K725 – Fall 2011 - Page 1 of 8

MBA K725

Business Process Management Fall 2011 Course Outline

Information Systems DeGroote School of Business

McMaster University

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course enables students to learn about the methodologies used to redesign optimal

business processes and related information technologies in support of process innovation.

Students learn about the state-of-the-art techniques used in support of business process

redesign. These techniques, learned through hands-on practice with SAP software and

simulation, include: identifying best-practice process, workflow automation, simulation of

the business processes, and design of strategic enterprise management systems for efficient

and effective use of information technology in support of business operations.

Students can use this course towards requirements for eligibility to obtain SAP-Certification

in “Business Integration” through McMaster University-SAP University Alliance program.

INSTRUCTOR AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Section 1: Wednesday 14:30-17:30 Class Location: RJC 249

Instructor: Dr. Ali R. Montazemi Hamed Q. Saremi montazem@mcmaster.ca TA

Office: DSB 422 qahrish@mcmaster.ca

Office Hours: before class

Tel: (905) 525-9140 x27434

Course Website: http://avenue.mcmaster.ca

COURSE ELEMENTS

Credit Value: 3 Team skills: Yes IT skills: Yes Global: Yes

Avenue: Yes Verbal skills: Yes Numeracy: No Political: No

Participation: Yes Written skills: Yes Innovation: Yes Social: Yes

Evidence-based: Yes Experiential: No Final Exam: Yes Guest speakers: Yes

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In the face of intense competition and other business pressures on organizations, quality

initiatives and continuous, incremental process improvement, though still essential, will no

longer be sufficient. Radical levels of change require powerful information technology tools to

facilitate the fundamental redesign of work. This course is taught through the case-method,

readings, lectures, videos, workshops and a number of hands-on use of software including SAP,

and ARIS.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to complete the following key tasks:

Assess companies’ e-business requirements and strategies

Begin leading effective innovation and organizational business process renewal

Integrate business strategies with the e-business to create value for the organization.

Manage information and knowledge processes successfully

Manage the process of organizing for value strategically

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS AND READINGS

Avenue registration for course content, readings and case materials

http://avenue.mcmaster.ca

Business Process Management: The SAP Roadmap, By: J.M. Snab, A.

Rosenberg, C. Moller and M. Scavillo. Galileo Press (SAP press) 2009

ISBN 978-1-59229-231-8

$ FREE

$69.95

OPTIONAL COURSE MATERIALS AND READINGS

Gartner reports from: http://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/system_soft/gartner.html

Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating Foundation for Business By

Ross, Weill & Robertson, Execution, Harvard Business School Press, 2006.

EVALUATION

Learning in this course results primarily from in-class discussion and participation of

comprehensive business cases. The balance of the learning results from the lectures on BPM

concepts, from related readings, and from researching your presentations, cases, hands-on

assignments, simulation decisions and projects. All work will be evaluated on an individual basis

except in certain cases where group work is expected. In these cases group members will share

the same grade adjusted by peer evaluation. Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

COMPONENTS OF COURSE GRADE: PARTICIPATION: Class participation is highly encouraged. The primary learning vehicle

for this class is discussions between students. Your discussion must be well grounded

based on the course materials. Late arrival in class longer than 15 minutes would

result in a 5% penalty unless adjudicated by the Academic Programs Office (APO) for

legitimate reason. The same applies to those who leave early.

FINAL EXAM: Closed-book exam of the covered chapters 1-15 of the textbook.

IT-Lab Assignments Seven IT-Lab sessions are scheduled for you to learn software used in business process

redesign. IT-Lab assignments will be handed to you in the Lab. You lose the assigned

IT-Lab grade if you are not present at the class-scheduled time.

Research Paper: You are required to do an in-depth literature survey of a topic

provided below. You should use academic journals and books on the selected topics,

accessible through McMaster libraries and eLibrary, and Gartner only. Every

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presentation should include an electronic presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) and a written

report (including all slides displayed) for the professor. The report should be of about 20

pages long to portray what the group wishes to say in their presentation. Format for the

report is to be double-spaced, 12-point font, with 1” margins all around. You are

required to upload your write up and presentation to the Avenue account at least 24

hours before the scheduled time of your presentation. Grading will emphasize the

quality of analysis, but will also include professionalism, organization, and clarity of

expression. Better grades for presentations will be given to groups that involve all

members in the oral aspects of the presentation. Provide a list of references that you

have used to prepare for the presentation. It is expected that majority of references

used in your literature survey are different from the class reading materials. The

following topics will be assigned to different groups. (A) Project management for the implementation of enterprise systems.

(B) IT Governance

(C) Business Process modeling

(D) IT Strategy in support of business Processes management

(E) Organizational change management

Components and Weights

COMPONENT %

Final exam BPM Chapters 1-15 30

Research Paper 5% presentation, 10% content 15

Class participation Earned throughout the term in class 20

Assignment 1 SAP Workflow design 5

Assignment 2 SAP Solution Composer 5

Assignment 3 SAP Business One 5

Assignment 4 Value-SAP & SAP Solution Manager Best-practiced business process

design & implementation 5

Assignment 5 Visio & ARIS Process Modeling 5

Assignment 6 ARIS Process Simulation 5

Assignment 7 Score-Card methodology through SAP-Enterprise Management System 5

Total 100

Grade Conversion

At the end of the course your overall percentage grade will be converted to your letter grade in

accordance with the following conversion scheme. Your grade is accessible through the course

Avenue site.

… please note that MBA grade conversion is … LETTER GRADE PERCENT LETTER GRADE PERCENT

A+ 90-100 C 55-59 A 85-89 C- 50-54 A- 80-84 F 0-49 B+ 75-79 B 70-74 B- 65-69 C+ 60-64

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Communication and Feedback

Students who are uncomfortable in directly approaching an instructor regarding a course concern

may send a confidential and anonymous email to the respective Area Chair or Associate Dean:

http://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/curr/emailchairs.aspx

Students who wish to correspond with instructors or TAs directly via email must send messages

that originate from their official McMaster University email account. This protects the

confidentiality and sensitivity of information as well as confirms the identity of the student.

Emails regarding course issues should NOT be sent to the Administrative Assistant.

Instructors should conduct an informal course review with students by Week #4 to allow time for

modifications in curriculum delivery. Instructors should provide evaluation feedback for at least

10% of the final grade to students prior to Week #8 in the term.

Students who wish to have a course component re-evaluated must complete the following form:

http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/Students-AcademicStudies/Form_A.pdf

In order for the component to be re-read:

the component must be worth 10% or more of the final grade in the course

students pay a fee of $50 in Gilmour Hall #209 (receipt is then brought to APO)

the Area Chair will seek out an independent adjudicator to re-grade the component

an adjustment to the grade for the component will be made if a grade change of three points

or greater on the 12 point scale (equivalent to 10 marks out of 100) has been suggested by the

adjudicator as assigned by the Area Chair

if a grade change is made, the student fee will be refunded

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

It is the student’s responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Please refer

to the University Senate Academic Integrity Policy at the following URL:

http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/Students-AcademicStudies/AcademicIntegrity.pdf

This policy describes the responsibilities, procedures, and guidelines for students and faculty

should a case of academic dishonesty arise. Academic dishonesty is defined as to knowingly act

or fail to act in a way that results or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage.

Please refer to the policy for a list of examples. The policy also provides faculty with procedures

to follow in cases of academic dishonesty as well as general guidelines for penalties. For further

information related to the policy, please refer to the Office of Academic Integrity at:

http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity

REQUESTING RELIEF FOR MISSED ACADEMIC TERM WORK

1. Students may request relief from a regularly scheduled midterm, test, assignment or other

course component in the following two ways:

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a) For absences from classes lasting up to five (5) days

Students must use the MSAF (McMaster Student Absence Form). This is an on-line,

self-reporting tool, for which submission of medical or other types of supporting

documentation is normally not required. Students may use this tool to submit a

maximum of one (1) request for relief of missed academic work per term. Students

must follow up with their course instructors regarding the nature of the relief within

two days of submitting the form. Failure to do so may negate the opportunity for relief.

It is the prerogative of the instructor of the course to determine the appropriate relief for

missed term work in his/her course.

b) For absences from classes lasting more than five (5) days

Students cannot use the MSAF. They MUST report to the APO to discuss their

situation and will be required to provide appropriate supporting documentation.

2. Students who wish to submit more than one request for relief of missed academic work per

term cannot use the MSAF. They must report to the APO and discuss their situation with

an academic advisor. They will be required to provide supporting documentation and meet

with the Director.

3. The MSAF cannot be used during any final examination period.

4. Students who require accommodations to meet a religious obligation or to celebrate an

important religious holiday must make their requests in writing within three weeks of the

start of term to the APO.

5. Students seeking relief due to: work-related (for part-time students only) commitments;

representing the university at an academic or varsity athletic event; and/or conflicts

between two (or more) overlapping scheduled midterm exams, have the option of applying

for special exam arrangements. Such requests must be made to the APO at least ten (10)

working days before the scheduled exam along with acceptable documentation. There will

be only one common sitting for the special exam. Instructors cannot themselves allow

students to unofficially write make-up exams/tests. Adjudication of the request must be

handled by the APO.

STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) offers various support services for students with

disabilities. Students are required to inform SAS of accommodation needs for examinations on

or before the last date for withdrawal from a course without failure (please refer to official

university sessional dates). Students must forward a copy of such SAS accommodation to the

instructor immediately upon receipt. If a student with a disability chooses NOT to take

advantage of an SAS accommodation and chooses to sit for a regular exam, a petition for relief

may not be filed after the examination is complete. The SAS website is:

http://sas.mcmaster.ca

POTENTIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE COURSE

The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term.

The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme

circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and

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communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment

on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email and course

websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.

RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINE

Objective:

To write and present a research paper that addresses the issues of Business Process Management.

Topic Selection:

The instructor will assign the topic of your research paper to you.

Guidelines:

1. Since many students will not have much experience within their selected topic, most of

the material for the research paper will be gathered from literature surveys. The

University library has many books and journals, which may be of use, and your instructor

may also help you in your search if you are short of material.

2. Since the purpose of this research paper is to show that you have studied a particular area

well, do not simply repeat information you find in your literature review. In particular,

beware of the unbridled enthusiasm on many topics often appearing in the popular press.

This may be a mask to cover a lack of facts. You should not consider yourself as a

reporter, but as an analyst. Present your own views on the material gathered, since this

develops your ability to think logically and creatively. Remember, marks are given for

originality. You need to submit your research paper proposal including the title, the

objective, the tasks, the methodology, and the potential value of your research.

3. Your final paper must be typed. It should be a minimum of 20 (maximum of 35) double-

spaced 8 x 11 typewritten pages, (not including references, figures, and appendices.

However, you will not be penalized if you can put forward a good presentation in less

than 20 pages.

4. Your paper should be written in a concise, crisp, academic style such as would be used in

writing a research paper for conference or journal submission. Try to use diagrams and

tables to get your point of view across and to "dress up" your paper's appearance.

5. Your paper should include the following sections:

a. A cover page which includes the title, the course name and number, the date, and

the Author’s name.

b. Abstract: The abstract should cover the most important points presented in your

paper as well as any conclusions that should be derived from the report.

c. Introduction: This section includes background material to bring the reader "up to

speed" before launching into the main thrust of your report. It should also briefly

discuss a general outline of the report which follows.

d. Report body: The body of the report should be broken into reasonably sized

sections on various aspects of the topic under consideration. Each section should

be numbered and given an appropriate heading.

e. Major findings and conclusions: This section should reflect the important results

that the reader should have learned from the paper.

f. References: You must show several references from more advanced literature

(you may also reference the popular press, but it may tend towards uncritical

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enthusiasm). Guidelines for reference format are provided below.

g. Appendices: If appropriate, appendices should be included after your reference

section.

6. Jargon should not be used unless the words are carefully defined when they are first used

in your report. In general, make sure you carefully define your topic, assuming that

potential readers may have little or no background knowledge within the area.

7. Sources for your material must be referenced. If you develop original material in your

report, be sure to substantiate the grounds upon which you build your arguments, through

references to other published material or personal communications. All of your reference

material should be referred to by authors and year in square brackets, corresponding to

the paper used in your reference list at the end of your paper. In your reference section,

references should be listed in alphabetic order of the first author's last name.

8. Short footnotes may be used, provided that they are referenced on the same page with a

special symbol such as a dagger or an asterisk. Longer footnotes should be included as

appendices, to avoid breaking the continuity of the presentation.

9. Figures or tables should be numbered and should appear as soon as possible after they are

referenced in the paper. However, if a large number of tables or figures are referenced in

one place, it is best to move all the tables and/or figures to the end of the report.

10. Appendices should have titles and be numbered using Roman numerals.

11. All pages of the report, except the title page, should be numbered.

12. Equations should be numbered if they are referred to elsewhere in the report.

13. Grammar, spelling, sentence and paragraph structure are important. A good general

reference that may be useful is the Harbrace College Handbook published by Longman

Canada Limited. Other references that contain helpful sections on business report writing

style are:

Ewing, E.W., Writing For Results, New York: Wiley (1979).

Himstreet, W.C., and W.M. Baty, Business Communications, Belmont,

California:Wadsworth (1977).

Smith, R.S., Written Communications for Data Processing, New York: Van Nostrand

(1976)

Weiss, A., Write What You Mean, New York: Amacom (1977).

14. PowerPoint presentation. You should prepare and submit (email me) your PowerPoint

presentation document one day before the scheduled presentation time. You suppose to

have 15 minutes presentation followed by 5 minutes discussion.

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COURSE SCHEDULE

MBA K725 Information Systems

Fall 2011 Course Schedule

Week Date Topic Study Event

1 Sept. 14 Business

Processes &

Enterprise

Systems

2 Sept. 21 Business Process

Management

BPM Chapters 1

Invited Guest Speaker: Mr. David

DiDonato, Senior Manager, Business

Process Improvement, Loblaw

3 Sep. 28 Business Process

Management

BPM Chapters 2

Assignment-1: Hands-on with SAP

Workflow-builder.

4 Oct. 5 Business Process

Management

BPM Chapters 3

Invited Guest Speaker:

Mr. Mahmoud Safavi, KPMG

5 Oct. 19 Business Process

Management

BPM Chapters 4

1. Assignment-2: Hands-on with SAP

Solution Composer

2. Literature Survey A

6 Oct. 26 Business Process

Roadmap

BPM Chapters 5 & 6

1. Assignment 3: Hands-on with SAP-

Business One (meet DSB A116

computer lab)

2. Literature Survey B: (meet at DSB-

421)

7 Nov. 2 Business Process

Roadmap

BPM Chapters 7 & 8

Invited Guest Speaker:

Mr. Charles Collins, Deloitte

8 Nov. 9 Business Process

Roadmap

BPM Chapters 9 & 10

1. Assignment 4: Hands-on with Value-

SAP & Solution Manager

2. Literature Survey C

9 Nov. 16 Business Process

Roadmap

BPM Chapters 11 & 12

1. Assignment 5: Hands-on with Visio

& ARIS Business Process Modeling

(meet DSB A116 computer lab)

2. Literature Survey D (meet at DSB-

421)

10 Nov. 23 Business Process

Analysis

1. BPM Chapter 13

2. Business Process Modeling and Analysis

Using Discrete-Event Simulation

1.Assignment 6: Hands-on with ARIS

Discrete-Event Simulation (meet DSB

A116 computer lab)

11 Nov. 30 Business Process

Roadmap

1. BPM Chapters 14 & 15

2. Using the Balanced Scorecard as a

Strategic Management System

1. Assignment 7: Hands-on with SAP

Enterprise Systems

2. Literature Survey E

12 Dec. 7 Final Exam BPM Chapter 1-15 3 hours closed-book exam