary materials). Our team will provide a concise executive assessment covering:
- Gaps in regulatory/audit readiness
- Key operational and control risks
- Priority areas for documentation improvement
Consulting Engagements
Quick Start (£12k-£18k, 3-4 weeks)
- 3-5 key processes documented
- BPMN L1-L2 maps
- System interaction diagrams
- Recommendations report
Full Programme (£25k-£45k, 6-8 weeks)
- 8-10 processes fully documented
- BPMN L1-L3 maps
- Front-to-back flows
- Exception handling
- Data flow documentation
- Stakeholder workshops
- Handover pack
Ongoing Support (£8k+/month)
- Continuous documentation
- Process updates as systems change
- New process documentation
- Quarterly reviews
Why partner with us
✅ Tier-1 bank experience - Delivered for global investment banks and financial institutions
✅ Regulatory expertise - Deep understanding of ECB/PRA/FCA expectations
✅ Industry-standard methodologies - BPMN 2.0, Lean Six Sigma certified practitioners
✅ Accelerated delivery - Documentation in weeks, not months
✅ Audit-ready quality - Documentation that regulators and auditors approve first time
What makes documentation great
Bad documentation:
- ❌ PowerPoint slides with generic boxes
- ❌ Out-of-date process maps nobody uses
- ❌ Inconsistent notation across the bank
- ❌ Missing exception handling
- ❌ No clear ownership
Great documentation:
- ✅ Industry-standard BPMN 2.0
- ✅ Front-to-back clarity (FO → MO → BO → Risk)
- ✅ Exception scenarios documented
- ✅ System interactions clear
- ✅ Maintained and version-controlled
- ✅ Actually used by operations teams
Next steps
- Complimentary Assessment - Share your process documentation needs
- Discovery Session - 45-minute discussion with our leadership team
- Proposal - Tailored engagement with clear deliverables and success criteria
- Mobilization - Rapid programme startup within one week