ITM706: Lecture 1 – Business Process Modelling
Why model business processes?
-Merged companies want to examine processes across their lines of business to
discover which one is the best of breed
-Looking to improve their existing processes
-Automate business process
Three steps of BPM:
1) Documentation – so that others can understand how they work, who is
involved, and how activities flow from beginning to end
2) Redesign – to reduce inefficiencies, drive down costs, respond faster to
customer requests.
3) Execute – the best way to improve efficiency is to apply automation. The
process can be performed faster and at a lower cost.
BPM Tools:
Text-based – word processor
Drawing-tool – graphic tool to represent the process flow. Typically
combined with a text document
Business modelling tool – tool such as Sparx EA. Graphic in nature, it is
far more than just a picture.
Business Process Modelling Tools (Text based)
1. Documentation-
Difficult to express complex flow where there are nested sub-processes, or
branching decisions with many different outputs
If process changes, it is difficult to determine all of the places in the document
that need to be updated
Only one person at a time can work
2. Redesign-
Doesn’t help in redesigning a process
3. Execution-
Doesn’t help because I/T uses a technical tool set to build the automated business
process
Business analysts and I/T professionals have different semantics and different
ways to express concepts.
Recommendation-
Use a text-based tool to document use cases, but not the overall business process
Why model business processes?
-Merged companies want to examine processes across their lines of business to
discover which one is the best of breed
-Looking to improve their existing processes
-Automate business process
Three steps of BPM:
1) Documentation – so that others can understand how they work, who is
involved, and how activities flow from beginning to end
2) Redesign – to reduce inefficiencies, drive down costs, respond faster to
customer requests.
3) Execute – the best way to improve efficiency is to apply automation. The
process can be performed faster and at a lower cost.
BPM Tools:
Text-based – word processor
Drawing-tool – graphic tool to represent the process flow. Typically
combined with a text document
Business modelling tool – tool such as Sparx EA. Graphic in nature, it is
far more than just a picture.
Business Process Modelling Tools (Text based)
1. Documentation-
Difficult to express complex flow where there are nested sub-processes, or
branching decisions with many different outputs
If process changes, it is difficult to determine all of the places in the document
that need to be updated
Only one person at a time can work
2. Redesign-
Doesn’t help in redesigning a process
3. Execution-
Doesn’t help because I/T uses a technical tool set to build the automated business
process
Business analysts and I/T professionals have different semantics and different
ways to express concepts.
Recommendation-
Use a text-based tool to document use cases, but not the overall business process
