How to Model, Analyze, and Improve Business Processes and Data

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Business processes are what organizations do. Whether documented or not, whether designed or not, whether understood or not, nothing gets done until someone (or "the system") does it – that is what business processes are all about. They are a combination of business operating procedures, business rules, business data, and supporting technology. Yet, many business processes are undocumented, misunderstood, not optimized, not followed, error-prone, and inefficient.

Business data represents the real world and everything that your organization wants to know about it. Understanding how the business thinks about and uses its data is crucial for the development of any information technology (IT) project. The primary tool for communicating about business data is the business data model (business entity relationship diagram) which helps subject matter experts (SMEs), business analysts, system analysts, and data analysts discover the static structure and business rules of the data.

Processes and data represent two fundamental views of how an organization operates. Creating and using models helps you visualize and comprehend what is good, what is bad, and what is missing in these two dimensions. With this foundation, you will learn how to analyze the models and extract requirements for business process improvement or information technology solutions. These techniques can be used to identify problems in the current (AS-IS) situation or to predict behaviors in a proposed (TO-BE) solution.

Note: This instructor-led course can be delivered in a series of virtual sessions via the Internet or live your site.

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1. Introduction to Process Modeling

The Problem with Process

Process Definition

Benefits of High-Quality Models

2. Modeling Business Processes

Creating Context Diagrams

System Modeling - A Short History

Basic Process Modeling (The Symbols)

Exercise: Identify the Errors on this Diagram

The Simple Rigorous Business Process Model

“Rigorous Business” Process Model Example

Exercise: Order Entry Department Scenario

Exercise: Order Entry Rigorous Business Model

Top Level Functional (Process, Context) Model

Case Study Part 1

Case Study Part 2

Creating Process Models

Leveled Process Models

Second Level Process Model

Exercise: Second Level Process Model

Leveled Process Models (Review)

Completely Leveled Process Models

Process Specifications

Case Study

Creating Wall Charts

Process Models Can Be Visually Confusing

The Main Line

Wall Chart

Enter Order

Check Credit

Fill Order

Wall Chart (page 1)

Wall Chart (Page 2)

Creating Activity Diagrams

Activity Diagramming Conventions

Example of an Activity Diagram

Exercise: Creating an Activity Diagram

Exercise: For Your Activity Diagram

Introducing Swimlanes

Example of a Swimlane Diagram

Exercise: Modeling Swimlanes

Exercise: For Your Swimlane Diagram

Concurrency and More

When To Use Swimlane Diagrams

Introducing BPMN Symbols

Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)

Business Process Modeling Connections

3. Analyzing Business Processes

Analyzing Business Process Models

Overview

Problem Definition

Exercise: Problem Analysis

Process Model for Problem Analysis

Timing Analysis

Exercise: How to Show Timings

Swim Lane Timing Analysis

Exception Identification

Exercise: Exception Identification

Swimlane Diagram

Exercise: Information Usage Analysis

Process Model for Problem Analysis

Existing Outputs

Creating Decision Trees and Tables

Analyzing Business Rules

Business Rule for Validation Example

Exercise: Decision Trees

Decision Tables

Exercise: Decision Tables

Exercise: Decision Table Actions

Business Rules

Exercise: Order Quantity Rules (from Case Page 50)

Exercise: Functional Analysis of the Current Situation

Exercise: Swimlane Diagram Functional (Process) Analysis

4. Improving Business Processes

Improving Business Processes

Improvement Opportunities

Process Model for Finding Improvements

Exercise: Suggesting Improvements

Exercise: Using Appropriate Controls

All Controls Share the Following:

Determining Functional Control Location

Locating Functional Controls

Exercise: Defining Functional Controls

Exercise: Implement This (Rule) Control Requirement

Short Term Improvements (“Quick Fixes“)

Process Model for Short Term Improvements

Exercise: Finding Short Term Improvements

Short Term Improvements (cont’d)

Exercise: Long Term Suggestions

Improving Business Process Improvement

5. Introduction to Data Modeling

Of People and Data

On Human Communication

Things to Talk About . . .

The Data Foundation

Data, Information and Knowledge

6. Defining Business Data

Creating Data Models Intuitively

Types of Data

Goal of Data Modeling

Data Model Diagrams

Data Model Diagrams Alternative Graphic Conventions

Data Model Diagrams Additional Information

Exercise: Data Model Diagram for Project Resources

Data Model Evolution

Levels of Data Models

Defining Entities

Exercise: Definitions for Education Department Data

For Your Answer

Exercise: Data Modeling from Descriptions

Exercise: Identifying and Placing Attributes

Simple Document for Invoicing System

Exercise: Data Model from a Form

Identifying Entities

Exercise: New System Data Model from Scratch

Creating Data Models from User Views

Normalization – a Bottom Up Approach

The Order Document for the Invoicing System

Normalized Order

Normalization – Step 2

Normalization – Step 3

Normalization Helpful Hints

On Merging Data Models

Exercise: Combining Two Data Models

Exercise: Normalize an Invoice

Exercise: Attributes of All Invoicing System Forms

Exercise: Complete Invoicing System Data Model

Data Modeling - Two Approaches

Defining Data Model Attributes

Attributes: Inside an Entity

Attribute Definition

Overview of UML Class Symbols

E/R (Entity-Relationship) Diagrams: A Summary

A New Language

A New Language

A New Language

7. Using Data Models to Discover Requirements

Modifying Data Models

Creating a New System Data Model

Exercise: Potential Changes to Data Models

Quality Check

Data Stability

Exercise: Modifying the Project Resources Data Model

Previous Data Model for Project Resources

Modifying Diagrams and Forms

Exercise: Modifying a Data Model and Forms System

As-Is Forms for the Invoicing System

Data Models as an Analysis Tool

Integrating Models (Conserving Data)

Integrating Data Models

Horizontal Balancing

Data Design

Sample Models

Exercise: New Information Requirements

Exercise: New User View Exercise

Invoicing System Data Model

Invoicing System Attributes

Data Models vs. Databases

Exercise: Summary

8. Physical Reality and Data

Data Constraints

Constraining Factor

Performance Factors

Performance Factors (Trade-Offs)

Design Trade-Offs

Performance Factors: Access & Frequency

Performance Factors

Data Volumes

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• Draw business process models
• Apply 5 improvement methods based on business process models
• Model the AS IS business process
• Document existing business processes
• Draw data flow, activity, swimlane, and sequence diagrams
• Choose the most appropriate technique to document the details of each process
• Extract and analyze business rules embedded on the processes
• Devise process measurements to evaluate initial and continuous improvement
• Develop a list of process improvements and/or requirements
• Interpret the Process Models for the business community for review
• Draw business data models
• Compare the pros and cons of data modeling
• Draw data model (entity relationship) diagrams
• Create a data model from requirements
• Morph an existing data model into a future data model
• Build a data model based on existing system documentation
• Assign attributes to the appropriate entity on the diagram
• Analyze data attribute’s characteristics (metadata)
• Analyze user views, (screens, reports, etc.) to modify a data model
• Modify an existing data model based on new requirements
• Evaluate a data model for full normalization and correctness
• Report data constraints that influence the physical data structures

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