What Business Process Modeling Is and Why Organizations Use It to Optimize Workflows

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What Business Process Modeling Is and Why Organizations Use It to Optimize Workflows

System Analysis and Design · Chapter 3: Agile Methods and Rapid DevelopmentSection 3.8 · lesson 22 of 698 min · free with a free account

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In this lesson

Seeing a process whole - as it is, as it should be, and how it keeps improving.

  • Define business process modeling and why organizations use it
  • Distinguish as-is from to-be modeling
  • Compare reengineering with continuous improvement
  • Describe the BPM lifecycle, and the main notation families

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (1,049 words). Read along, or search it.

Agile Methods and Rapid Development

Business Process Modeling

Before a system can support a business process, someone has to understand that process. And processes are notoriously hard to understand from a description. This section introduces business process modeling, the practice of making a process visible. We will separate as-is models from to-be models, and compare two very different paths to change. Then we will walk through the lifecycle organizations use to keep improving, and the main families of notation.

What It Is

A Process You Can See at a Glance

Business process modeling represents a business process visually. It shows the activities, and the order they happen in. It shows the decisions that branch the flow. It shows the inputs and outputs. And it shows the people or systems responsible for each step. Instead of describing a process in a long paragraph, a model lays it out. So the whole flow, and every handoff within it, can be seen at a glance. Handoffs are worth watching especially closely. They are where work tends to wait, or get lost.

Why Organizations Model

5 Practical Reasons

Organizations build process models for several practical reasons. To understand how work actually happens today. To spot where time, or quality, is being lost. To give stakeholders a shared picture they can discuss, instead of arguing from memory. To train new staff on how a process works. And to provide a precise foundation that a later systems design can build on. A model that everyone has reviewed and agreed to also reduces a specific risk. The risk that a new system automates the wrong version of a process. Or worse, automates a workaround that was never meant to be permanent.

2 Kinds of Model

As-Is vs. To-Be

Every modeling effort produces one or both of two kinds of model. An as-is model captures the process exactly as it happens today. That includes the workarounds, delays, and manual steps that have crept in over time. Its purpose is to document reality, inefficiencies and all, so problems can be found. It is built early, during process discovery, and its output is a baseline diagram for identifying bottlenecks. A to-be model captures the process as the organization wants it to work, after a planned improvement or new system. It is built after the as-is model has been analyzed, and the problem areas identified. Its output is a target diagram, used to guide implementation, and to measure success.

A Common Mistake

Skipping the As-Is Model

A common mistake is to skip the as-is model, and jump straight to a to-be design. It feels efficient. Why document a process you are about to replace? But without a documented baseline, the team can end up redesigning its own assumptions about the process. Not the process that is actually running. And that means real problems can survive the redesign, untouched. The as-is model is how you make sure you are fixing the process that exists, not the one people imagine.

2 Paths to Change

Reengineering vs. Continuous Improvement

Once a process has been modeled and analyzed, there are two broad paths for acting on it. Business process reengineering, or B P R, rethinks the process from the ground up. It often discards the existing steps entirely, in favor of a new design. Continuous improvement keeps the process largely in place, and makes small, ongoing adjustments over time. Reengineering is typically triggered by a process that is fundamentally broken. Or by a major shift, such as new technology, or a merger. Continuous improvement suits a process that works reasonably well, but has room for gradual optimization. Reengineering's results appear after a large, concentrated effort. Continuous improvement's results build up gradually. Reengineering carries higher risk. A large redesign can fail to deliver the expected gains. Continuous improvement carries lower risk, because each change is small enough to adjust, or reverse. And reengineering needs a substantial, concentrated investment, while continuous improvement needs modest, ongoing investment.

Figure 3.8

The BPM Lifecycle

Process modeling is not a one-time exercise. It is one stage in a repeating cycle, called the B P M lifecycle. The cycle moves through six stages. First, identification, deciding which process needs attention. Then discovery, documenting the process as it currently runs. Then analysis, finding its problems. Then redesign, producing the to-be model. Then implementation, putting the redesigned process in place. And then monitoring the result. Monitoring feeds straight back into identification. That loop is why it is called a lifecycle, rather than a project with an end point. Even a successfully redesigned process can drift out of alignment as conditions change. And that starts the cycle again.

Notation

4 Families of Modeling Notation

A model needs a consistent notation, a shared set of symbols and rules. That way, anyone reading it interprets the diagram the way its author intended. Four notation families are common. Basic flowcharts suit simple, linear processes with a few decision points. They are widely understood, but become limited when many roles, or complex branching, are involved. Data flow diagrams suit processes where the movement and transformation of data matters more than the sequence. They show what data moves where, but say less about timing, or the order of work. U M L activity diagrams suit processes that will feed directly into software design. They share conventions with the other U M L diagrams used later in design, keeping the vocabulary consistent. And B P M N, business process model and notation, suits detailed, cross-functional processes with many participants and events. It is the most widely used business process standard. Its symbols and rules are covered next.

Key Terms

The Vocabulary of This Section

Let's lock in the key terms. Business process modeling represents a process visually, so it can be understood, analyzed, and improved. An as-is model shows the process as it runs today. A to-be model shows it as it should run after improvement. Business process reengineering redesigns a process from the ground up. Continuous improvement makes small, ongoing adjustments to an existing process. And B P M N, business process model and notation, is the most widely used process standard.

Key Takeaways

What to Carry Forward

To pull this together. Business process modeling represents a process visually, so it can be understood, analyzed, and improved as a whole. An as-is model documents the process as it currently runs. A to-be model defines the target after improvement. Reengineering redesigns a process from the ground up. Continuous improvement makes smaller, ongoing adjustments. The B P M lifecycle moves through identification, discovery, analysis, redesign, implementation, and monitoring, and then loops back. And flowcharts, data flow diagrams, U M L activity diagrams, and B P M N each suit different modeling needs.

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System Analysis and Design carries a NCCRS credit recommendation. These universities work with NCCRS; some are UPI Study's signed partners. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About What Business Process Modeling Is and Why Organizations Use It to Optimize Workflows

What is business process modeling?
Business process modeling is the practice of representing a business process visually so it can be understood, analyzed, and improved. A process model shows the activities and their order, the decisions that branch the flow, the inputs and outputs, and the people or systems responsible for each step. Laying the flow out this way makes every handoff visible, and handoffs are where work tends to wait or get lost.
What is the difference between an as-is model and a to-be model?
An as-is model documents a process exactly as it runs today, including workarounds, delays, and manual steps, while a to-be model shows how the process should work after a planned improvement or new system. The as-is model is built early, during process discovery, as a baseline for finding bottlenecks. The to-be model comes after that analysis and serves as a target for guiding implementation and measuring success.
How does business process reengineering differ from continuous improvement?
Business process reengineering (BPR) rethinks a process from the ground up, often discarding existing steps, while continuous improvement keeps the process largely in place and makes small, ongoing adjustments. Reengineering suits a fundamentally broken process or a major shift such as a merger or new technology, and it carries higher risk and needs concentrated investment. Continuous improvement suits a process that works reasonably well, with lower risk and modest, ongoing investment.
Why is it a mistake to skip the as-is model and go straight to a to-be design?
Skipping the as-is model is a mistake because, without a documented baseline, the team may redesign its own assumptions about the process instead of the process that actually runs. Real problems can then survive the redesign untouched. Documenting the current process first, inefficiencies and all, makes sure the team fixes the process that exists and helps prevent a new system from automating a workaround that was never meant to be permanent.

About the System Analysis and Design course

How many college credits is System Analysis and Design?
System Analysis and Design (Computer Science 390) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
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$250, paid once, with lifetime access: all 69 video lessons, a practice quiz after each, the graded work and final exam, and an official transcript when you finish. Students who want several courses choose UPI Study PRO instead.
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