Hi, I have recently started work with an Insurance company in Sydney and have suggested that we map out the business processes. Does anyone out there have processes/best practices that they would be willing to share.
Rebecca
Rebecca:
If you system is smallish, then just a sequence based technique will do it (BPMN for example).
However, larger scale business systems, especially at higher levels of abstraction, are non sequential. In this case you need a modeling technique that can handle non sequential behavior. Also, you need a technique that results in a logical partitioning of processes which enables deep decompostion of them which is needed to handle complexity. Only data flow diagrams offer such. (Note: With dfd's, at the detail level, you would switch over to a sequence based technique handle the lower level, sequence based processing logic.)
Tony
Hi Rebecca, Under the 'Templates' page on Modern Analyst, there are some good examples of process models and on Templates page 3 of there is a PDF guide to process modelling as well. These should give you a good start, and I can provide more information anytime you need. I have to respectfully disagree with some of Tony's comments. Business process models (using BPMN notation, which is a notation only and not a methodology) are quite amenable to decomposition. Quoting the Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (BABOK) - "A model may be used at its highest level to obtain a general understanding of a process or at a lower level as a basis for simulation so that the process can be made as efficient as possible." Processes can be modelled at different levels of abstraction or detail as needed. Data flow diagrams (DFD's) serve a different purpose, and are a useful supplement to process models - but not a replacement. By definition, DFD's do not show sequences or users / Actors, are specific to a single system, and don't show alternate paths or processes. Process models are not system-specific, and can be used to model processes that span multiple systems. There is a good Modern Analyst article on data flow diagrams, if you're interested. Each diagram type (process model and data flow diagram) gives a different perspective and shows different information, so both together offer a more complete picture than either one alone. Let me know what you think of the Modern Analyst templates and guide. Happy to answer any other questions that you have as well. Sandy
Hi Rebecca,
Under the 'Templates' page on Modern Analyst, there are some good examples of process models and on Templates page 3 of there is a PDF guide to process modelling as well. These should give you a good start, and I can provide more information anytime you need.
I have to respectfully disagree with some of Tony's comments. Business process models (using BPMN notation, which is a notation only and not a methodology) are quite amenable to decomposition. Quoting the Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (BABOK) - "A model may be used at its highest level to obtain a general understanding of a process or at a lower level as a basis for simulation so that the process can be made as efficient as possible." Processes can be modelled at different levels of abstraction or detail as needed.
Data flow diagrams (DFD's) serve a different purpose, and are a useful supplement to process models - but not a replacement. By definition, DFD's do not show sequences or users / Actors, are specific to a single system, and don't show alternate paths or processes. Process models are not system-specific, and can be used to model processes that span multiple systems. There is a good Modern Analyst article on data flow diagrams, if you're interested. Each diagram type (process model and data flow diagram) gives a different perspective and shows different information, so both together offer a more complete picture than either one alone.
Let me know what you think of the Modern Analyst templates and guide. Happy to answer any other questions that you have as well.
Sandy
I would have to agree with Sandy here.
Nigelus
Sandy;
Process models do not have to be sequential. DFD's are for creating non-sequential process models. At higher levels of abstraction, system behavior (processing) is non-sequential. One can not use a sequence based technique (such as BPMN) to model non-sequential behavior. It is a huge issue that the BABOK does not drive home the basics such as this.
If a technique can not handle the bigger picture view of a business system, it is not able to handle significant decomposition. Ya, one might be able to decompose a sequence based model down a level or two. But not deeper levels of decompostion.
DFD's themselves do not capture sequence. I never said they did. The way that DFD approaches work is to capture the non sequential bigger picture of system behavior using DFDs, and then to then switch over and use a sequence based technique for the detail level. This is important to understanding DFD application - and , again, is not covered by the BABOK .
DFD's are for manual as well as automated systems - that they offer strong integration across multiple. I think the BABOK misses the boat on this one also.
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