Modelling Processes

The Process Modeling (PM) is the one of the primary requirement of any BPM project. The objective of PM is to record definition of as-is process. This recording results in analysis of existing process to understand strengths and weakness of the same. Any PM exercise needs to answer following questions:

1. What are the inputs (3Ms and One I – Man/Human Resources/Roles, Material/Document, Machine/Processing capability and Data/Information and Knowledge) to the Process?
2. What are the outcomes of the Process (tangible and non-tangible as well as direct and side effects)?
3. What are the different activities are performed in the course of execution of the Process?
4. What is the order of activities?
5. Who perform the activities?
6. What are the different events occur during the course of process execution?
7. What is the order of events?
8. What the pre-requisites of the Process to initiate?
9. What do/does trigger/s the Process?
10. What are incomplete-nesses or strengths of the Process?
11. Any historical information related to the Process.

The Process Modeling is carried out to achieve following objectives:

1. To specify the exact result of the process and to understand the value of this result.
2. To enable evolution of the Process.
3. To optimize the process (3Ms, One I and One T – Man/Human Resources, Material/Document, Machine/Processing capability, Data/Information and Knowledge and Time to execute)
4. To understand correlation among different processes.

Process Modeling results is variety of artifacts:

1. Process Map: This document – textually and/or graphically depicts various processes in enterprise and their interrelationship at very high level.
2. Roles and Relations Structure: This document - and/or graphically depicts various roles/groups and their relation in graph structure ( not organizational hierarchy) with respect to a Process.
3. As is Process Model: This model consists of following:
a. Process Environment Diagram: Detailed relationship of the Process with other interacting/intersecting processes.
b. Detailed Process Map: Detailed process map of each activity which getting executed in Process Execution all probable conditions.
c. Business rule: List of Business Rules and how they affect execution of process.
d. Exception Handling Diagram: Here detailing is carried out for error and exceptional cases for the process.
4. Publishing and Communication Process Modeling artifacts.

To carry out Process Modeling, simulation plays important role. Any simulation platform/tool/facility should exhibit following traits:

1. Simulate processes with respect to load distribution with time and non time factors
2. Simulate processes with respect to resource consumption ( 3Ms, One I and One T)
3. Statistical analysis of simulation result.
4. What if analysis.
5. Textual and graphical representation of simulation results
6. Publication of simulation results.

While carrying out Process Modeling following principles should be followed:

1. Stick to standards such as BPMN, ARIS methodology, etc.
2. Models must be semantically correct, means all activities, events and 3Ms, One I & One T are taken care of.
3. Beware of Paralysis by Analysis phenomenon.
4. Do Cost Benefit Analysis
5. Minimize technical jargon

While doing Process Modeling following challenges are common:

1. Absence of Process owner
2. Persons aware about process details are not cooperative enough
3. Modeler's point of view gets incorporated in Process Model.
4. Usage of jargon ( Business as well as IT specific)
5. As is Model start depicting To Be.