Business Process Modeling

This document describes how BPR and BPI projects can provide the needed scope definition for software development projects, how a basic set of business process modeling (BPM) concepts and diagramming techniques that are usable in rapid analysis of software requirements with as little translation or rework as possible, and also work to describe BPM techniques which give a basis for assembling, not coding, business solutions.

The meaning of the term Business Process Reengineering (BPR) has become rather vague since it is used differently by different authors and commentators. We understand it to mean:

The radical reorganization of an enterprise along the flow of work that generates the value sought by the customer.

The emphasis in BPR is that change should be radical in order that the business makes efficiency gains of orders of magnitude.  Under some circumstances the radical nature of the changes envisaged with a BPR exercise are unacceptable. This often results in a drive for improvement of the current processes, however defined, rather than reengineering.  We use the term Business Process Improvement (BPI) to indicate where improvements are sought within the current business constraints.

Both BPR and BPI encompass a whole range of practices, which include both modeling techniques and techniques for organizational change. The former can involve workflow analysis, simulation, value chain analysis, critical path analysis and performance measurement. The latter are characterized by approaches to managing resistance to change, team building, performance measurement and incentive compensation.

We restrict the discussion in this document to process concepts and modeling techniques, irrespective of whether a BPR or BPI approach is taken. We describe current “As Is” modeling and future “To Be” modeling techniques which will provide a basis for techniques such as workflow analysis, simulation, value chain analysis, critical path analysis and performance measurement.