Process Modeling
- IV. Process Modeling
- Process models are simplified representations of some business activity.
- A process model serves as a means to communicate several different aspects of a business process.
- Process models are used to document, analyze or design a business model
- Process models are useful as documentation, a means for communication and alignment, design and requirements, or a means analyze aspects of the process, training, and explanation.
- Different levels or perspectives of business processes are expressed by models showing different scopes and levels of detail for different audiences and purposes.
- There are many different styles of process modeling notation and ways to develop process models.
Business Process Modeling
– “Business Process Modeling” is the set of activities involved in creating representations of an existing or proposed business process.
– A “model” is a simplified representation that supports the study and design of some aspect of some thing, concept, or activity.
– “Process” in this context means a business process and can be expressed at various levels of detail from a highly abstracted contextual view showing the process within its environment to a highly detailed internal operational view that can be simulated to evaluate various characteristics of its performance and behavior.
Diagram vs. Map vs. Model (more precision, simulate)
process diagrams, maps, and models have different purposes, useful application, stages of development:
– A process diagram often depicts simple notation of the basic workflow of a process. a simple process diagram helps us quickly identify and understand the major activities of the process.
– Process maps typically provide a comprehensive view of all of the major components of the process, but vary from higher levels to lower levels of detail.
– Modeling is often done using tools that provide simulation and reporting capability which is helpful to analyze and understand the process.
Process Attributes and Characteristics
process attributes are captured in a tool in order to organize, analyze, and manage an organization’s portfolio of processes. Capturing these characteristics enable various analyses of the process performance. A sample of some of the data that can be useful to capture in process models includes the following:
Inputs/Outputs Arrival Patterns/Distributions
Events/Results Costs (indirect and direct)
Value Add Entry Rules
Roles/Organizations Exit Rules
Data/Information Branching Rules
Probabilities Join Rules
Queuing Work/Handling Time
Transmission Time Batching
Wait Time Servers (number of people available to perform tasks)
Purpose of Modeling
Some of the most common reasons for creating process models are as follows:
• To document an existing process clearly
• To use as a training aide
• To use as an assessment against standards and compliance requirements
• To understand how a process will perform under varying loads or in response to some anticipated change
• As the basis for analysis in identifying opportunities for improvement
• To design a new process or new approach for an existing process
• To provide a basis for communication and discussion
• To describe requirements for a new business operation
Benefits of Modeling
These are some benefits of modeling:
• Models are relatively fast, easy and inexpensive to complete
• Models are easy to understand (when compared to other forms of documentation)
• Models provide a baseline for measurement
• Models facilitate process simulation and impact analysis
• Models leverage various standards and a common set of techniques
Modeling Standards and Notations
There are a number of modeling and notational standards and techniques in use today.
Some of the benefits of using a standards based approach include the following:
• A common symbology, language, and technique which facilitate communication and understanding
• Standards-based models provide common and consistently defined processes definitions which eases the process of design, analysis and measurement and facilitates model reuse
• An ability to leverage modeling tools based on common standards and notations
• An ability to import and export models created in various tools for reuse in other tools
• Some tool vendors are leveraging standards and notations for developing the ability to be exported from a modeling notation to an execution language (for example BPMN to BPEL)
1. Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)
Business Process Model Notation is a relatively new standard created by the Business Process Management Initiative, a consortium of tool vendors in the BPM market that is now merged with the Object Management Group (OMG), an information systems standards setting group.
Examples of proses flow :ask flow diagram:
– Simple task flow diagram
– More detailed and complex task flow diagram
– Traditional swim lane diagram
– Collaboration diagram (use of pools, artifacts and messaging)
– High level business process diagram
– Lower level business process diagram
2. Flow Charting
Flowcharting is a tool for analysing processes. It allows you to break any process down into individual events or activities and to display these in shorthand form showing the logical relationships between them. Constructing flowcharts promotes better understanding of processes, and better understanding of processes is a pre-requisite for improvement.
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3. Swim Lanes
Swim lanes are an addition to the “boxes and arrows” process flow view of flow-charting that show how the work flows across organizational units or is handed-off from one role to another. This is accomplished by the use of horizontally or vertically arranged rows (swim lanes) representing an organizational unit, role, or in some instances, external organization. These rows resemble the channel or lane markings in swimming competitions. By arranging the flow of activities and tasks across these rows, it is easy to visualize handoffs in the work; a critical aspect of the Rummler-Brache process analysis which is focused on minimizing and managing handoffs.
4. Event Process Chain (EPC)
Event Process Chains are very similar to activity diagrams regarding the addition of events or outcomes of tasks. An EPC is an ordered graph of events and functions. It provides various connectors that allow alternative and parallel execution of processes. The tasks (activities) are followed by outcomes (events) of the task, developing a very detailed process model. Furthermore it is specified by the usages of logical operators such as OR, AND, and XOR. A major strength of EPC is claimed to be its simplicity and easy-to-understand notation. This makes EPC a widely acceptable technique to denote business processes. Event Process Chains are typically used to help transition processes towards machine automation or simulation.
5. Value Chain
The value chain describes the full range of activities that firms and workers do to bring a product from its conception to its end use and beyond. This includes activities such as design, production, marketing, distribution and support to the final consumer. The activities that comprise a value chain can be contained within a single firm or divided among different firms. Value chain activities can produce goods or services, and can be contained within a single geographical location or spread over wider areas. The GVC Initiative is particularly interested in understanding value chains that are divided among multiple firms and spread across wide swaths of geographic space, hence the term “global value chain.”
6. UML (Unified Modeling Language)
UML provides a standard set of nine or more diagramming techniques and notations primarily for describing information systems requirements. While UML is primarily used for systems analysis and design, a limited number of organizations also use UML activity diagrams for business process modeling. UML is maintained by the Object Management Group (OMG), a standards setting body for the information systems field. Additional information on UML can be found at the website www.uml.org.
7. IDEF-0
IDEF0, a compound acronym (Icam DEFinition for Function Modeling, where ‘ICAM’ is an acronym for Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing) is a function modeling methodology for describing manufacturing functions, which offers a functional modeling languagefor the analysis, development, reengineering, and integration of information systems; business processes; or software engineeringanalysis. IDEF0 is part of the IDEF family of modeling languages in the field of software engineering, and is built on the functional modeling language Structured Analysis and Design Technique (SADT).
8. LOVEM-E
LOVEM-E (Line of Visibility Engineering Method – Enhanced) is a notation set and a modeling technique that was developed as part of IBM’s Business Process Reengineering Methodology. What is unique about LOVEM-E is that it adds to flow charting with swim lanes, a concept of the customer encounter and the collaborative nature of work between external and internal parties, and the supporting information systems. BPMN also supports these concepts.
9. SIPOC
In process improvement, a SIPOC (sometimes COPIS) is a tool that summarizes the inputs and outputs of one or more processes in table form. The acronym SIPOC stands for suppliers, inputs,process, outputs, and customers which form the columns of the table.[1][2] It was in use at least as early as the Total Quality Management programs of the late 1980s and continues to be used today in Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing.
10. System Dynamics
System dynamics is an approach to understanding the behaviour of complex systems over time. It deals with internal feedback loops and time delays that affect the behaviour of the entire system.What makes using system dynamics different from other approaches to studying complex systems is the use of feedback loops and stocks and flows. These elements help describe how even seemingly simple systems display baffling nonlinearity.
11. Value Stream Mapping
Value stream mapping is a lean-management method for analyzing the current state and designing a future state for the series of events that take a product or service from its beginning through to the customer. At Toyota, it is known as “material and information flow mapping”.[1] It can be applied to nearly any value chain
Process Modeling Quality
• The business environment including the customers, suppliers, external events or market pressures that effect or interact with the process
• The organizational structure which includes the hierarchical or functional view of the organization and how the people work together (this information helps understand who the key decision makers are within the process)
• The functional or departmental structure of the organization which explains how the functions or departments work together in the process
• The business rules which control the decisions that are made during the process and workflow
• The activities or actions that take place within the process and who does those Actions
Example quality matrix for process models
Modeling Perspectives
1. Enterprise Domain
The top perspective is for those who need to see how the enterprise operates overall and that the primary processes are arranged in some category that gives a sense of their interaction
2. Business Domain
A business view supports each of the process owners who is accountable for and has the authority to address overall process performance.
3. Operations Domain
More detailed models support the perspectives of those managers who are responsible
for monitoring performance and look for ways to continuously improve operational
performance.
4. Systems Domain
A perspective that identifies how work gets done and how the systems support that
work is the systems perspective.
5. Builder and Operator
The lowest level models support the individuals who have to build all of the support
systems to enable work and to operate the systems that are required to continue to
perform that work.
Levels of models
Models supporting these perspectives or views of an enterprise’s processes can be
developed and maintained for different audiences or purposes.
Example of a process model repository structure with example labels for the types of models and their usage.
1. Enterprise
An enterprise view model is typically a highly abstracted business classification model that is used to describe the focus of the organization and to organize the business’ processes in an overall “business architecture.”
2. Business Models
Business models depict the major events, activities, and results that describe each of the major end-to-end processes, their sub-processes, and their interactions with their environment.
3. Operations and work flow
Operations level models typically describe how the business model is carried out.
4. System
Systems models depict the triggering events, software processes, data flows, and system outputs required to support business operations.
5. Measurement and Control
Measurement and control models indicate points in the operation where key performance measure and control points are monitored.
Capturing Information
1. Direct Observation
Direct observation is a good way to document current procedural detail. It may uncover activities and tasks that might not be otherwise recognized and can be effective in identifying variations and deviations that occur in day-to-day work.
2. Interviews
Interviews can create a sense of ownership and participation in the process of modeling and documenting business processes.
3. Survey/Written Feedback
Written feedback also requires minimal time and disruption of duties.
4. Structured workshops
Structured workshops are focused, facilitated meetings where enough subject matter experts and stakeholders are brought together to create the model interactively.
5. Web-Based Conferencing
Web-based conferencing can be employed to gain much the same benefits as face-toface workshops, but work best with smaller groups.
Modeling Techniques and Tools
1. White Boarding and Flip Charts
Using a white board with erasable markers to draw the process flows and flip charts tocapture other information and then later transcribing the results into drawing or modeling and reporting tools is a common method used in workshops, interviews or structured/facilitated modeling sessions.
2. Butcher Paper and Sticky-notes
Butcher paper and have the workshop participants put removable sticky-notes on the paper until they have arranged the activities into the sequence on which they agree.
3. Drawing Tools and Reports
During or after interviews and workshops, participants capture the process flows and notes using inexpensive drawing tools, such as Visio, PowerPoint or any other electronic drawing tool.
4. Electronic Modeling and Projection
Utilizing electronic drawing or modeling tools and projecting the images to large screens to capture and view the developing models has become a common practice today.
Process Simulation
1. Overview
Process simulations are a form of models which provide valuable insight to process
dynamics.
2. Mock Trials
Mock trials can be similar to events run in a process laboratory.
3. Technical Simulation/Load analysis
Some process simulation tools provide the ability to perform load analysis.
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