The scenario

A team are to get together in the next week or so and over the course of 2 months model out the existing and target business process models for an organisation that has about 30 products.  Overall the team doesn't have a great deal of experience on this front.  Some of them are IT BAs who are more used to data modelling, and others are business SMEs with little formal trianing in analysis or consulting.

The goal

They need to deliver some tangible outputs every week over the 2 month period to ensure stakeholder buy in, and to demonstrate their capability and stop other groups from interfering or sidetracking the work.  At the end of the process they wanto to have identified about 2-3 major business process patterns and develop some standards for the future.

The question;

As the team's manager, how would you set up the team (5 people) and what weekly milestones would you set up?

Looking forward to your advice :)

Brown Craig,

Lead from the front!

Week 1 (its all about Forming, Storming and Norming Groups).

1. Agree on Terms of Reference (loosely define stakeholders end-to-end process and confirm with stakeholder - you dont want to work on the wrong thing)

2. Agree on Process Modelling Technique (eg. BPMN Gateways - AND, XOR but no Complex gateways) If these artefacts are to be delivered to teh stakeholdres make sure they will be able to read and comprehend them.Teach all basic workflow techniques - boxes and diamonds(gateways) for a start

3. Workshop a medium size process. eg "Pay Invoice" as part of Purchase-to-Pay end to end process (its sits across 30 products). Stakeholder to nominate a particpant for information "extraction". Work to an interview, record (first on paper), verify cycle. Do interviews/record in the morning; discuss and verify in the afternoon.

3.1 Use Butcher paper to record process (Not Visio or Tools). Why? If you stuff it up, throw it in the bin and start again.

or Use White Board and mobile phone camera to record Good Diagrams (You can down load these later and beautify). If you stuff it up, wipe the white Board and delete photo from camera.

This is all about getting the right/correct information.

3.2 Agree on templates for artefacts and appoint the most anal/type A personality as group QA.

4. As leader observe the "group" dynamic - find out who are conceptual/abstract thinkers and who are "concrete/Detail" thinkers. If you have five concrete thinkers you are in for a ruff ride.

5. Present findings to stakeholder (very informally) at end of the week. This will help you ascertain your stakeholders preference and WIIFMS (what in it for me). At the end of the day you want stakeholder buyin so start early.

6. As leader make your first estimates of the tasks and whether the group is capable, perhaps some training/mentoring is required.

7. Go to a novelty shop and buy seven stress ball(give one to stakeholder); make sure that the sweet bowl is always topped up with chocolates and red-snakes (sweets).

In summary the first week is all about getting a "feel" for the project, the methods, the individuals (identify strengths and weaknesses) and finding out the stakeholders wiifms.

8. Plan to have the first major process completed in 3 weeks(deliver to stakeholder); This will give you an early heads up if you are going to make it and whether the quality satifies the stakeholder. Do the other two in the remaining 4 weeks. Deliver the second completed process around week 6. In clude time for reviews and rework!

Good luck

K