Business Process Mapping and Modeling
Business process modeling
BPM is set of activities involved in creating
representations of an existing or proposed
business process
Business Process Modeling enables people to
understand, communicate, measure, and manage
the primary components of business processes.
CBOK
Business process modeling. Maps vs Models
• Process Maps – simple flow
charts of the activities, can be
drown at various levels of details
• Process Models – flow charts
extended with enough
information so that the process
can be analyzed, simulated,
and/or executed
Business process modeling. Lyfecycle
Key steps of modeling:
Define the scope
Identify the key steps of business process
Draw the liner flow
Identify the outputs of key steps
Identify exceptions
Decide the level of detail
Annotate
Business process modeling. Principles
• Keep model as simple as possible (complexity is for
amateurs, simplicity is for professionals!)
• Name process step as “verb + noun”
• Keep business rules separate from map
• Don’t map who and how at the context level
• Activities linked 1:1 are probably part of the same
process
• At the end are results that makes one or more
stakeholders happy
• 3-4 levels of decomposition is enough (don’t overdo)
Business process modeling. Principles
BPM notations overview. Main notations
• IDEF 0
• IDEF 3
• Event Process Chain (EPC)
• UML Activity Diagram
• ANSI Standard Flowchart
• SIPOC Notation
• Swim-lane/Cross-Functional Diagram
• Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)
BPMN notation
BPMN
• BPMN is flow-chart based notation for defining Business
Processes
• BPMN is an agreement between multiple modeling tools
vendors, who had their own notations, to use a single
notation for the benefit of end-user understand and
training
• BPMN creates a standardized bridge which reduces the
gap between business processes and their
implementation.
• BPMN provides a mechanism to generate an executable
Business Process (BPEL) from the business level notation
BPMN. Activity
Key tips:
• An activity is work that is performed
within a business process. An activity
can be atomic or non-atomic
(compound). The types of activities
that are a part of a Process Model
are: Sub-Process, and Task
• Activities are rounded rectangles
• They can be performed once or can
have internally defined loops
BPMN. Events
Key tips:
• An Event is something that “happens” during the course of a
business process. They can start, interrupt, or end the flow
• Events are circles
• The type of boundary determines the type of Event
Start event Intermediate event Finish event
BPMN. Gateways
Key tips:
Exclusive Data-based • Gateways are modeling elements that
are used to control how sequence
flows interact as they converge and
Exclusive Event-based diverge within a Process
• All types of Gateways are diamonds
Inclusive
• Different internal markers indicate
different types of behavior
Parallel • All Gateways both split and merge the
flow
BPMN. Gateways examples
BPMN. Connectors
Key tips:
• A Sequence Flow is used to show
the order that activities will be
performed in a Process
• A Message Flow is used to show
the flow of messages between
two entities that are prepared to
send and receive them
• An Association is used to
associate data, information and
artifacts
BPMN. Swimlanes
There are two main types of swimlanes: Pool and Lane
– Pools represent Participants in an interactive (B2B) Business
Process Diagram
– Lanes represent sub-partitions for the objects within a Pool
BPMN. Example
BPMN. Statistic of elements usage
• Only 9 of 52 elements are
usually used in the
diagram
• Only 5 elements are used
in more than half diagrams
• 17 elements (more than
30%) are used only in less
than 5% diagrams
• The five elements
commonly used were
normal flow, task, start
event, end event and pool
Business process modeling. Case study 1
Customer support process
• A software manufacturer is triggered by a customer requesting help
from her account manager because of a problem in the purchased
product.
• First of all, the account manager should try to handle that request on
his own and explain the solution to the customer, if possible.
• If not, the account manager will hand over the issue to a 1st level
support agent.
• The 1st level support agent should figure out if the customer can fix the
problem on her own, but if the agent is not sure about this he can also
ask 2nd level support for his opinion.
• In any case, at the end the account manager will explain the solution to
the customer.
Business rules
A business rule defines or constrains one aspect of the
business that influence the behavior of the business.
BP Business Process
Diagram rules data
BP Model
Business rules. Example
• Any person or entity which holds a marketing authorisation for a
medicinal product shall pay a fee to the Danish Medicines Agency for
renewal
• The size of the fees appear from Executive Order 1617, Schedule 1, cf.,
however, section 17
• The minimum share capital of a public limited company must correspond
to DKK 500,000
• The minimum share capital of a private limited company must
correspond to DKK 80,000
• The name of a limited liability company must be clearly distinguishable
from the names of other businesses registered with the Danish
Commerce and Companies Agency
Business rules. Example
BPMN. Case Study 2
Loan Application Process
Create teams of 4-5
Assign roles:
• Retail Loans Product Manager
• Credit Committee
• Branch Manager
• Back Office Clerk
+ facilitator (optional)
Read your process description (interview notes) and discuss the process in
order to have a common understanding.
Draw a logical process model in BPMN (starting from conceptual and
adding details and conditions) using own computers (minimum 2 per
team) - compare results.
Map your process tasks to the roles (lanes) and add messages/events,
annotations.
Time-frame – 40 minutes
BP management – next steps
Modeling As Is
Measuring
Information
Analyzing system
implementation
Modeling To Be
Implementation
Appendix. BPM notations overview
February 2012
BPM notations overview. Main notations
• IDEF 0
• IDEF 3
• Event Process Chain (EPC)
• UML Activity Diagram
• ANSI Standard Flowchart
• SIPOC Notation
• Swim-lane/Cross-Functional Diagram
• Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)
BPM notations overview. IDEF-0
IDEF-0 Notation
Example of Level 0 (A-0):
BPM notations overview. IDEF-0
Levels of diagrams – Level 3 example:
BPM notations overview. Event Process Chain (EPC)
Basic Elements:
Event Describe under what circumstances a function or
a process works or which state a function or a process
results.
Function: Model the tasks or activities within the
company. Describe transformations from an initial state
to a resulting state.
Organization unit: Determines which person or
organization within the structure of an enterprise is
responsible for a specific function
BPM notations overview. Event Process Chain (EPC)
Basic Elements:
Process path: Serves as navigation aid in the EPC.
They show the connection from or to other processes.
Control flow: Connects events with functions, process
paths, or logical connectors creating chronological
sequence and logical interdependencies between them
Logical Connectors: Splits the control flow from one
flow to two or more flows and synchronizes the control
flow from two or more flows to one flow.
BPM notations overview. Event Process Chain (EPC)
BPM notations overview. UML Activity Diagram
Basic elements:
Initial Activity: This shows the starting point or first
activity of the flow.
Activity Activity Description
Decisions: A logic where a decision is to be
[Opt1] [Opt2]
made
BPM notations overview. UML Activity Diagram
Basic elements:
Signal: When an activity sends or receives a
Input Output message, that activity is called a signal. Signals are
Signal Signal of two types: Input signal (Message receiving
activity) and Output signal (Message sending
activity).
Concurrent Activities: Activities that occur
Activity 1 Activity 2
simultaneously or in parallel.
Final Activity: The end of the Activity
diagram.
BPM notations overview. UML Activity Diagram
