Overview of the Seized Drugs Process Map
The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science’s Seized Drugs Subcommittee has developed a process map that captures the decision-making and process flow details most frequently encountered in the discipline of seized drug examination and processing.
Process mapping is used to visually represent the critical steps and decision points of a workflow. Using standard symbols to describe each element in the process (e.g., inputs, outputs, decisions, and steps), a process map allows others to understand a process and its components more easily and clearly than long-form documentation. The Seized Drugs Process Map, which reflects the ‘as-is’ state of seized drug examinations, provides a visual description of the currently performed core casework processes within the discipline. It was developed by a diverse group of practitioners and depicts variations in practice that may be influenced by agency size, agency type, agency policies, geographical location, and jurisdiction.
“Seized drug practitioners are required to make many decisions that can impact the quality and accuracy of their results. This process map is important to not only prioritize the development of specific standards, but to identify gaps in the standard development process. For example, the process map can be used to find areas of variability in the field and show which steps in the process have significant impact on the reliability of results,” said Agnes Winokur, Chair of OSAC’s Seized Drugs Subcommittee.
In addition to describing the current state of seized drug examinations, the Seized Drug Process Map can also be used to help improve effic ..
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