Last week I showed you how to use Microsoft Visio to create business process maps, use case diagrams, flowcharts. org charts, and other type of documents. This week, we’ll look at text. How to add, change, flip and control the text in your diagrams. For example, if you have a lot of shapes in the same flowchart – and need to add text instructions – it can be hard for the reader to see the text clearly. This makes your diagram looks crowded and hard for business analysts to understand the process flow or use case.

How To Control the Position of Text On Lines

Here is one way to control how text is positioned in your Visio diagrams.

1. Double-click on the text.
   
2. Use the slider to move the text along the line.
   
3. Click the yellow arrow to move the entire block of text along the line.
   
4. This lets you nudge the text closer to endpoints and to squeeze in more text, especially in tight diagrams where there is not much space.

How To Rotate & Flip Text

Another trick is to flip the text.

1. Select the blue curved line and do copy/paste.
   
2. Right-click on the copy and then do Shape, Flip Vertical.
   
3. This flips copy upside down. Select the line and nudge it until it snaps to the shapes.
   

Remember to use the Format, Line option to control the visual appearance of your diagrams. A few minutes can make all the difference between a boring black and white diagram and a really stunning presentation.

What tips do you have to make Visio diagrams more professional looking?

The last in this series of Process Design Tutorials is a sample Business Process Template that you can use to get started. We’ve also partnered with Klariti Ltd and designed some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates that provide an excellent framework for writing process narratives (Word) and also diagramming the process maps (Visio).

In the meantime, these are some of the areas you need to cover in your process maps. The emphasis here is on capturing how the process works in words.

Business Process Design Template

I will try to add some guidelines for creating Visio templates next week.

Business Process Template

Process ID

Identify the process according to the company’s naming convention guidelines, e.g. nn-nn -nn

Process Name

Name of Business Process

Author

Enter the name of the Author(s)

Created On

Enter the date according to the company’s naming convention guidelines, e.g. dd/mm/yyyy

Date

When the business process document was originally created

Version

Enter the version number for this process.

Description

Brief description of the business process

Goal

Indicate the ultimate goal of the business process i.e. value-add of the process

Activity

Name of activity under which this step is performed

Action

Name of the action for which the step is performed

Prerequisites

Requirements that must take place for this step to execute

Actor(s)

Actor(s)/entities which executed this step

Start Event

You can start a business process in more than one way. A Start event can be either: None, Message, Timer, Rule, Link, and Multiple.

Inputs

Indicates the inputs and its medium required by the process

Outputs

Describes the end output of the process

Complexity

Describes the complexity level of the business process, usually Low, Medium or High

Duration

Indicates the average life span of the business process from start to end

Steps

Indicates the total no. of steps the process takes to complete. Details of individual steps are documented in separate process narratives

Frequency

Indicates how frequently the process is executed

Capacity

Maximum output rate of the process measured in units produced per unit time.

Effort

It is the actual effort time the process takes to complete

Cycle Time

Total time the process takes to complete.

Optional/Mandatory

Indicates whether each step is Optional or Mandatory

Complexity

Indicates the level of complexity involved in performing this step

Supporting Systems

Indicates any supporting (manual or automated system involved in performing the steps

Related Documents

Identify any related documents for this process, such as forms, policies, guidelines, and Sarbanes Oxley control documents.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here:

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99.

They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

Why not pop over here and take a look:

http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

The last in this series of Process Design Tutorials is a sample Business Process Template that you can use to get started. We’ve also partnered with Klariti Ltd and designed some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates that provide an excellent framework for writing process narratives (Word) and also diagramming the process maps (Visio).

In the meantime, these are some of the areas you need to cover in your process maps. The emphasis here is on capturing how the process works in words.

Business Process Design Template

I will try to add some guidelines for creating Visio templates next week.

Business Process Template

Process ID

Identify the process according to the company’s naming convention guidelines, e.g. nn-nn -nn

Process Name

Name of Business Process

Author

Enter the name of the Author(s)

Created On

Enter the date according to the company’s naming convention guidelines, e.g. dd/mm/yyyy

Date

When the business process document was originally created

Version

Enter the version number for this process.

Description

Brief description of the business process

Goal

Indicate the ultimate goal of the business process i.e. value-add of the process

Activity

Name of activity under which this step is performed

Action

Name of the action for which the step is performed

Prerequisites

Requirements that must take place for this step to execute

Actor(s)

Actor(s)/entities which executed this step

Start Event

You can start a business process in more than one way. A Start event can be either: None, Message, Timer, Rule, Link, and Multiple.

Inputs

Indicates the inputs and its medium required by the process

Outputs

Describes the end output of the process

Complexity

Describes the complexity level of the business process, usually Low, Medium or High

Duration

Indicates the average life span of the business process from start to end

Steps

Indicates the total no. of steps the process takes to complete. Details of individual steps are documented in separate process narratives

Frequency

Indicates how frequently the process is executed

Capacity

Maximum output rate of the process measured in units produced per unit time.

Effort

It is the actual effort time the process takes to complete

Cycle Time

Total time the process takes to complete.

Optional/Mandatory

Indicates whether each step is Optional or Mandatory

Complexity

Indicates the level of complexity involved in performing this step

Supporting Systems

Indicates any supporting (manual or automated system involved in performing the steps

Related Documents

Identify any related documents for this process, such as forms, policies, guidelines, and Sarbanes Oxley control documents.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here:

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99.

They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

Why not pop over here and take a look:

http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

We’ve been talking about business process modeling for the last few weeks and I’ve had some emails asking for more info on the graphical elements used in process maps. So, let’s take a look.

Business Process Design Template

A Business Process Model consists of several graphical elements which are used by most all Business Analysts and Process designers:

Flow Objects

Flow objects are used to define the behavior of a Business Process. These include:

• Events
• Activities
• Gateways
• Connecting Objects

You can connect Flow Objects to each other with:

• Sequence Flows
• Message Flows
• Associations
• Swimlanes

You can group the primary modeling elements through swim-lanes, which are:

• Pools
• Lanes

Artifacts

You can use artifacts to provide additional information about how the process works.

There are four standardized artifacts, including:

• Data Object
• Group
• Annotation

The core modeling elements depicted by these notations are:

• Description
• Element
• Event
• Notation

Think of an event is something that “happens” during a process. Events affect how the process ‘flows’ and usually has a cause (something that trigger it) or an impact (an end result).

Events are displayed as circles. They have open centers so you can add markers to differentiate different triggers or results.

Furthermore, there are three types of Events: Start, Intermediate, and End.

Activity

An activity is a generic term for any type of work that the business performs. For example, in a bank, you might have activities, such as print a statement, post a check book, or check customer statements.

An activity can be:

• Atomic (as small as it can be) or
• Non-atomic (compound)

Activities found in a Process Model are Process, Sub-Process, and Task.

Tasks and Sub-Processes are shown as rounded rectangles.

Gateway

Gateways control the divergence and convergence of Sequence Flow. This means it will determine branching, forking, merging, and the joining of paths.

Sequence Flow

A Sequence Flow shows the order in which activities are performed in a Process.

Message Flow

A Message Flow shows the flow of messages between two parties.

Association

An Association associates information with Flow Objects. Text and graphical non-Flow Objects can be associated with the Flow Objects.

Pool

A Pool acts as a ‘swimlane’ and is used to partition a set of activities from other pools.

Lane

A Lane is a sub-partition within a Swim-lane / Pool and extends the entire length of the Pool, either vertically or horizontally depending on how you design your process flows.

Data Object

Data Objects are considered Artifacts because they do not have any direct effect on the Sequence Flow or Message Flow of the Process, but they do provide information about what activities require to be performed and/or what they produce.

Group

A group is used to box a group of objects, usually for documentation purposes. Grouping activities does not affect the Sequence Flow as it is generally used for documentation or analysis purposes.

Text Annotation

You can add text to the diagram to provide additional information for the reader.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

We’ve been talking about business process modeling for the last few weeks and I’ve had some emails asking for more info on the graphical elements used in process maps. So, let’s take a look.

Business Process Design Template

A Business Process Model consists of several graphical elements which are used by most all Business Analysts and Process designers:

Flow Objects

Flow objects are used to define the behavior of a Business Process. These include:

• Events
• Activities
• Gateways
• Connecting Objects

You can connect Flow Objects to each other with:

• Sequence Flows
• Message Flows
• Associations
• Swimlanes

You can group the primary modeling elements through swim-lanes, which are:

• Pools
• Lanes

Artifacts

You can use artifacts to provide additional information about how the process works.

There are four standardized artifacts, including:

• Data Object
• Group
• Annotation

The core modeling elements depicted by these notations are:

• Description
• Element
• Event
• Notation

Think of an event is something that “happens” during a process. Events affect how the process ‘flows’ and usually has a cause (something that trigger it) or an impact (an end result).

Events are displayed as circles. They have open centers so you can add markers to differentiate different triggers or results.

Furthermore, there are three types of Events: Start, Intermediate, and End.

Activity

An activity is a generic term for any type of work that the business performs. For example, in a bank, you might have activities, such as print a statement, post a check book, or check customer statements.

An activity can be:

• Atomic (as small as it can be) or
• Non-atomic (compound)

Activities found in a Process Model are Process, Sub-Process, and Task.

Tasks and Sub-Processes are shown as rounded rectangles.

Gateway

Gateways control the divergence and convergence of Sequence Flow. This means it will determine branching, forking, merging, and the joining of paths.

Sequence Flow

A Sequence Flow shows the order in which activities are performed in a Process.

Message Flow

A Message Flow shows the flow of messages between two parties.

Association

An Association associates information with Flow Objects. Text and graphical non-Flow Objects can be associated with the Flow Objects.

Pool

A Pool acts as a ‘swimlane’ and is used to partition a set of activities from other pools.

Lane

A Lane is a sub-partition within a Swim-lane / Pool and extends the entire length of the Pool, either vertically or horizontally depending on how you design your process flows.

Data Object

Data Objects are considered Artifacts because they do not have any direct effect on the Sequence Flow or Message Flow of the Process, but they do provide information about what activities require to be performed and/or what they produce.

Group

A group is used to box a group of objects, usually for documentation purposes. Grouping activities does not affect the Sequence Flow as it is generally used for documentation or analysis purposes.

Text Annotation

You can add text to the diagram to provide additional information for the reader.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

We’ve talked recently about how to write business process, for example, the narratives and the process steps. Now let’s look at how we start to turn these words into process maps and flowcharts.

Business Process Design Template

The Business Process Modeling Notation, also known as PBMN, is the industry standard notation for business process modeling.

This notation should be readily understandable by everyone in the process design effort, including the business analysts, information architects, IT Manager, Project Managers and others involved in business process modeling.

Where do you start?

Business analysts will typically create the initial drafts of the processes

What next?

Software developers are then responsible for implementing the IT solutions that will perform those processes and

Business Owners will then manage and monitor those processes

The physical representation of the business process modeling activities is expressed in Business Process Diagrams, which are based on flowcharting techniques tailored for creating graphical models of business operations.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates.

These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99.

They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

We’ve talked recently about how to write business process, for example, the narratives and the process steps. Now let’s look at how we start to turn these words into process maps and flowcharts.

Business Process Design Template

The Business Process Modeling Notation, also known as PBMN, is the industry standard notation for business process modeling.

This notation should be readily understandable by everyone in the process design effort, including the business analysts, information architects, IT Manager, Project Managers and others involved in business process modeling.

Where do you start?

Business analysts will typically create the initial drafts of the processes

What next?

Software developers are then responsible for implementing the IT solutions that will perform those processes and

Business Owners will then manage and monitor those processes

The physical representation of the business process modeling activities is expressed in Business Process Diagrams, which are based on flowcharting techniques tailored for creating graphical models of business operations.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates.

These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99.

They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at what do I need to capture in my business process. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what you need to capture in your process maps. Needless to say, it depends on the complexity of the project, but, at a minimum, you’re looking to capture the following.

Business Process Design Template

So, let’s start at the top.

• You need to capture some of the following when developing your processes:
• Time to perform each task
• Time an individual or a resource is available to perform a task
• Cost of the individual/resource
• Probability of occurrence of certain events
• Frequency at which new incidents in the business process are initiated

This is just a starter of what you need to cover. If you need to know more please drop me a line of look under the Process Design section of the site.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at what do I need to capture in my business process. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what you need to capture in your process maps. Needless to say, it depends on the complexity of the project, but, at a minimum, you’re looking to capture the following.

Business Process Design Template

So, let’s start at the top.

• You need to capture some of the following when developing your processes:
• Time to perform each task
• Time an individual or a resource is available to perform a task
• Cost of the individual/resource
• Probability of occurrence of certain events
• Frequency at which new incidents in the business process are initiated

This is just a starter of what you need to cover. If you need to know more please drop me a line of look under the Process Design section of the site.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at To be processes. So, what is a To Be process?

Business Process Design Template

To-Be processes are the second step in business process modeling activities.

In the ‘as-is’ processes you captured how the business works today.

So, in the ‘to-be’ processes you’re going to take this information and start the design the business/application that way you want it ‘to-be’.

This also means making assumptions about the time/cost of each task, and the likelihood of different events that may occur during its lifecycle.

You may have to base these assumptions on data you’ve found in existing business processes or by making ‘guesstimates’ for new processes.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates.

These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at To be processes. So, what is a To Be process?

Business Process Design Template

To-Be processes are the second step in business process modeling activities.

In the ‘as-is’ processes you captured how the business works today.

So, in the ‘to-be’ processes you’re going to take this information and start the design the business/application that way you want it ‘to-be’.

This also means making assumptions about the time/cost of each task, and the likelihood of different events that may occur during its lifecycle.

You may have to base these assumptions on data you’ve found in existing business processes or by making ‘guesstimates’ for new processes.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates.

These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at As Is processes. So, what is an As Is process?  This is the first stage in the design of a business process.

Business Process Design Template

What you’re doing here is capturing the business ‘as-is’, not how it should or could work. This is like taking a photograph of how the business works – warts and all!

The process analyst will then start:

• Defining process boundaries – these mark the entry points (of the process inputs) and the exit points (of process outputs).
• Preparing a process map – this diagram will show the tasks that must be performed for the process to work and the sequence in which they must be performed.
• Identify business rules, special conditions and exceptions.
• Determine the capacity of each step.
• Identify bottlenecks.
• Identify resources to perform activities.
• Identify performance expectations.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates.

These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at As Is processes. So, what is an As Is process?  This is the first stage in the design of a business process.

Business Process Design Template

What you’re doing here is capturing the business ‘as-is’, not how it should or could work. This is like taking a photograph of how the business works – warts and all!

The process analyst will then start:

• Defining process boundaries – these mark the entry points (of the process inputs) and the exit points (of process outputs).
• Preparing a process map – this diagram will show the tasks that must be performed for the process to work and the sequence in which they must be performed.
• Identify business rules, special conditions and exceptions.
• Determine the capacity of each step.
• Identify bottlenecks.
• Identify resources to perform activities.
• Identify performance expectations.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates.

These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

We’re now going to talk about the role of Business Process Modeling in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Business process modeling allows those involved in defining how an application works (i.e. the to-be processes) to create a common agreement on how the application should work.

Business Process Design Template

Business process design is an essential part of the software development lifecycle. It allows you to capture the broad outline and procedures that govern what it is a business actually does, from a technical and operational level.

Business Process templates enable you to capture the significant events, inputs, resources and outputs associated with different business processes. In addition, they also helps map what is in the scope of the proposed system (as-is processes) and what will be implemented in other ways (to be processes).

In other words, rather than start programming without any plan and then finding that you’ve coded yourself into a blind alley, you can refer to the process design to see where and how the application should be built.

This approach allows the process analyst (or whomever is design the process maps) to capture the high-level goals of the project and the business rules that define what the business does and how the application should support this.

What does the process analyst capture?

Of course, each project is different so the scope of what needs to be captured will change. But, with that said, the process analyst will try to capture:

• Events
• Triggers
• Inputs
• Resources and
• Outputs

With this information at their disposal, the process analyst can begin to map what is in scope for the proposed system and what may be implemented in other versions.

In the next process design tutorial, I’m going to explain As Is processes.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

[ad#adc-2]

If you search around this site, you’ll notice that we’ve been talking about business process modeling for the last few weeks. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what is business process modeling. So, let’s start at the top.

Business Process Design Template

What is a Business Process?

A business process diagram is a way of illustrating activities that are designed to produce a specific output. For example, if you worked for a bank, you might have a Credit Card application process.

Business processes allow you to capture the specific order in which work activities are performed.

Step 1 – send Credit Card application to customer

Step 2 – customer returns Credit Card application

Step 3 – bank checks details in Credit Card application…

A process must have a beginning, end, and clearly defined inputs (documents or information) and outputs (reports/forms/results).

Business process modeling involves designing processes that add value by showing the transformation of inputs into useful outputs.

What are inputs?

Inputs might be materials, labor, energy, and capital equipment.

What are outputs?

Outputs are the result, the end product, in the business cycle. Outputs may be a physical product (possibly used as an input to another process) or a service.

Next, I’m going to look at how to use Business Process Modeling Techniques in Software Development.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

[ad#ad1]

If you search around this site, you’ll notice that we’ve been talking about business process modeling for the last few weeks. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what is business process modeling. So, let’s start at the top.

Business Process Design Template

What is a Business Process?

A business process diagram is a way of illustrating activities that are designed to produce a specific output. For example, if you worked for a bank, you might have a Credit Card application process.

Business processes allow you to capture the specific order in which work activities are performed.

Step 1 – send Credit Card application to customer

Step 2 – customer returns Credit Card application

Step 3 – bank checks details in Credit Card application…

A process must have a beginning, end, and clearly defined inputs (documents or information) and outputs (reports/forms/results).

Business process modeling involves designing processes that add value by showing the transformation of inputs into useful outputs.

What are inputs?

Inputs might be materials, labor, energy, and capital equipment.

What are outputs?

Outputs are the result, the end product, in the business cycle. Outputs may be a physical product (possibly used as an input to another process) or a service.

Next, I’m going to look at how to use Business Process Modeling Techniques in Software Development.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/. As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

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Business Process Design Templates

Originally uploaded by Tech Writer Boy

Klariti has published an 8 part Process Design Tutorial

Part 1 starts with What is a Business Process?

‘If you search around this site, you’ll notice that we’ve been talking about business process modeling for the last few weeks. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what is business process modeling. So, let’s start at the top. ‘

http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/Business-Process-Design-Tutorial-Part-1-What-is-Business-Process.shtml

Another part of the process design package is the flowchart diagrams. One area where I’m getting a little stuck is deciding how many swim lanes to add to the Visio diagrams. To get things rolling I have created three Visio diagrams with 2, 3 and 4 swim lanes. Take a look here.

The question is: which one will be business analysts use the most?

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter @ivanwalsh

I spent most of this afternoon developing a set of process design templates (more of that tomorrow) and got to thinking about the main activities involved in process definition. I’m mentoring graduates business analysts and walking them through the ABCs of process design. It’s baby steps for now. Here’s what we came up with this afternoon.
Depending on the nature of the project, the process definition lifecycle will involve several of the following steps:

1. Identifying high-priority process tasks – This is based on analysis of process requirements and by identifying who is best qualified to create the processes.

2. Analyze Process Requirements – Maintain a clear understanding of what the process is intended to do, how it should be done, and how it should be expressed, for example in MS Word process narratives or in MS Visio flowcharts.

3. Create the Process Architecture – Define and/or refine the organization’s current process architecture.

4. Define the Processes – Add, refine, restructure, and/or delete the processes.

5. Perform the Defined Process(es) – Test the defined processes, and gather measurements as well as identifying process improvements.

6. Assess Results & Identify Improvements – Use the test results to analyze the accuracy of the process. Recommend process improvements if appropriate.

Once the process is completed, the next step is to implement the process and start the knowledge transfer activities.

This involves training and raising awareness amongst staff, partners, and clients depending on the scope of work involved.

I know this isn’t everything.

What did I miss?

I’ve been developing a template for the business analysts at my client since Friday and have hit the proverbial brick wall. Here is the problem. The Business Process template will be used by the analysts to capture how the processes work when onsite. Ok, that’s fine. The problem started when I showed them the first draft.

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There wasn’t time for a requirements gathering session so I’m ‘guestimating’ what they want. Not an ideal situation but that’s how it is sometimes.

Some of the analysts wanted a ‘warts and all’ template that covered all possible scenarios.

I’ve done this and it’s now over 2 pages per process – and that’s before you type in a single word.

For most of the team this seems excessive. So, now I have a one-pager they can use just to capture the key steps involved.
We’re not finished by any means and I have another meeting on Friday.

One question in the back of my mind is: which of these will be the standard?

It can’t be both.

Can it?

Regards,

Ivan

PS – if you haven’t got enough to do already, you can follow me on Twitter @ivanwalsh

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