business process modeling techniques

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Copyright 2011

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Business Analysis Practice: Techniques Document

Business Process ModelingTechniques


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Property of Delta Air Lines, Inc. Techniques Document Page ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1-12 BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING TECHNIQUES ............................................. 2-1

Overview .............................................................................................................................................................. 2-1Business Context Diagram ................................................................................................................................. 2-2Business Process Diagram .................................................................................................................................. 2-2Business Process Discovery Techniques .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... .......... .... 2-3

Interviews ......................................................................................................................................................... 2-3Facilitated Workshops ...................................................................................................................................... 2-4Observation ...................................................................................................................................................... 2-5Existing Documentation ................................................................................................................................... 2-5

3 MODEL CURRENT STATE .................................................................................. 3-1Create a Current State Business Context Diagram ......................................................................................... 3-1Create a Current State Business Process Diagram .......................................................................................... 3-2

4 ANALYZE CURRENT STATE .............................................................................. 4-1Identify Pain Points ............................................................................................................................................ 4-1Identify Opportunities for Improving the Current State Process .................................................................. 4-2 Helpful Hints for Modeling and Usage ............................................................................................................. 4-2

5 MODEL FUTURE STATE ..................................................................................... 5-1Create a Future State Business Context Diagram ........................................................................................... 5-1Create a Future State Business Process Diagram ............................................................................................ 5-2

6 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................ 6-1Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................... 6-1


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Introduction

Property of Delta Air Lines, Inc. Techniques Document Page 1-1

1 INTRODUCTION

Business Process Modeling Techniques describes the methods for creating business process

diagrams in Visio.

The objective of this document is to define techniques for modeling Delta business processes

using Visio. It includes the techniques to:

Model a current state business process

Analyze a current state business process

Model a future state business process.

All Business Process Diagrams should comply with Deltas standards for modeling businessprocesses. Refer to the documentBusiness Process Modeling Standards for Visio for

information on modeling standards at Delta.


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Business Process Modeling Techniques


2 BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING TECHNIQUES

Overview

As a general approach, the technique for modeling the current state and then re-designing afuture state follows the method outlined below.

1. Model The Current StateFirst, the existing or current business process is modeled to gain a thorough

understanding of the process. The resulting diagram provides a graphical representationof the process which enables and facilitates communication with our business partners.

For more information on creating a current state business process model, refer to thesection Model Current State.

2. Analyze The Current StateThe current process is reviewed to identify problem areas, pain points and gaps in the

process. These are then analyzed to identify potential opportunities for improvement inthe process. The improvement opportunities will address the problem areas with

effective and efficient solutions.

For the techniques to analyze the current state, refer to the section Analyze Current State.

3. Model The Future StateThe future process is then re-designed using the existing process as a foundation andincorporating the improvement opportunities.

For the technique to create a future state business process diagram, refer to section Model

Future State.

Two types of diagrams are used to model the business process for both the current state and thefuture state:

Business Context Diagram, and

Business Process Diagram.

Techniques are available for creating both current state and future state Business ContextDiagrams and Business Process Diagrams.


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Business Context Diagram

A Business Context Diagram is a high level diagram that depicts the business domain, actors(roles, organizations, external entities and systems) outside the business domain, and interactionsbetween the business domain and the actors.

The Business Context Diagram shows how the business domain interacts with its environment

(i.e. external stakeholders). The Business Context Diagram is important in that it helps define

the scope and the boundaries of the work effort. Only those processes within the business

domain and those associated with the business interactions are in scope. All other processes areexcluded from the current state diagrams.

The Business Context Diagram is comprised of the following components:

Business Domain

Actors

Interactions.

The Business Domain is the area of the business which is being addressed by the project. The

business domain is composed of internal roles, organizations and systems that work together to

deliver products and services to customers.

The Actors are the roles, organizations, systems and external entities that serve as the sources

and recipients of the interactions to and from the business domain. Actors lie outside the

boundaries of the business domain and are not under the control of the business domain.

The business Interactions are the deliverables (information or materials) produced or received by

the external actors to/from the business domain. Interactions produced by an external actor andreceived by the business domain cause a response within the business domain. The response will

generally result in a new interaction from the business domain to the external actor.

Business Process Diagram

A business process is the flow of work across organizational boundaries. It starts with an event

that initiates the process and concludes with a deliverable produced by the process. In between,the process consists of work activities, decisions that alter the path of the work and workflows

which define the sequence of the work.

The Business Process Diagram is a graphical depiction of the flow of work within the businessdomain. It portrays:

Events that initiate or trigger the process,

Activities that accomplish the work,

Decisions that alter the path of the work,

Actors responsible for performing each activity and making each decision,

Workflows representing the hand-off or transfer of work, and

Deliverables produced by the process.


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Interview Process

The interview process consists of the following steps:1. Set-up the interview2. Plan and prepare for the interview3. Conduct the interview

4. Document the information gathered and identify areas that need further investigation.

Interview Questions

Preparing and using a set of questions during your interview will help keep you focused and will

help avoid going down unproductive paths of questioning. When interviewing several peoplewho perform the same job, a standard set of questions will help you compare their answers.

There are three types of content questions that can be asked during the interview:

Open-ended - encourages unstructured responses

Closed-ended - limits or restricts the responses

Range of responsesenables tabulation and comparison of results.

Helpful Hints

Listen actively

Be engaged

Avoid things that would disrupt the interview process

Adapt interviewing style to the communication style of interviewee

Use the appropriate type of question for each situation - open-ended versus closed endedversus range of values.

Facilitated Workshops

A facilitated workshop is a powerful technique for eliciting the activities, workflow anddeliverables in a business process. Key stakeholders in the business process participate for the

duration of the workshop to draw out the business process.

In the session, the facilitator assists the group to arrive at a consensus understanding of thebusiness process. Each stakeholder has a voice in developing the business process diagram. All

stakeholders contribute their knowledge and understanding of the process and their interaction in

the process with other stakeholders to develop the workshop deliverables.

Deliverables from the workshop can include either/both the current state and future statediagrams for:

Business Context Diagram

Business Process Diagram.


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The Workshop Process

The workshop process includes a structured set of activities that helps the team achieve their goalof modeling a business process. Careful planning is the key to a successful workshop.

The structure of each workshop consists of a set of activities:

Workshop openingObjectives and deliverables

Workshop process

Performance of the workshop activities

Workshop close

Participants in the workshop can include:

Executive Sponsor

Subject Matter Experts

Project Manager

Facilitator

Recorder (Co-Facilitator)Business Analysts.

Observation

An effective technique for identifying the activities, workflow and deliverables in a business

process can be to observe the actual process. Watching each participant execute their assigned

tasks in the process allows the observer to see first-hand how the process is performed and how itflows. An added benefit is that the observer can ask questions of the participant, such as:

What tasks are being performed?

Why are the tasks performed?

What are the inefficiencies in the process?How can the process be improved?

The observer will document the findings and prepare a diagram of the process.

Existing Documentation

For some business processes, the business process diagrams may have already been created. In

other situations where business process diagrams do not exist and it is not possible to use thepreviously mentioned techniques (interviews, facilitated workshops, or observation), then the

existing text documents, such as procedure documents or training documents, can be reviewed to

identify activities and their sequence. The documents may contain descriptions of the businessprocess from which a business process diagram can be created. To discover the activities andtasks in the process, review the document and look for verbs in the text, particularly those verbs

that express action; for example,

Purchaseticket

Assignseat

Printboarding pass


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Each of these examples will be an activity in a business process. The noun in each example will

be the output or deliverable produced by the activity. The flow of work can be determined bythe sequence in which the verb-noun combinations are found in the document.


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Model Current State


3 MODEL CURRENT STATE

When modeling the current state of a business process, the following two diagrams need to becreated:

Current state Business Context DiagramCurrent state Business Process Diagram.

The sections immediately below describe the techniques to create these diagrams.

Create a Current State Business Context Diagram

The objective of the Business Context Diagram is to capture how the business domain interactswith its external environment (i.e. with the external stakeholders not under the control of the

business domain). It is a high level model used to define the scope and boundaries of the

business domain. The most significant or important business interactions (flow ofcommunications and materials) between the business domain and the external stakeholders are

captured.

The technique for creating the Business Context Diagram for the current state is outlined below.

1. Identify Business DomainThe first step in creating a Business Context Diagram is to identify the business domain.

A business domain is the portion of the business which is being addressed by the project.A business domain helps to define the boundaries and scope of the project or area under

consideration.

Draw a rectangle with rounded corners to represent the business domain. The rectangle

should be placed in the center of the diagram. Name the business domain.

2. Identify ActorsDetermine all stakeholders (actors) external to the business domain that interact with the

business domain. The actors can be roles, organizations, external entities or systems.

For each Role, Organization, External Entity and System actor, draw the appropriate icon

around the outside of the business domain. Place the System actors on the bottom of thediagram. Name each actor on the diagram.

3. Identify InteractionsAll business interactions are identified between the business domain and the actors

external to the business domain. The business domain receives interactions from externalstakeholders as events or inputs. The business domain initiates a response to the input asan output interaction to the external stakeholder. Since the Business Context Diagram is

a high level model, only the most important business interactions are captured.

Draw each inbound and outbound interaction as a directional arrow between the business

domain and the external stakeholder. Do not use double headed arrows. Name eachinteraction.


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Create a Current State Business Process Diagram

After the Business Context Diagram is created, the next step is to create the Business ProcessDiagram for the existing business processes to illustrate how work is currently done.

The technique for creating the business process diagram for the current state follows theapproach outlined below.

1. Identify the ActorsIdentify all of the actors that participate in the business process. The actors are the roles,

organizations, external entities and systems both inside and outside the business domain

that are responsible for performing the activities, making the decisions and producing thedeliverables. Use the stakeholders listed in the Business Context Diagram as a starting

point.

For each actor, draw a swim lane in the business process diagram. Start with the

Customer in the top swim lane. Place the swim lanes for System Actors at the bottom of

the diagram. Name each swim lane with the Actors name.

2. Identify the Inputs/Outputs of the Business ProcessIdentify the business events that initiate or trigger the business process, the inputs to the

process and outputs (deliverables) from the process. The Business Context Diagram can

be used as a starting point to identify these components.

If the input is from an unknown source or is outside of the business domain, draw the

source with the Source icon. Name each source.

Similarly, if the output is going to an unknown recipient or is outside of the scope of

work, draw a Sink icon to receive the output.

3. Identify the Activities and DecisionsIdentify the activities representing the work that is done in the business process. Use theBusiness Context Diagram to drive discovery of the activities inside the business domain.

Start with the primary or most common work flow and assign activities and decisions to

the actor responsible for them.

Draw the activities and decisions owned by each actor in the appropriate swim lane usingthe Activity and Decision icons, respectively. Use a unique name for each activity and

decision. Ensure that the names accurately convey the meaning of the activity or

decision so that there is no misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the meaning.

Start with the highest level activities and then decompose to lower levels of granularity as

needed. If only detailed level activities are available, then define a high level activity bygrouping activities together.

Decisions are drawn with two or more output paths. Each path shows the appropriate

route based upon the evaluation of the decision or condition. Label each output path withthe decision or condition name.


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4. Define the WorkflowsDetermine and define the sequence of the work from activity to activity in the businessprocess. Information or other work products that are passed between activities are

documented as deliverables in the workflow.

Draw the workflow starting from the beginning of the process through to the end of the

process. An effective alternative method is to start sequencing the work flow in reversefrom the final deliverable back to the beginning of the process.

Use the workflow icon, a single directional arrow, to represent each workflow. Use

deliverable names to name workflows that are outputs from activities.

5. Refine the WorkflowsDo an informal walk through of the workflows. Verify that the sequence of the workbetween activities in the workflow is correct. Determine any missing actors, activities,

decisions or hand-offs between actors.

Use an iterative approach to validate the completeness and accuracy of the Business

Process Diagram.


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Analyze Current State


4 ANALYZE CURRENT STATE

After the current state Business Process Diagram has been completed, the diagram is analyzedto:

Identify pain points, problem areas and gaps in the processIdentify potential opportunities for improvement for each pain point in the currentbusiness process.

Potential improvement opportunities can be implemented to optimize the business process

making it more efficient and effective.

Identify Pain Points

The questions below guide the analysis of a current state business process diagram.

1. Activity analysis:

Determine the activities that add value and those that do not

Determine the activities that are duplicates or redundant

Determine the activities that consume the most time

Determine if the activity is cost effective

Determine if the activity timely

Determine if the activity resource efficient

Determine if the activity is performed by the proper organization

Determine if the performers of the activity possess the proper skills

Determine if the proper tools available to the performers of the activity

2. Organization analysis:

Determine if the organization is structured properly to perform its activitieseffectively

Determine if the proper skills exist within the organization to perform the activities

Determine if the organization is in a location to pass work and deliverables

conveniently

Determine if the number of organizations participating in the business process isoptimum in order to minimize the hand-offs (workflows) between actors

3. Process deliverable analysis:

Determine if the needs and wants of the customer being met?

Determine if the deliverables supplied to the customer are in a correct and convenientform

Determine if there are any activities in the business domain that the customer canperform?

4. Assess inter-relationships with the Business Domain:

Verify that the hand-offs between actors are accurate


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Analyze Current State


Identify Opportunities for Improving the Current StateProcess

Actions that can be taken to improve business processes include:

Minimize non value add activities

Eliminate duplication of effort

Reduce and simplify hand-offs

Use parallel processes where possible

Off-load work to customers and suppliers

Build quality into process

Eliminate downstream inspections and reviews

Use enabling technologies

Empower people at the lowest possible level

Minimize those who are part of the process

Identify and remove constraintsAnticipate how other projects may impact your business domain.

Helpful Hints for Modeling and Usage

Use Deltas Templates, Stencils and Icons to model Business Context Diagrams andBusiness Process Diagrams.

Name all icons workflow arrows (deliverables) and swim lanes.

Minimize the number of workflow lines that cross each other.

Business Context DiagramsGroup instances of Roles, Organizations, Systems and External Entities together.

Put all Systems at the bottom of the page.

Business Process Diagrams

All processes start with a Start icon, a Source icon or an Off Page Reference icon.

All processes end with an End icon or a Sink icon.


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Model Future State


5 MODEL FUTURE STATE

In most cases, the current state business process must be modeled and analyzed prior to modelingthe future state process. The pain points, problem areas and gaps in the process will have been

identified. Opportunities for potential improvements in the current process have beendetermined.

A current state business process diagram must be created when redesigning a current state

business process for a new future state.

There are some instances where the current state business process will not be modeled before

creating a future state process; for example , when reengineering a process, that is , obliteratingthe existing process and replacing it with a completely new process. However, it is bestpractice and it is recommended that a current state business process diagram be created beforecreating a new future state. The reason for doing this is to ensure that all of the functions and

capabilities of the existing process be identified and understood so that they may be incorporatedinto the future state process.

The two types of diagrams need to be created to model the future state for a business process:

Future state Business Context Diagram

Future state Business Process Diagram.

Create a Future State Business Context Diagram

The objective of the Business Context Diagram is to capture how the future state business

domain will interact with its external stakeholders. Again, only the most important businessinteractions (flow of communications and materials) between the business domain and theexternal stakeholders are captured.

The technique for creating the Business Context Diagram for the future state is outlined below.

1. Identify Business DomainUse the current state Business Context Diagram as the basis for the future state Business

Context Diagram. Note any changes

Draw a rectangle with rounded corners in the center of the diagram to represent the future

state business domain. Name the business domain.

2. Identify New and Deleted ActorsIdentify any new actors that now interact with the business domain. Identify all actorsthat no longer interact with the business domain.

For each new Role, Organization, External Entity and System Actor, draw the

appropriate icon around the outside of the business domain. Place the System actors onthe bottom of the diagram. Name each actor on the diagram.


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For each Actor that no longer interacts with the business domain, remove the actors icon

from the diagram.

3. Identify New and Deleted InteractionsFor each new actor, draw each new inbound and outbound interaction as a directional

arrow between the business domain and the external stakeholder. Be sure to identify only

the most important business interactions. Do not use double headed arrows. Name eachinteraction.

For each Actor that no longer interacts with the business domain, remove the actorsinteractions with the business domain from the diagram.

Create a Future State Business Process Diagram

Once the Business Context Diagram is created, the next step is to create the Business Process

Diagram for the redesigned, future business processes.

The technique for creating the Business Process Diagram for the future state is described below.

1. Incorporate Improvement Opportunities into the Future State Business ProcessUse the future state business process diagram as the basis for creating the future state

business process diagram. The improvement opportunities are identified to resolve the

current state pain points, problem areas and gaps are now incorporated into the futurestate process.

2. Incorporate New Business Functions and Capabilities into the Future State BusinessProcess

The business may request new functions or capabilities that do not exist in the currentbusiness process. These new business functions and capabilities can be incorporated into

the future state process.

3. Identify New or Deleted ActorsIf the future state business process requires new actors (i.e. new roles, organizations,external entities, or systems) to participate in the re-designed process, then add these new

actors to the future state business process diagram as new swim lanes.

Similarly, if an actor no longer has any involvement in the future business process,

remove the actors swim lane from the appropriate business process diagrams.

Ensure that there is a swim lane in the business process diagram for each actor. Put theCustomer in the top swim lane and place System Actor swim lanes at the bottom of the

diagram.4. Identify New Inputs/Outputs of the Business Process

Identify new business events that initiate or trigger the business process, new inputs to

the process and new outputs (deliverables) from the process. The Business ContextDiagram can be used as a starting point to identify these components.

If the input is from an unknown source or is outside of the business domain, draw the

source with the Source icon. Name each source.


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Similarly, if the output is going to an unknown recipient or is outside of the scope of

work, draw a Sink icon to receive the output.

5. Identify New and Deleted Activities and DecisionsAny new activities and decisions are identified. Assign responsibility for each new

activity and decision to the appropriate actor.

Draw the new activities and decisions owned by each actor in the appropriate swim lane.

Each new activity may be decomposed into lower level activities if additional detail is

needed. Start with the highest level activities and then decompose to lower levels ofgranularity as needed.

Remove any activities or decisions that are no longer part of the future process.

6. Map New and Revised WorkflowsDetermine the new sequence for performance of the work activities. Show the workflows

as deliverables between the activities. Draw the workflows using the deliverable icon.

Define the new sequence of the work from activity to activity in the business process.

Show workflows as deliverables between the activities. Information or other workproducts that are passed between activities are deliverables in the workflow.

Decisions are documented with two or more output paths. Each path shows the

appropriate route based upon the evaluation of the decision or condition. Label eachoutput path with the decision or condition name.

Use the workflow (deliverable) icon, a single directional arrow, to represent each

workflow. Use deliverable names to name workflows that are outputs from activities.

7. Ensure Completeness and AccuracyReview and validate the future process to ensure completeness and accuracy of the newbusiness process diagram.

Do an informal walk through of the workflows. Verify that the sequence of the work

between activities in the workflow is correct. Determine any missing actors, activities,

decisions or hand-offs between actors. Check that the opportunities for improvement aswell as the new business functions and capabilities have been added correctly to the

business process diagram.


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Appendix


6 APPENDIX

Glossary

Term Definition

ActorRole, Organization, External Entity or System that performs the

work in a business process

Actor Diagram

High level context diagram depicting scope and main interactions

between the business domain and other roles, organizations,

systems and external entities; generally known as a Business

Context Diagram

Activity Work that is performed by an actor

Business Context DiagramHigh level context diagram depicting scope and main interactionsbetween the business domain and other roles, organizations,

systems and external entities; also known as an Actor Diagram

Business Domain Area of the business that is being addressed by the project

Business ProcessA set of logically related activities or tasks performed together to

produce a specific service or product

Business Process DiagramSwim lane diagram that depicts the actors, activities, decisions,

workflows and deliverables in a business process

Business Process Map Synonymous with Business Process DiagramCurrent State The condition or circumstances of existing or As-Is operations

DecisionA choice in flow of work that leads to two or more different

workflow paths

Deliverable Output of an activity in a business process

External EntityAn actor (typically, an organization) that is external to both Deltaand the business domain

Future state The condition or circumstances of desired or To-Be operations

InteractionDeliverable produced or received by the external actors to/from the

business domain

OrganizationA business entity or business unit that participates in performingpart of a business process

RoleA business function that is performed by an individual humanresource

Sink Represents an unknown destination of information or a destination


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Business Process Modeling Techniques: Appendix

that is out-of-scope

SourceInformation from an unknown or out of scope actor; Also, can be an

event that initiates a business process

Stencil

A pallet of icons that are dragged and dropped onto a template when

creating a Visio diagram; Enables consistent diagram style andformatting

Swim Lane

Horizontal band in a Business Process Diagram which represents

the actor (Role, Organization, External Entity or System)performing the activities in the swim lane

System Technology that automates business tasks, activities and functions

TemplateA structured framework used to create a Visio diagram; Enables

consistent diagram style and formatting

WorkflowThe passing of control from one activity to another; It signals the

completion of one activity and the initiation of the next.

Visio Software application for modeling business processes

business process modeling techniques

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