Process Design

In most of the cases BPM deals with existing process where process designer picks up the existing process, optimize it as per the given mandate and finish off his/her work. Does this expose him/her to best practices of process design?

So the steps of process design are:

1. Concept: The Idea  what do you want to do?
2. Form: The Process  The process and the result of process(product)
3. Content: The Meaning  Does form satisfies the concept?

In a well designed process cater to following class of changes:

1. Change in State: Transition to one state to another during the course of execution of process. For example in Quote to Cash process change in state of Quote to Order.
2. Internal Changes: Changes in other processes which are within the realm of enterprise/s to whom process is catering. For example change in price of an item while a Quote to Cash process is in middle of execution. Price change is another process.
3. Environmental Changes: These changes are most of time beyond control of participating enterprises. For example change in tax structure while a Quote to Cash process is in middle of execution.

In any process Class 1 changes are accounted for because they form the normal exertion path of a process. Class 2 changes are also accounted in most of well designed process either as Class 1 changes or exceptions or via versioning path. Class 3 changes are not taken care in most of the process design due to resultant complexity and thin chances of occurrence of these changes. Class 3 changes can be accounted either as Exception, using versioning or catastrophe. If Class 3 changes are not accounted in process design this may result in chaos.

To design a process following models can be used by various players of game.

1. Value Stream Mapping: This mapping technique is widely used by Six Sigma and Lean professionals.
2. Event Modeling: This technique is widely used by Process Reengineering professionals.
3. Object Modeling: This technique is widely used by software professionals to model software as real life objects. For details you can refer to OOPS and OOAD literature.
4. Data Modeling: This is one more technique which is widely used by software professionals to design data intensive software.
5. Process Interaction Model: This is the models which caters to intra and inter process interaction. This model is borrowing concepts from Control engineering and ARIS methodology. This model is under development and soon I will release more details about it.

Business and System Analysts use Value Stream Mapping, Event and Process Interaction Models to define, refine and model a process. Technical Architects and Designers use Object Model, Data and Process Interaction Models to come out with technical specifications and actual design.

Process Design Good Practices

1. Design for present but do not loose sight from future.
2. Take account of Class 1 events and Class 2 events.
3. Manage Class 3 events keeping complexity in full view.
4. Balance between automation and manual tasks to keep process simple.
5. Strive for perfection but watch out for complexity, so balance.

Reference
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_Stream_Mapping
2. http://www.isixsigma.com/dictionary/Value_Stream_Mapping-413.htm
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_analysis_and_design
4. http://www.ooad.org/
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_flow_diagram
6. http://www.agilemodeling.com/artifacts/dataFlowDiagram.htm
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dataflow
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event_model
9. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms533023(VS.85).aspx
10. http://www.actiontech.com/BPM/BIM.cfm
11. http://process-interaction-models.info/