01 BPA001-Business Process Analysis Workbook

8/8/2019 01 BPA001-Business Process Analysis Workbook

1/39

TT RAININGRAINING MM ATERIALSATERIALS

BP101 Business Process Analysis

University of Idaho

BPA SEMINAR

Maureen Moe Miller

November 20-21, 2003

BP001 Business Process Analysis Workbook


2/39

C ONFIDENTIAL B USINESS I NFORMATION

This documentation is proprietary information of Systems & Computer Technology (SCT) Corporation and isnot to be copied, reproduced, lent or disposed of, nor used for any purpose other than that for which it isspecifically provided without the written permission of SCT.

Prepared for: Release 5.x

Prepared by: Systems & Computer Technology Corporation4 Country View RoadMalvern, Pennsylvania 19355

United States of America

Issued: February 2002

This publication is intended to provide accurate information regarding SCTs software. It is provided with theunderstanding that SCT is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services through the

production of this publication. Further, SCT makes no claims that an institution's use of this software inaccordance with this publication will insure compliance with applicable federal or state laws, rules, or regulations. SCT recommends that organizations seek professional legal advice in order to determine that their

policies and practices are in compliance with applicable laws, rules, or regulations.

Because of the nature of this material, numerous hardware and software products are mentioned by name. Inmost, if not all, cases these product names are claimed as trademarks by the companies that manufacture the

products. It is not our intent to claim these names or trademarks as our own.

Banner, SCT, and the Banner and SCT logos are registered trademarks and SCT Banner, Banner2000, Banner CAPP,Banner Object:Access, BannerQuest, WebTailor, and the accompanying logos are trademarks of Systems & Computer Technology Corporation. Copyright 2001 Systems & Computer Technology Corporation. All rights reserved.


3/39

TT A B L EA B L E O FO F CC O N T E N T SO N T E N T S

Course introduction ......... ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ..... 1

Course overview ........................................................................................................................ ..... 2

Lesson 1: Introduction to Business Process Analysis ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....... 3

Lesson 2: Process Modeling Tools and Techniques ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ..... .. 14

Appendix A Bibliography ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....... ..... .... 21

Appendix B Glossary ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....... ..... ... 22

Appendix C Standard Higher Education Business Processes for SCT Banner or PlusImplementation ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....... .... ..... ... 23

24

Appendix D Information Gathering Methodology Handout ......... ......... ........ .... ..... ..... ..... ..... .... 25Appendix E Sample Narrative & Business Process Model ....................................................... 26

Appendix F Using SCTs Visio Templates for Cross-functional Flowcharts ............................ 32

Appendix G Review Answers ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ........ ..... ..... .. 33

Lesson 1: Introduction to Business Process Analysis ......... ......... ......... ...... ..... .... 33

Lesson 2: Process Modeling Tool and Techniques ........ ......... ......... ......... ........ .. 34

Appendix H PowerPoint presentation ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ........ .... ..... ..... ... 36


4/39

CC O U R S EO U R S E I N T R O D U C T I O NI N T R O D U C T I O N

O B J E C T I V E S At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Apply SCTs methodology for gathering information on,modeling and analyzing business processes

Apply criteria for selecting processes to improve and techniquesfor improvement.

P R E R E Q U I S I T E S

There are no prerequisites for this course. It is intended for directors, managers,and analysts who are interested in analyzing and improving or reengineering business processes in their organizations.

H E L P F U L H I N T S

A B O U T T H E S E M A T E R I A L S

Participants may want to review the table of contents before a class begins to become familiar with the course content. Materials are designed to be easy to

navigate.

SCT Business Process Analysis1


5/39

CC O U R S EO U R S E O V E R V I E WO V E R V I E W

Lesson 1 introduces the basic concepts and techniques of Business ProcessAnalysis (BPA) and shows you how to apply them to gather the informationneeded to model and analyze business processes.

Topics include:

Significance of a process-centered perspective

Ways in which BPA can benefit an organization

Techniques for process improvement

Characteristics of a business process

Business processes common to most schools

SCTs Information Gathering Methodology

In Lesson 2, you will learn about tools and techniques for modeling, analyzingand improving business processes.

Topics include:

Usefulness of models for documenting business processes

Specific information communicated by: swim lanes, tasks,decisions and connectors in business process models

Content and significance of the narrative section of a business process model

For more overview information, turn to Appendix H, which contains the PowerPoint presentation for this course.



6/39

LL E S S O NE S S O N 1 : I1 : I N T R O D U C T I O NN T R O D U C T I O N T OT O BB U S I N E S SU S I N E S S PP R O C E S SR O C E S S AA N A L Y S I SN A L Y S I S

1 . 1 D I S C U S S I O N

1 . 1 . 1 E N G I N E E R I N G T H E P R O C E S S - C E N T E R E D E N T E R P R I S E

Albert Einstein once observed, No problem can be solved from the sameconsciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew. Einsteinrealized that a new way of thinking is necessary to grow past any problem. The

problem that businesses face today is the need to reorder their operations into process-centered enterprises to satisfy the growing demands of their customers.

To achieve this, businesses must exchange their traditional ways of thinking for new mindsets that enable them to keep pace with today's rapid changes andanticipate the needs of tomorrows business world.

What is a business process? Michael Hammer describes it as a related group of tasks that together create a result of value to a customer (1996, p. 5). Ivar Jacobson, one of the founders of the object-oriented school of software design,also studied business processes. Jacobson points out that, while processes areoften owned by organizational entities, they tend to be independent of existingstructural hierarchies. Looking at business processes yields a dynamic view of how organizations deliver value, while looking at hierarchies presents a staticview of the responsibilities and reporting relationships within an organization.Hammer states this most clearly when he says, Processes are concerned withresults, not with what it takes to produce them. The essence of a process is itsinputs and its outputs, what it starts with and what it ends up with. Everythingelse is detail (1996, p. 12).

According to Hammer, a process-centered enterprise must:

Recognize and name its processes

Ensure that everyone is aware of these processes

Identify the key measures by which each of these processes will be assessed

Manage the processesHammer and Champy claim that reengineering is the fundamental rethinkingand radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements incritical, contemporary measures of performance (2001). A team of expertsfrom Coopers & Lybrand agrees that business reengineering is the means bywhich an organization can achieve radical change in performanceby theapplication of a variety of tools and techniques that focus on the business as a set



7/39

of related customer-oriented core business processes, rather than a set of organizational functions (Johansson et al. 1993).

What are core business processes? A core process addresses the needs anddesires of the marketplace, and reflects and supports an organizations corecompetencies. Core competencies are the things an organization is good at. They

provide the framework upon which the organization should build its strategies.However, Hammer points out that organizations have historically found itdifficult to define and exploit their core competencies. The process-centered

perspective, by characterizing an enterprise in terms of how it works, allows anorganization to answer not only the question of What should we do? but alsoAre we able to do it?"

Business process analysis (BPA) is a tool for engineering the process-centeredenterprise. You use BPA first, to capture the as-is state of an organizationskey processes, then, to define the should be state and negotiate the can-bestate. The can-be state is then modeled and analyzed. Implementing thereengineered processes calls for techniques to manage change and teamwork effectively. The result can lead to significant improvements in organizational

performance.

Organizational improvement can come about through either incremental or radical change. Hammer points out the difference when he states, "Eliminatingunproductive activities or changing the means by which a task is performed aretypical incremental process changes that lead to the small improvements in

performance that are usually sufficient to keep a process competitive.Periodically, however, there is a more dramatic change in the world: The olddesign suddenly becomes obsolete, an entirely new measure becomes important,or a quantum leap is required in an existing one" (1996, p. 80).

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) creates the latter type of organizationalchange, the radical redesign of business processes. Because such radical redesignhas been known to displace workers when processes are reengineered, BPR is aterm that can instill fear in workplaces. Incremental change is the type of changethat quality improvement programs such as Total Quality Management (TQM)seek to create. Many of SCT's clients look to BPA to assist them in makingincremental improvements in their business processes. However, as Hammer'sstatement indicates, organizations may not have the opportunity to choose

between radical or incremental change. Sometimes circumstances leave nochoice but radical redesign.

1 . 1 . 2 B E N E F I T S O F B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S A N A L Y S I S

Business process analysis (BPA) can be performed at any time, but it isespecially valuable at the beginning of an SCT Banner or Plus implementation.This can be a challenging and difficult time for both client and consultant.Performing BPA at the beginning, rather than after it has begun, makes for moreefficient implementation.

Implementation provides an opportunity to think systematically about the waysyou do business and how you might improve them. At this stage, you want tostep back and take a critical look at the way you do business. Such a perspective



8/39

not only helps you implement SCT Banner or Plus better and faster, itstrengthens your ability to deal with change. Working on these kinds of issues isan excellent way for clients and consultants to begin an ongoing and mutually

productive relationship.

Gathering the data necessary for BPA requires a certain amount of effort, but it is

enormously educational. People learn a lot about how their business is actuallydone and begin to think about how to do it better. SCTs methodology for gathering data on business processes begins on page 8.

The data gathered are used to create a process map, a graphic representation of the sequence of activities in a process. The process map may be in the form of aflowchart or, preferably, a cross-functional flowchart (sometimes called a swimlane model). When you have documented your key business processes, the goalof BPA is to figure out how to make those processes as effective and efficient as

possible.

1 . 1 . 3 C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S E S

BPA is a method for understanding and improving the processes people use torun their businesses. In SCTs practice, these businesses are colleges anduniversities. Admitting a student is a business process. So is ordering and payingfor office supplies, as well as hiring someone and putting him or her on the

payroll.

A business process is a flow of work that has a beginning, middle, and end. Itoften runs across departmental lines and usually depends on the cooperative work of several employees.

Because business processes often cross departmental lines, they differ from thecommand and control structures commonly found in hierarchies. As a result,

efforts to improve the quality or efficiency of a business process are likely todepend on the cooperative efforts of many users from different parts of theorganization.

Not every kind of work is usefully described as a business process. The term best fits activities that are sequential, involve multiple participants, and crossdepartmental boundaries.

Not all business processes are equal. Some are more important than others.Generally, the most important processes consume a significant amount of resources or have a major impact on teaching or research.

1 . 1 . 4 C O M M O N B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S E S I N H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N

Most schools use certain basic business processes to do the following:

Admit students and maintain records

Hire and manage personnel

Buy and pay for goods and services



9/39

Raise funds and manage alumni relations

These generic business processes can be broken down into sub-processes. For example, Admit students and maintain records is made up of a number of clearly identifiable sub-processes such as recruitment, admissions, financial aid,and registration. Carrying out any of these sub-processes involves a series of

activities.Describing a business process and breaking it down into its component parts issubjective. Its purpose is to facilitate understanding and analysis. There is nosingle correct way to do this, only ways that are more or less useful. SCT hasfound the descending categories of processes, sub-processes, and activities to behelpful and sufficient.

Because SCTs clients frequently initiate BPA in preparation for implementingSCT Banner or Plus, SCT has developed a list of processes that make up the coreof each functional module of the software (see Appendix C, Standard higher education processes for SCT Banner or Plus Implementation).

The following generic description of a business process common to most schoolsillustrates the variety of ways of doing business you can expect to encounter.

P ROCURE TO PAY

The Procure to Pay business process can be sub-divided into three functionalactivities:

Ordering

Receiving

Paying

Ordering can be done in many ways, such as making a phone call to a vendor,filling out a paper requisition, or placing an order through an electronic catalog.Receiving is an activity designed to ensure that the goods ordered are receivedand in good condition. Paying ensures that the vendor is properly paid.

There are many ways to carry out the Procure to Pay process. Common to all of them, however, are the basic functions of ordering, receiving and paying. The

process can involve a variety of departments and business rules.

For example, one organization may perform its ordering function through acentral purchasing office that requires an originating department to submit arequisition if an item exceeds $500. In this case, the ordering function involvestwo offices--the originating department and the central purchasing office--plus a

business rule (if cost is greater than $500, submit a requisition to central purchasing). Another organization may require its staff to order specific goods,such as office supplies or travel services, from preferred vendors.

Similarly, the receiving function can be performed in many ways. Theoriginating department can receive goods directly or, alternatively, after areceiving department has first received and checked them.



10/39

Finally, there are many options for performing the paying function. For example,organizations may require vendors to send all invoices to an accounts payabledepartment for review and approval before payment. Using different businessrules, originating departments in other organizations may review their invoices,then forward them to the accounts payable department for payment.

1 . 1 . 5 B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S R E E N G I N E E R I N G

To make your business processes as effective and efficient as possible, you begin by asking questions such as, "How well does this process do the job? Are better results needed? Are there redundant steps that don't add value? Can the same, or even better, results be achieved cheaper?" In some cases, the goal may be toimprove the quality of the process, in others to minimize the cost of achieving anappropriate outcome. In either case the method is the same: weigh the value of the result against the costs of obtaining it.

T ECHNIQUES FOR SYSTEMATIC PROCESS REENGINEERING

For each business process there is, both theoretically and practically, a more cost-effective solution. This is the solution that uses the minimum number of stepsneeded to accomplish the task. Additional steps increase the time and cost tocomplete the transaction. Anyone advocating adding a step to a process, such asobtaining a second approval signature, should prove that the incremental benefitsof the step exceed the incremental costs. Otherwise, an organization may wastemoney and time that it could allocate to more productive ends.

Once you have documented your business processes, you can apply, in thefollowing order, the four core steps of systematic reengineering (Andersen 1999,

pp. 146-148):

1. Eliminating activities that do not add value

2. Simplifying the activities that remain

3. Integrating jobs or groups, thereby eliminating interfaces between areas of responsibility

4. Automating selected activities

These techniques can be applied using only the data from your own process map.

S ELECTING PROCESSES FOR REENGINEERING OR IMPROVEMENT

The effort of conducting a BPA should not be wasted on trivial processes.Candidate processes for reengineering or improvement should be processes that:

Add value for your customers

Contribute to your organizations goals

Have potential for dramatic improvement, such as significantdecreases in cost or cycle time



11/39

1 . 1 . 6 S C T S I N F O R M A T I O N G A T H E R I N G M E T H O D O L O G Y

Information about business processes is gathered in a structured interview withsmall groups of individuals (preferably fewer than 10) who have detailedknowledge of the way the process currently operates. The Business ProcessAnalyst serves as facilitator for the meeting, following the outline below andrecording the groups responses to each step on flipchart pages. The first six steps

provide a detailed definition of the process and an understanding of who isinvolved.

Steps 7 through 12 complete the picture by capturing the specific activities thatmake up the process, sequencing them, and obtaining information on metrics for the process. In Step 7, the Analyst asks a second person to assist with recording

by writing the individual tasks on sticky notes while the Analyst continues torecord them on the flipchart. In Step 10, the Analyst asks the participants in theinterview to arrange the sticky notes in their correct sequence on large sheets of

paper, thereby creating a rough first draft of the process map. It is helpful to givethe participants attending the session a one-page handout listing the steps for

gathering the information, as an agenda for the session (see Appendix D).N AME THE PROCESS .

The process name should clearly reflect what the process does. Some authors usean end to end naming convention, such as Recruit to Admit and Admit toEnroll. Another common method is to use a gerund form of the verb together with the object, such as: Admitting Students and Enrolling Students.

DEFINE THE TERMS .

Identify the business objective of the process; e.g., to meet or exceedinstitutional enrollment goals. Clarify every term associated with the process.This step often helps establish a more accurate, and perhaps more restrictive,name for the process, as well as identify additional processes that may need to bemodeled. In this example, Admitting Students becomes Admitting First TimeResident Freshmen.


Admitting First-time

Resident Freshmen

Admitting

Students


12/39

E STABLISH THE PROCESS BOUNDARIES .

Identify the beginning and end points of the process and the associated inputs andoutputs. To continue the example:

Beginning: Receipt of Application and Deposit by AdmissionsOffice

Inputs: Application, deposit

End: Receipt of Intent to Enroll letter by Admissions Office

Output: Intent to Enroll letter signed by admitted student

Note the importance of document flow and the potential involvement of theBusiness Office in receiving the deposit.

I DENTIFY THE PROCESS ACTORS .

These are the individuals or organizations that actually perform the activities inthe process. Their roles or organizations will become the swim lanes in themodel you create.

1. I DENTIFY THE PROCESS OWNER .

All processes must have an owner. The process owner is the person who isresponsible for the process and its output. The owner is the key decision maker and can allot organizational resources to the process actors. He or she speaks for the process in the organization. In the example of Admitting a Student, the

process owner is the Director of Admissions.


Director of Admissions

Veterans Affairs

Financial Aid

Student/Family

High Schools

Housing

Business Office

Admissions Officer


13/39

I DENTIFY THE PROCESS STAKEHOLDERS .

A process stakeholder is someone who is not a supplier, customer, or processowner, but who has an interest in the process and stands to gain or lose based onthe results of that process. Examples of process stakeholders are shown in boxes

below.

Hint: build a graphic like the one illustrated here to record the information yougather in Steps 4, 5 and 6.

DESCRIBE TASKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROCESS .

Once the boundaries have been established, list all of the associated tasks that are performed within the boundaries, in any order. It is important not to focus on aspecific order of events at this stage. Make a note of who performs each task. Thetasks should be recorded on the flipchart by the facilitator and on sticky notes bya second person. The goal of this step is to list as many important tasks as

possible, without regard to their frequency or order. Examples of tasks:

Send admission summaries to Housing

Receive application

Send admission summaries to Veterans Affairs

Deposit application fees (Business Office)

Send Work/Study application to Financial Aid

Receive high school transcripts

2. DESCRIBE DECISIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TASKS .

Some tasks are conditional. Whenever a task description is proceeded by if , then, we have a potential business rule or condition. Like thetasks, the decision points should also be recorded on sticky notes, using adifferent color paper. Examples of decision points:

If the applicant is a veteran

If the applicant has applied for financial aid

If the applicant has applied for Work/Study


Director of Admissions

Veterans Affairs

Financial Aid

Student/Family

Alumni Office

High Schools

Vice-President:Academic Affairs

Business Office

Admissions Officer

Housing


14/39

C ROSS CHECK .

After the tasks and decision points have been listed, check to make sure that all process actors (listed in step 4) are represented by at least one associated task. If there is an actor for whom there is no task, then either the actor was incorrectlyidentified or a task has been overlooked. Next, look at each task to make sure the

actor is identified. This check is a critical step in effective cross-enterprisemodeling.

A RRANGE THE TASKS IN SEQUENCE .

The participants are now asked to arrange the tasks recorded on the individualsticky notes in their proper sequence, within the beginning and end points(identified in step 3). The advantage of waiting this long to sequence the tasks isto make sure the level of detail is fairly uniform. If you were to begin

procedurally, the model could easily become unbalanced, with an uneven amountof detail. Any important missing elements should become apparent during this

part of the exercise. If so, new tasks and decision points may be added.

E STABLISH METRICS AND ADDITIONAL RELEVANT INFORMATION .

What gets measured? In the draft process map, where and when do thesemeasurements occur? Note what is considered to be an acceptable figure ascompared with the current figure. Most processes have some kind of associatedmetric. The metrics may be unofficial or difficult to obtain, such as the number of students waiting in line for more than ten minutes, but they still exist and need to

be accurately described. For many processes, readily available metrics include:

Measures of volume, such as numbers of transactions

Scale of the process; i.e., this process accounts for x % of theworkload of y office

Timeframes

Additional relevant information may include details of:

Hindrances to smooth operation of the process, including thosewith and without reason and from a student and staff perspective

Areas for improvement; i.e., the participants wish list for the process

Critical functionality in the current state of the process that needsto be retained

Interfaces

Shadow databases

Data requirements; i.e., things needed from the system, such asletters, labels and badges; formal reports; and ad hoc queries.



15/39

I DENTIFY INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE PROCESS .

What changes would be needed to implement the areas for improvementidentified in Step 11? Is the change something that can be accomplished with achange in technology or are there institutional policy issues involved?

1 . 2 R E V I E W Q U E S T I O N S

1. What are some benefits of BPA? Identify all possible answers.

A. Makes for a more efficient implementation of SCT products

B. Strengthens clients ability to deal with change

C. Eliminates unproductive workers

D. Leads to making business processes more effective or efficient

2. What is the difference between Business Process Analysis (BPA) andBusiness Process Reengineering (BPR)?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

3. Which of these describes a business process?

A. Sequential in nature

B. Vertical lines of communication

C. Command and control

D. Does not run across departmental lines

4. Which of the following best describes an organizations corecompetencies?

A. Independent of existing structural hierarchies

B. Things an organization is good at

C. Static view of responsibilities and reporting relationships

D. Crosses departmental lines



16/39

5. Which of the following is not a technique for improving business processes?

A. Eliminating steps that do not add value

B. Eliminating parallel processes that occur simultaneously with the primary process

C. Automating selected steps in the process

D. Integrating jobs to eliminate interfaces between areas of responsibility

6. What is the difference between a process-centered view of an enterpriseand a hierarchical view?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Refer to Appendix G, Review answers, for the answer key.



17/39

LL E S S O NE S S O N 2 : P2 : P R O C E S SR O C E S S MM O D E L I N GO D E L I N G TT O O L SO O L S A N DA N D TT E C H N I Q U E SE C H N I Q U E S

2 . 1 D I S C U S S I O N

2 . 1 . 1 M O D E L S A N D M O D E L I N G T O O L S

SCT uses models to illustrate business processes because models are an effectivetool for extracting process information from process owners and experts. Modelsshow, in an easy to understand, graphical format, exactly how processes and their deliverables flow through an organization.

SCTs Enterprise Process Consulting Group uses Microsoft Visios cross-functional flowchart to prepare business process models. Visio is a user-friendly,Windows-compliant tool for creating, displaying and sharing process models.

2 . 1 . 2 E L E M E N T S O F A B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S M O D E L

This section is designed to show you the elements of the Visio cross-functionalflowchart that SCT uses to document business processes.

C ROSS - FUNCTIONAL FLOWCHART

Each Process Actor (identified in Step 4 of the information gatheringmethodology) is segmented into its own swim lane (Visio "functional band) inthe cross-functional flowchart. Each swim lane represents the region of influenceof a particular functional area or role within the organization. This representationclarifies the deliverables passed between different functional areas of theorganization. Because this part of a process is most vulnerable to disconnects,it necessitates the most careful analysis of deliverables and the triggers andactions that generate and receive them. The point where work moves betweenfunctional areas of the organization is the first place to look for opportunities toimprove a process by eliminating or streamlining baton passes betweenfunctional units.

Appendix E contains a sample narrative and model of Processing UndergraduateApplications for Admission, which illustrate some of the most critical elements

of the cross-functional flowchart and its narrative. Follow the flow of work in themodel from the first task, through the following tasks (rectangles) and decision

point (diamond), to the process end (process boundary marker, Visioterminator).

The lines with arrows connecting each activity indicate that something is to bedelivered or done to make it possible to continue the process. Deliverables must

be passed on or completed for the flow of work to proceed. Where the flow of work crosses from one swim lane to another, the deliverable is labeled.



18/39

N ARRATIVE

Equally important and integral to the graphical model is a textual narrativesection; see sample in Appendix E. The narrative provides additional detail aboutany given element of the model. SCTs Enterprise Process Consulting Groupcreates the narrative in a Microsoft Word document, into which the Visio model(saved as a Windows Metafile) is inserted.

2 . 1 . 3 M O D E L I N G S T A N D A R D S A N D M O D E L I N G C O N V E N T I O N S

Modeling standards include the software and the methodology with whichmodels are constructed in your organization. It is important that these standards

be adhered to in order to enable seamless information exchange within your institution. The following graphic depicts SCTs standard template for business

process models. See Appendix F for instructions on using the template to set up anew cross-functional flowchart in Visio.

In contrast, modeling conventions are suggestions to help you use the modelingtool most effectively. Following are examples of conventions that SCT hasdeveloped for its business process models created in Visio cross-functionalflowcharts.


ORG Name - ProcessBPA xxxxxx State - Process DescriptionEffective Date

< F u n c t i o n >

< F u n c t i o n >

< F u n c t i o n >

< F u n c t i o n >

< F u n c t i o n >


19/39

S WIM LANES

It may be helpful to use different swim lanes (Visio functional bands) to distinguish different roles (e.g., Admissions Clerk andAdmissions Counselor) within a department such as the AdmissionsOffice, rather than lumping the various functions performed by that

department into one functional unit. However, too many swim lanesmakes the model hard to read. Rule of thumb: limit the number of swimlanes to five or six for legibility.

When you first lay out the swim lanes in the model, place theswim lane that contains the most tasks in the middle of the model.

P ROCESS BOUNDARIES

End the model with a process boundary marker (terminator).

T ASKS

Labels on Task (or Activity) boxes should begin with a verb,optionally followed by an object; e.g., Pays fees or Receives application.The label should not include a subject. The name of the swim lane is thesubject. Keep the label brief. Rule of thumb: limit the label to no morethan five words. Do not use punctuation in the Task box.

Place the Task into the swim lane of the Actor performing theaction; i.e., a swim lane called System should be reserved for system

processing activities.

When the drawing is complete, number the Tasks and Decisions. Numbering is not strictly sequential because work flows in alternate paths out of the decision points, but it is generally from left to right. The primary purpose of numbering is to provide a reference to the tasks in thenarrative.

DECISION POINTS

Decisions should be phrased as questions that can be answeredyes or no.

Keep the labels in decision points as brief as possible and punctuate with a question mark. A single word or short phrase, such asApplication complete? or Undergrad? should be enough.

C ONNECTORS

Label the deliverable wherever the connector crosses from oneswim lane to another. The deliverable is the name of the document or event that moves the work to another swim lane; e.g., note thedeliverable labeled Applicant file where the work goes fromAdmissions Clerk to Admissions Counselor in the example of ProcessingUndergraduate Applications for Admission. It is important to capture



20/39

details of these deliverables because the points where work moves acrossswim lanes are likely targets for process improvements or reengineering.

Wherever possible, avoid having one connector cross another.

Proofread your model by following the connectors through the

model to ensure the flow makes sense.N ARRATIVE

Title the narrative with the process name (Step 1 of SCTsinformation gathering methodology).

Begin the narrative with the statement, The interview for this process was conducted on [date], and follow it with a list of the namesand job titles of the attendees. Identify a primary contact person at theclient site, with e-mail address and telephone number, to whom questionsabout the process should be directed.

Place notes that apply to the model in general in the descriptionof the model at the beginning of the narrative. State the businessobjective of the process. You may also provide a general description of what the process does and does not include and definitions of terms inthe process name (from Step 2 of SCTs information gatheringmethodology).

Specify the process boundaries (from Step 3 of SCTsinformation gathering methodology) by describing the tasks that beginand end the process. Specify the inputs and outputs of the process.

List the process actors, owner and stakeholders (from Steps 4, 5and 6 of SCTs information gathering methodology).

Record the metrics and any additional relevant informationgathered in Step 11 of SCTs information gathering methodology.Include in the measures of volume: the combined total of tasks anddecisions, the number of actors (= number of swim lanes), and thenumber of approvals documented in your model. These data elements arenot collected during the interview, but are identified from the modelitself.

If relevant, include data collected in Step 12 of SCTsinformation gathering methodology.

S HAPES

The shapes SCT typically uses in a business process model areillustrated in the graphic on the following page:



21/39

ORG Name - ProcessBPA xxxxxx State - Process DescriptionEffective Date

< F u n c

t i o n

>

< F u n c

t i o n

>

Task Stored data Terminator

T o

F r om

DecisionPredefined

process

2 . 2 R E V I E W Q U E S T I O N S

1. Match the following elements of the cross-functional flowchart with thespecific information each communicates.

Swim lanes A. Flow of work and its direction

Tasks B. Conditional activities ( ifthen)

Connectors C. Terminator

Deliverables D. Process actors

Decisions E. Items passed from one task to the next

Process end F. Activities

2. Identify all of the following statements that are not true.

a) Enterprise Process Engineering focuses on a group of tasks thattogether create a result of value to a customer.

b) To perform BPA, the first step is to document the steps currentlyrequired to perform an organizations most important business

practices.c) The key to analyzing the information in a cross-functionalflowchart is to focus on the tasks, not the connectors.

d) The primar y reason SCT uses models is to illustrate business processes. They are a very effective tool for extracting processinformation from process owners/experts.



22/39

3. Why does SCT use a cross-functional flowchart, rather than a standardflowchart, for BPA?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

4. How should labels on Task boxes be identified?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

5. What is the purpose of the narrative in relation to the process model?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

6. Which of the following should not be included in the narrative?

a) Date interview was conducted

b) Names and job titles of persons interviewed

c) Process boundaries

d) Modeling conventions

e) Process actors, owner and stakeholdersf) Descriptions of each task and decision

g) Measurements of volume and/or cycle times



23/39

7. What is the difference between a modeling standard and a modelingconvention?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

8. Is the statement Limit the number of swim lanes to five or six for legibilityan example of a modeling standard or a modeling convention?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________



24/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X A BA B I B L I O G R A P H YI B L I O G R A P H Y

Andersen, Bjorn. Business Process Improvement Toolbox. Milwaukee, WI: ASQQuality Press, 1999.

Carr, David & Henry Johansson. Best Practices in Reengineering. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 1995.

Galloway, Dianne. Mapping Work Processes. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ QualityPress, 1994.

Hammer, Michael. Beyond Reengineering: How the Process-centered Organization Is Changing Our Work and Our Lives. New York, NY:HarperBusiness, 1996.

Hammer, Michael and James Champy. Reengineering the Corporation: AManifesto for Business Revolution. Revised edition. New York, NY:HarperCollins, 2001.

Jacobson, Ivar. The Object Advantage: Business Process Reengineering withObject Technology. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1995.

Johansson, Henry, P. McHugh, J. Pendlebury and W. Wheeler III. Business Process Reengineering. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.

Katz, Richard N. and Associates. Dancing with the Devil: InformationTechnology and the New Competition for Higher Education. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass, 1999.



25/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X B GB G L O S S A R YL O S S A R Y

Automated activity An activity that is capable of computer automation using aworkflow management system to manage the activity during execution of the

business process of which it forms a part.

Business process - A set of one or more linked procedures or activities whichcollectively realize a business objective or policy goal, normally within thecontext of an organizational structure defining functional roles and relationships.A collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates anoutput that is of value to the customer (Hammer and Champy 2001). A processapproach focuses on the delivery of service, in contrast to a task-oriented systemthat takes a more segmented approach.

Business Process Analysis (BPA) The process of examining and modifyingexisting business processes to improve them. BPA rearranges what already existsto make incremental improvements, without undertaking radical redesign.

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) The radical redesign of a business process. Rather than improving on existing processes, BPR rethinks and reworksthem. Reengineering takes a radical approach in that it tosses aside existingsystems and designs them anew.

Business rules - The set of agreed upon practices that govern the actions of acorporation or organization.

Manual activity An activity within a business process which is not capable of automation and hence lies outside the scope of a workflow management system.

Metric - A standard of measurement. (Example: You cannot directly apply ametric to the concept of happiness.)

Process A formalized view of a business process, represented as a coordinated(parallel and/or serial) set of activities that are connected in order to achieve acommon goal. A set of linked activities that take an input, transform it, andcreate an output (Carr and Johansson 1995, p.9).

Process map A graphical representation of the sequence of activities in a business process.

Task A description of a piece of work that forms one logical step within a process (may also be called an activity). A task may be a manual activity, whichdoes not support computer automation, or an automated activity.



26/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X C SC S T A N D A R DT A N D A R D HH I G H E RI G H E R EE D U C A T I O ND U C A T I O N BB U S I N E S SU S I N E S S PP R O C E S S E SR O C E S S E S F O RF O R S C T BS C T B A N N E RA N N E R O RO R PP L U SL U S II M P L E M E N T A T I O NM P L E M E N T A T I O N

F INANCE PROCESSES

Managing finance operations

Developing and controlling the budget

Procuring and paying for goods and services (Accounts Payable)

Managing fixed assets

Managing grants and sponsored projects

Managing non-student and miscellaneous Accounts Receivable

H UMAN R ESOURCES PROCESSES

Recruiting and hiring employees

Managing employee records

Administering benefits

Managing compensation: position control, budgeting positions

Paying employees

Processing leaves and terminations

S TUDENT PROCESSES

Recruiting students

Admitting students

Advising students

Creating the course catalog

Creating the class schedule

Managing faculty workload

Registering students

Processing grades



27/39

Maintaining academic history

Auditing and awarding degrees

Assigning student accommodations

Billing students and processing students payments

F INANCIAL AID PROCESSES

Processing financial aid applicants (overview)

Managing document tracking and student communications

Packaging and disbursing financial aid

Processing specific financial aid programs: student loans, Pellgrants (RFMS), institutional scholarships, State grants, work study

Managing continuing eligibility for financial aid: SAP, Athletics,

status changesManaging funds: inventory and allocation, return of unearned

aid, FISAP reporting process, State reporting process

A LUMNI /D EVELOPMENT PROCESSES

Maintaining alumni records

Managing capital campaigns

Managing pledges

Managing alumni events

Processing gifts

Managing stewardship (scholarships)



28/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X D ID I N F O R M A T I O NN F O R M A T I O N GG A T H E R I N GA T H E R I N G MM E T H O D O L O G YE T H O D O L O G Y HH A N D O U TA N D O U T

1. Name the process.

2. Define the terms.

3. Establish the process boundaries.

4. Identify the process actors (the people who actually do the tasks in the processas opposed to someone who is responsible for the process, such asthe process owner/manager). *

5. Identify the process owner (the person responsible for the process and itsoutput. The owner is the key decision maker and can allot organizational

resources to the process actors. He or she speaks for the process in theorganization).

6. Identify the process stakeholders (those who are not suppliers, customersor process owners, but who have an interest in the process and stand to gainor lose based on the results of the process).

7. Describe tasks associated with the process (using subject/action/objectnotation).

8. Describe decisions associated with the tasks.

9. Cross check.

10. Arrange the tasks in sequence.11. Establish metrics and additional relevant information.

12. Identify institutional change process.

* Definitions after Dianne Galloway, Mapping Work Processes (Milwaukee, WI: ASQQuality Press), pp. 16-17.



29/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X E SE S A M P L EA M P L E NN A R R A T I V EA R R A T I V E & B& B U S I N E S SU S I N E S S PP R O C E S SR O C E S S MM O D E LO D E L Process name: Processing Undergraduate Applications for Admission

BPA interview date: The interview for this process was conducted on April 1, 2001.

Attendees: Leticia Innis, Director of Admissions, SCTUClara Clarke, Admissions Clerk, SCTUBea Calmer, Admissions Counselor, SCTUAnthony Abbott, Registrar, SCTU and Project Coordinator

Contact: Anthony Abbot [email protected] (610) 647-5930

Business objective: To facilitate timely entry and review of applications, allowing for bothquick response to applicants and accurate reporting information for theinstitution.

Note: Currently, the Admissions application is completely paper-based.

Process begins: When Admissions Clerk receives an application for admission and anapplication fee from a prospective student.

Inputs: Application MaterialsFee

Process ends: When Admissions Counselor sends a decision letter to the applicant.

Output: Decision Letter

Process actors: Admissions Clerk Admissions Counselor Decision Committee

Process owner: Director of Admissions

Stakeholders: Academic units/facultyFinancial Aid

Bursars OfficeRegistrars OfficeInstitutional Research

NCAA

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


30/39


31/39

SCT University - Processing Undergraduate Applications for AdmissionBPA Current State - Clerk receives application to Counselor sends decision letter Effective Date - April 1, 2001

i s i o n

m i t t e e

A d m

i s s

i o n s

C o u n s e

l o r

A d m

i s s

i o n s

C l e r k

1Receives

application & fee

2Separates

application & fee

3Sends fee to

Bursar

4Creates applicant

file

5Enters

application datainto system

6Generates

confirmationletter

7Duplicates &

sends applicationto department

8Receives & enters

comments

9Forwards file to

AdmissionsCounselor

10Applicationcomplete?

11Sends request for

additionalinformation

13Completesapplicant

summary sheet

14Forwards

summary sheet &file to Committee

15Reviews

application &16

Forwards

18Sends decision

letter to applicant

Applicantfile

NO

YES

S u m m a r y s

h e e t

& f i l e D

e c

i s i o n

& f

i l e

12Holds for receipt of requested

data

17Enters decision &

forwards

Decision& file

END


32/39


33/39


34/39

9. Forwards applicant file to Admissions Counselor

Admissions Clerk forwards applicants (paper) file to Admissions Counselor for review.

10. Application complete?

Admissions Counselor reviews application to determine if it is complete.

11. Sends request for additional informationIf application is not complete, then Admissions Counselor sends letter requesting additionalinformation to applicant.

12. Holds for receipt of requested data

Admissions Counselor holds file of applicant, from whom additional information requested,until requested data received.

13. Completes applicant summary sheet

If application is complete then Admissions Counselor completes applicant summary sheet.

14. Forwards summary sheet & file to Committee

Admissions Counselor forwards summary sheet and applicant file to Admissions DecisionCommittee.

15. Reviews application & designates decision

Decision Committee reviews application and designates decision as:AcceptedConditional AcceptDenyWaitlist

16. Forwards decision & file

Decision Committee forwards the applicants file with the decision to the Admissions Clerk.

17. Enters decision & forwards

Admissions Clerk enters the decision and any stipulations and forwards applicants file,including decision, to Admissions Counselor.

18. Sends decision letter to applicant

Admissions Counselor sends decision letter to applicant.


35/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X F UF U S I N GS I N G S C T S C T SS VV I S I OI S I O TT E M P L A T E SE M P L A T E S F O RF O R CC R O S SR O S S -- F U N C T I O N A LF U N C T I O N A L FF L O W C H A R T SL O W C H A R T S


36/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X G RG R E V I E WE V I E W AA N S W E R SN S W E R S

L E S S O N 1 : I N T R O D U C T I O N T O B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S A N A L Y S I S

1. What are some benefits of BPA? Identify all possible answers.

A. Makes for a more efficient implementation of SCT products

B. Strengthens clients ability to deal with change

D. Leads to making business processes more effective orefficient

2. What is the difference between Business Process Analysis (BPA) andBusiness Process Reengineering (BPR)?

BPA examines and improves existing business processes incrementally

BPR radically redesigns existing business processes

3. Which of these describes a business process?

A. Sequential in nature

4. Which of the following best describes an organizations corecompetencies?

B. Things an organization is good at

5. Which of the following is not a technique for improving business processes?

B. Eliminating parallel processes that occur simultaneouslywith the primary process

6. What is the difference between a process-centered view of an enterpriseand a hierarchical view?

Process centered view: yields a dynamic view focusing on howorganizations deliver value

Hierarchical view: presents a static view of responsibilities andreporting relationships


37/39

L E S S O N 2 : P R O C E S S M O D E L I N G T O O L A N D T E C H N I Q U E S

1. Match the following elements of the cross-functional flowchart with thespecific information each communicates.

D Swim lanes A. Flow of work and its direction

F Tasks B. Conditional activities ( ifthen)

A Connectors C. Horizontal terminator

E Deliverables D. Process actors

B Decisions E. Items passed from one task to the next

C Process end F. Activities

2. Identify all of the following statements that are not true.

a) Enterprise Process Engineering focuses on a group of tasks thattogether create a result of value to a customer.

b) To perform BPA, the first step is to document the steps currentlyrequired to perform an organizations most important business

practices.

c) The key to analyzing the information in a cross-functionalflowchart is to focus on the tasks, not the connectors.

d) The primar y reason SCT uses models is to illustrate business processes. They are a very effective tool for extracting processinformation from process owners/experts.

3. Why does SCT use a cross-functional flowchart, rather than a standardflowchart, for BPA?

The cross-functional flowchart represents process actors as separatefunctional bands or swim lanes. The points where work movesbetween swim lanes are the first places to look for opportunities toimprove a process by streamlining the flow of work between functionalareas of the organization.

4. How should labels on Task boxes be identified?

Labels should begin with a verb followed by an object; e.g. Receivesapplication . The label should not include a subject and should be brief no more than five words, and should not include punctuation.


38/39

5. What is the purpose of the narrative in relation to the process model?

The narrative provides additional detail about any given element of themodel.

6. Which of the following types of information should not be included in thenarrative?

a) Date interview was conducted

b) Names and job titles of persons interviewed

c) Process boundaries

d) Modeling conventions

e) Process actors, owner and stakeholders

f) Descriptions of each task and decision

g) Measurements of volume and/or cycle times

7. What is the difference between a modeling standard and a modelingconvention?

Modeling standards include the software and methodology with whichmodels are created in your organization. Standards ensure thatinformation about business processes can be exchanged seamlesslywithin your organization.

Modeling conventions are suggestions to help you use the modeling toolmost effectively.

8. Is the statement Limit the number of swim lanes to five or six for legibility an example of a modeling standard or a modeling convention?

Modeling convention


39/39

AA P P E N D I XP P E N D I X H PH P O W E RO W E R PP O I N TO I N T P R E S E N T A T I O NP R E S E N T A T I O N

Documents

01 BPA001-Business Process Analysis Workbook