How to approach mapping processing activities in Cerivo

Mapping Processing Activities means understanding how personal data flows through your organization.

The goal is to create a clear, structured overview of:

• what data you process
• where it flows
• why it is used

Start with your processes

The most effective way to begin is with a process-based approach.

Look at how your organization actually works:

• onboarding employees
• managing customers
• running marketing activities

These processes provide a strong foundation for your Processing Activities.

They won’t always map one-to-one, but they give you a clear starting point.

Decide the right level of detail

As you map your Processing Activities, you’ll need to decide how detailed they should be.

For example:

• Which processes can be grouped together?
• Which need to be documented separately?

The right level of detail depends on what gives you clarity without adding unnecessary complexity.

If you don’t have process descriptions

If your processes aren’t documented yet, this is a good place to start.

You already know how your organization works—writing it down helps make that knowledge clear and usable.

Even simple descriptions can provide a strong foundation for your mapping.

An alternative: the system approach

Another option is to map Processing Activities based on your systems.

This means looking at what happens within each system and building your record from there.

However, this approach can make it easier to miss parts of your data flow.

For that reason, a process-based approach is usually more reliable.

Any questions? Contact us at support@cerivo.com!