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Business Analysis Practice: Techniques Document
Business Process ModelingTechniques
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1-12 BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING TECHNIQUES ............................................. 2-1
Overview .............................................................................................................................................................. 2-1Business Context Diagram ................................................................................................................................. 2-2Business Process Diagram .................................................................................................................................. 2-2Business Process Discovery Techniques .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... .......... .... 2-3
Interviews ......................................................................................................................................................... 2-3Facilitated Workshops ...................................................................................................................................... 2-4Observation ...................................................................................................................................................... 2-5Existing Documentation ................................................................................................................................... 2-5
3 MODEL CURRENT STATE .................................................................................. 3-1Create a Current State Business Context Diagram ......................................................................................... 3-1Create a Current State Business Process Diagram .......................................................................................... 3-2
4 ANALYZE CURRENT STATE .............................................................................. 4-1Identify Pain Points ............................................................................................................................................ 4-1Identify Opportunities for Improving the Current State Process .................................................................. 4-2 Helpful Hints for Modeling and Usage ............................................................................................................. 4-2
5 MODEL FUTURE STATE ..................................................................................... 5-1Create a Future State Business Context Diagram ........................................................................................... 5-1Create a Future State Business Process Diagram ............................................................................................ 5-2
6 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................ 6-1Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................... 6-1
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1 INTRODUCTION
Business Process Modeling Techniques describes the methods for creating business process
diagrams in Visio.
The objective of this document is to define techniques for modeling Delta business processes
using Visio. It includes the techniques to:
Model a current state business process
Analyze a current state business process
Model a future state business process.
All Business Process Diagrams should comply with Deltas standards for modeling businessprocesses. Refer to the documentBusiness Process Modeling Standards for Visio for
information on modeling standards at Delta.
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2 BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING TECHNIQUES
Overview
As a general approach, the technique for modeling the current state and then re-designing afuture state follows the method outlined below.
1. Model The Current StateFirst, the existing or current business process is modeled to gain a thorough
understanding of the process. The resulting diagram provides a graphical representationof the process which enables and facilitates communication with our business partners.
For more information on creating a current state business process model, refer to thesection Model Current State.
2. Analyze The Current StateThe current process is reviewed to identify problem areas, pain points and gaps in the
process. These are then analyzed to identify potential opportunities for improvement inthe process. The improvement opportunities will address the problem areas with
effective and efficient solutions.
For the techniques to analyze the current state, refer to the section Analyze Current State.
3. Model The Future StateThe future process is then re-designed using the existing process as a foundation andincorporating the improvement opportunities.
For the technique to create a future state business process diagram, refer to section Model
Future State.
Two types of diagrams are used to model the business process for both the current state and thefuture state:
Business Context Diagram, and
Business Process Diagram.
Techniques are available for creating both current state and future state Business ContextDiagrams and Business Process Diagrams.
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Business Context Diagram
A Business Context Diagram is a high level diagram that depicts the business domain, actors(roles, organizations, external entities and systems) outside the business domain, and interactionsbetween the business domain and the actors.
The Business Context Diagram shows how the business domain interacts with its environment
(i.e. external stakeholders). The Business Context Diagram is important in that it helps define
the scope and the boundaries of the work effort. Only those processes within the business
domain and those associated with the business interactions are in scope. All other processes areexcluded from the current state diagrams.
The Business Context Diagram is comprised of the following components:
Business Domain
Actors
Interactions.
The Business Domain is the area of the business which is being addressed by the project. The
business domain is composed of internal roles, organizations and systems that work together to
deliver products and services to customers.
The Actors are the roles, organizations, systems and external entities that serve as the sources
and recipients of the interactions to and from the business domain. Actors lie outside the
boundaries of the business domain and are not under the control of the business domain.
The business Interactions are the deliverables (information or materials) produced or received by
the external actors to/from the business domain. Interactions produced by an external actor andreceived by the business domain cause a response within the business domain. The response will
generally result in a new interaction from the business domain to the external actor.
Business Process Diagram
A business process is the flow of work across organizational boundaries. It starts with an event
that initiates the process and concludes with a deliverable produced by the process. In between,the process consists of work activities, decisions that alter the path of the work and workflows
which define the sequence of the work.
The Business Process Diagram is a graphical depiction of the flow of work within the businessdomain. It portrays:
Events that initiate or trigger the process,
Activities that accomplish the work,
Decisions that alter the path of the work,
Actors responsible for performing each activity and making each decision,
Workflows representing the hand-off or transfer of work, and
Deliverables produced by the process.
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Interview Process
The interview process consists of the following steps:1. Set-up the interview2. Plan and prepare for the interview3. Conduct the interview
4. Document the information gathered and identify areas that need further investigation.
Interview Questions
Preparing and using a set of questions during your interview will help keep you focused and will
help avoid going down unproductive paths of questioning. When interviewing several peoplewho perform the same job, a standard set of questions will help you compare their answers.
There are three types of content questions that can be asked during the interview:
Open-ended - encourages unstructured responses
Closed-ended - limits or restricts the responses
Range of responsesenables tabulation and comparison of results.
Helpful Hints
Listen actively
Be engaged
Avoid things that would disrupt the interview process
Adapt interviewing style to the communication style of interviewee
Use the appropriate type of question for each situation - open-ended versus closed endedversus range of values.
Facilitated Workshops
A facilitated workshop is a powerful technique for eliciting the activities, workflow anddeliverables in a business process. Key stakeholders in the business process participate for the
duration of the workshop to draw out the business process.
In the session, the facilitator assists the group to arrive at a consensus understanding of thebusiness process. Each stakeholder has a voice in developing the business process diagram. All
stakeholders contribute their knowledge and understanding of the process and their interaction in
the process with other stakeholders to develop the workshop deliverables.
Deliverables from the workshop can include either/both the current state and future statediagrams for:
Business Context Diagram
Business Process Diagram.
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The Workshop Process
The workshop process includes a structured set of activities that helps the team achieve their goalof modeling a business process. Careful planning is the key to a successful workshop.
The structure of each workshop consists of a set of activities:
Workshop openingObjectives and deliverables
Workshop process
Performance of the workshop activities
Workshop close
Participants in the workshop can include:
Executive Sponsor
Subject Matter Experts
Project Manager
Facilitator
Recorder (Co-Facilitator)Business Analysts.
Observation
An effective technique for identifying the activities, workflow and deliverables in a business
process can be to observe the actual process. Watching each participant execute their assigned
tasks in the process allows the observer to see first-hand how the process is performed and how itflows. An added benefit is that the observer can ask questions of the participant, such as:
What tasks are being performed?
Why are the tasks performed?
What are the inefficiencies in the process?How can the process be improved?
The observer will document the findings and prepare a diagram of the process.
Existing Documentation
For some business processes, the business process diagrams may have already been created. In
other situations where business process diagrams do not exist and it is not possible to use thepreviously mentioned techniques (interviews, facilitated workshops, or observation), then the
existing text documents, such as procedure documents or training documents, can be reviewed to
identify activities and their sequence. The documents may contain descriptions of the businessprocess from which a business process diagram can be created. To discover the activities andtasks in the process, review the document and look for verbs in the text, particularly those verbs
that express action; for example,
Purchaseticket
Assignseat
Printboarding pass
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Each of these examples will be an activity in a business process. The noun in each example will
be the output or deliverable produced by the activity. The flow of work can be determined bythe sequence in which the verb-noun combinations are found in the document.
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3 MODEL CURRENT STATE
When modeling the current state of a business process, the following two diagrams need to becreated:
Current state Business Context DiagramCurrent state Business Process Diagram.
The sections immediately below describe the techniques to create these diagrams.
Create a Current State Business Context Diagram
The objective of the Business Context Diagram is to capture how the business domain interactswith its external environment (i.e. with the external stakeholders not under the control of the
business domain). It is a high level model used to define the scope and boundaries of the
business domain. The most significant or important business interactions (flow ofcommunications and materials) between the business domain and the external stakeholders are
captured.
The technique for creating the Business Context Diagram for the current state is outlined below.
1. Identify Business DomainThe first step in creating a Business Context Diagram is to identify the business domain.
A business domain is the portion of the business which is being addressed by the project.A business domain helps to define the boundaries and scope of the project or area under
consideration.
Draw a rectangle with rounded corners to represent the business domain. The rectangle
should be placed in the center of the diagram. Name the business domain.
2. Identify ActorsDetermine all stakeholders (actors) external to the business domain that interact with the
business domain. The actors can be roles, organizations, external entities or systems.
For each Role, Organization, External Entity and System actor, draw the appropriate icon
around the outside of the business domain. Place the System actors on the bottom of thediagram. Name each actor on the diagram.
3. Identify InteractionsAll business interactions are identified between the business domain and the actors
external to the business domain. The business domain receives interactions from externalstakeholders as events or inputs. The business domain initiates a response to the input asan output interaction to the external stakeholder. Since the Business Context Diagram is
a high level model, only the most important business interactions are captured.
Draw each inbound and outbound interaction as a directional arrow between the business
domain and the external stakeholder. Do not use double headed arrows. Name eachinteraction.
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Create a Current State Business Process Diagram
After the Business Context Diagram is created, the next step is to create the Business ProcessDiagram for the existing business processes to illustrate how work is currently done.
The technique for creating the business process diagram for the current state follows theapproach outlined below.
1. Identify the ActorsIdentify all of the actors that participate in the business process. The actors are the roles,
organizations, external entities and systems both inside and outside the business domain
that are responsible for performing the activities, making the decisions and producing thedeliverables. Use the stakeholders listed in the Business Context Diagram as a starting
point.
For each actor, draw a swim lane in the business process diagram. Start with the
Customer in the top swim lane. Place the swim lanes for System Actors at the bottom of
the diagram. Name each swim lane with the Actors name.
2. Identify the Inputs/Outputs of the Business ProcessIdentify the business events that initiate or trigger the business process, the inputs to the
process and outputs (deliverables) from the process. The Business Context Diagram can
be used as a starting point to identify these components.
If the input is from an unknown source or is outside of the business domain, draw the
source with the Source icon. Name each source.
Similarly, if the output is going to an unknown recipient or is outside of the scope of
work, draw a Sink icon to receive the output.
3. Identify the Activities and DecisionsIdentify the activities representing the work that is done in the business process. Use theBusiness Context Diagram to drive discovery of the activities inside the business domain.
Start with the primary or most common work flow and assign activities and decisions to
the actor responsible for them.
Draw the activities and decisions owned by each actor in the appropriate swim lane usingthe Activity and Decision icons, respectively. Use a unique name for each activity and
decision. Ensure that the names accurately convey the meaning of the activity or
decision so that there is no misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the meaning.
Start with the highest level activities and then decompose to lower levels of granularity as
needed. If only detailed level activities are available, then define a high level activity bygrouping activities together.
Decisions are drawn with two or more output paths. Each path shows the appropriate
route based upon the evaluation of the decision or condition. Label each output path withthe decision or condition name.
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4. Define the WorkflowsDetermine and define the sequence of the work from activity to activity in the businessprocess. Information or other work products that are passed between activities are
documented as deliverables in the workflow.
Draw the workflow starting from the beginning of the process through to the end of the
process. An effective alternative method is to start sequencing the work flow in reversefrom the final deliverable back to the beginning of the process.
Use the workflow icon, a single directional arrow, to represent each workflow. Use
deliverable names to name workflows that are outputs from activities.
5. Refine the WorkflowsDo an informal walk through of the workflows. Verify that the sequence of the workbetween activities in the workflow is correct. Determine any missing actors, activities,
decisions or hand-offs between actors.
Use an iterative approach to validate the completeness and accuracy of the Business
Process Diagram.
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4 ANALYZE CURRENT STATE
After the current state Business Process Diagram has been completed, the diagram is analyzedto:
Identify pain points, problem areas and gaps in the processIdentify potential opportunities for improvement for each pain point in the currentbusiness process.
Potential improvement opportunities can be implemented to optimize the business process
making it more efficient and effective.
Identify Pain Points
The questions below guide the analysis of a current state business process diagram.
1. Activity analysis:
Determine the activities that add value and those that do not
Determine the activities that are duplicates or redundant
Determine the activities that consume the most time
Determine if the activity is cost effective
Determine if the activity timely
Determine if the activity resource efficient
Determine if the activity is performed by the proper organization
Determine if the performers of the activity possess the proper skills
Determine if the proper tools available to the performers of the activity
2. Organization analysis:
Determine if the organization is structured properly to perform its activitieseffectively
Determine if the proper skills exist within the organization to perform the activities
Determine if the organization is in a location to pass work and deliverables
conveniently
Determine if the number of organizations participating in the business process isoptimum in order to minimize the hand-offs (workflows) between actors
3. Process deliverable analysis:
Determine if the needs and wants of the customer being met?
Determine if the deliverables supplied to the customer are in a correct and convenientform
Determine if there are any activities in the business domain that the customer canperform?
4. Assess inter-relationships with the Business Domain:
Verify that the hand-offs between actors are accurate
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Identify Opportunities for Improving the Current StateProcess
Actions that can be taken to improve business processes include:
Minimize non value add activities
Eliminate duplication of effort
Reduce and simplify hand-offs
Use parallel processes where possible
Off-load work to customers and suppliers
Build quality into process
Eliminate downstream inspections and reviews
Use enabling technologies
Empower people at the lowest possible level
Minimize those who are part of the process
Identify and remove constraintsAnticipate how other projects may impact your business domain.
Helpful Hints for Modeling and Usage
Use Deltas Templates, Stencils and Icons to model Business Context Diagrams andBusiness Process Diagrams.
Name all icons workflow arrows (deliverables) and swim lanes.
Minimize the number of workflow lines that cross each other.
Business Context DiagramsGroup instances of Roles, Organizations, Systems and External Entities together.
Put all Systems at the bottom of the page.
Business Process Diagrams
All processes start with a Start icon, a Source icon or an Off Page Reference icon.
All processes end with an End icon or a Sink icon.
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5 MODEL FUTURE STATE
In most cases, the current state business process must be modeled and analyzed prior to modelingthe future state process. The pain points, problem areas and gaps in the process will have been
identified. Opportunities for potential improvements in the current process have beendetermined.
A current state business process diagram must be created when redesigning a current state
business process for a new future state.
There are some instances where the current state business process will not be modeled before
creating a future state process; for example , when reengineering a process, that is , obliteratingthe existing process and replacing it with a completely new process. However, it is bestpractice and it is recommended that a current state business process diagram be created beforecreating a new future state. The reason for doing this is to ensure that all of the functions and
capabilities of the existing process be identified and understood so that they may be incorporatedinto the future state process.
The two types of diagrams need to be created to model the future state for a business process:
Future state Business Context Diagram
Future state Business Process Diagram.
Create a Future State Business Context Diagram
The objective of the Business Context Diagram is to capture how the future state business
domain will interact with its external stakeholders. Again, only the most important businessinteractions (flow of communications and materials) between the business domain and theexternal stakeholders are captured.
The technique for creating the Business Context Diagram for the future state is outlined below.
1. Identify Business DomainUse the current state Business Context Diagram as the basis for the future state Business
Context Diagram. Note any changes
Draw a rectangle with rounded corners in the center of the diagram to represent the future
state business domain. Name the business domain.
2. Identify New and Deleted ActorsIdentify any new actors that now interact with the business domain. Identify all actorsthat no longer interact with the business domain.
For each new Role, Organization, External Entity and System Actor, draw the
appropriate icon around the outside of the business domain. Place the System actors onthe bottom of the diagram. Name each actor on the diagram.
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For each Actor that no longer interacts with the business domain, remove the actors icon
from the diagram.
3. Identify New and Deleted InteractionsFor each new actor, draw each new inbound and outbound interaction as a directional
arrow between the business domain and the external stakeholder. Be sure to identify only
the most important business interactions. Do not use double headed arrows. Name eachinteraction.
For each Actor that no longer interacts with the business domain, remove the actorsinteractions with the business domain from the diagram.
Create a Future State Business Process Diagram
Once the Business Context Diagram is created, the next step is to create the Business Process
Diagram for the redesigned, future business processes.
The technique for creating the Business Process Diagram for the future state is described below.
1. Incorporate Improvement Opportunities into the Future State Business ProcessUse the future state business process diagram as the basis for creating the future state
business process diagram. The improvement opportunities are identified to resolve the
current state pain points, problem areas and gaps are now incorporated into the futurestate process.
2. Incorporate New Business Functions and Capabilities into the Future State BusinessProcess
The business may request new functions or capabilities that do not exist in the currentbusiness process. These new business functions and capabilities can be incorporated into
the future state process.
3. Identify New or Deleted ActorsIf the future state business process requires new actors (i.e. new roles, organizations,external entities, or systems) to participate in the re-designed process, then add these new
actors to the future state business process diagram as new swim lanes.
Similarly, if an actor no longer has any involvement in the future business process,
remove the actors swim lane from the appropriate business process diagrams.
Ensure that there is a swim lane in the business process diagram for each actor. Put theCustomer in the top swim lane and place System Actor swim lanes at the bottom of the
diagram.4. Identify New Inputs/Outputs of the Business Process
Identify new business events that initiate or trigger the business process, new inputs to
the process and new outputs (deliverables) from the process. The Business ContextDiagram can be used as a starting point to identify these components.
If the input is from an unknown source or is outside of the business domain, draw the
source with the Source icon. Name each source.
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Similarly, if the output is going to an unknown recipient or is outside of the scope of
work, draw a Sink icon to receive the output.
5. Identify New and Deleted Activities and DecisionsAny new activities and decisions are identified. Assign responsibility for each new
activity and decision to the appropriate actor.
Draw the new activities and decisions owned by each actor in the appropriate swim lane.
Each new activity may be decomposed into lower level activities if additional detail is
needed. Start with the highest level activities and then decompose to lower levels ofgranularity as needed.
Remove any activities or decisions that are no longer part of the future process.
6. Map New and Revised WorkflowsDetermine the new sequence for performance of the work activities. Show the workflows
as deliverables between the activities. Draw the workflows using the deliverable icon.
Define the new sequence of the work from activity to activity in the business process.
Show workflows as deliverables between the activities. Information or other workproducts that are passed between activities are deliverables in the workflow.
Decisions are documented with two or more output paths. Each path shows the
appropriate route based upon the evaluation of the decision or condition. Label eachoutput path with the decision or condition name.
Use the workflow (deliverable) icon, a single directional arrow, to represent each
workflow. Use deliverable names to name workflows that are outputs from activities.
7. Ensure Completeness and AccuracyReview and validate the future process to ensure completeness and accuracy of the newbusiness process diagram.
Do an informal walk through of the workflows. Verify that the sequence of the work
between activities in the workflow is correct. Determine any missing actors, activities,
decisions or hand-offs between actors. Check that the opportunities for improvement aswell as the new business functions and capabilities have been added correctly to the
business process diagram.
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6 APPENDIX
Glossary
Term Definition
ActorRole, Organization, External Entity or System that performs the
work in a business process
Actor Diagram
High level context diagram depicting scope and main interactions
between the business domain and other roles, organizations,
systems and external entities; generally known as a Business
Context Diagram
Activity Work that is performed by an actor
Business Context DiagramHigh level context diagram depicting scope and main interactionsbetween the business domain and other roles, organizations,
systems and external entities; also known as an Actor Diagram
Business Domain Area of the business that is being addressed by the project
Business ProcessA set of logically related activities or tasks performed together to
produce a specific service or product
Business Process DiagramSwim lane diagram that depicts the actors, activities, decisions,
workflows and deliverables in a business process
Business Process Map Synonymous with Business Process DiagramCurrent State The condition or circumstances of existing or As-Is operations
DecisionA choice in flow of work that leads to two or more different
workflow paths
Deliverable Output of an activity in a business process
External EntityAn actor (typically, an organization) that is external to both Deltaand the business domain
Future state The condition or circumstances of desired or To-Be operations
InteractionDeliverable produced or received by the external actors to/from the
business domain
OrganizationA business entity or business unit that participates in performingpart of a business process
RoleA business function that is performed by an individual humanresource
Sink Represents an unknown destination of information or a destination
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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Appendix
that is out-of-scope
SourceInformation from an unknown or out of scope actor; Also, can be an
event that initiates a business process
Stencil
A pallet of icons that are dragged and dropped onto a template when
creating a Visio diagram; Enables consistent diagram style andformatting
Swim Lane
Horizontal band in a Business Process Diagram which represents
the actor (Role, Organization, External Entity or System)performing the activities in the swim lane
System Technology that automates business tasks, activities and functions
TemplateA structured framework used to create a Visio diagram; Enables
consistent diagram style and formatting
WorkflowThe passing of control from one activity to another; It signals the
completion of one activity and the initiation of the next.
Visio Software application for modeling business processes