What is

BPM?
 BPM Defined
Business Process Management is a means to study,
identify, change, and monitor business processes.

• Business Process Management is a

generic term, that encompasses the
techniques, structured methods, and
means to streamline operations and
increase efficiency.
• BPM techniques and methods enable
you to identify and modify existing
processes to align them with a desired
(improved) future state.
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 BPM is not…
• The automation of manual tasks
• Re-engineering the Enterprise
• Change Management
• Six Sigma
• A management methodology
• Workflow or BPM technology

But the techniques and tools can be used to support any

of these……if you want them to!

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 Principles of BPM:
• Organise around outcomes not tasks
• Correct and improve processes before
(potentially) automating them
• Establish processes and assign
ownership
• Standardise processes across the
enterprise
• Enable continuous change
• Improve existing processes, rather than
build radically new or ‘perfect’
processes
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 Typical Business Drivers
• Perceived or Expected Benefits:
– Reduce staff and office overhead numbers
– Process business critical activities faster
– Reduce the number of errors and exceptions
– Reduce overall IT costs
– Reduce duplications
– Increase visibility into operational efficiencies
and bottlenecks
– Reduce business risks
– Improve customer service and retention

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 The Mandate
BPM changes things.
• You need the authority, the will, and the
ability to change things; this means
aligning any project with enterprise goals
And
• You need the support of those whose
daily work and activities you will change,
as well as the support of the
management that owns the overall
process

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 BPM & Ethics
• BPM changes things.
– Our projects will commonly impact the day to day work
activities of individuals and groups
• Often reducing human involvement in a process
– Our projects will typically utilize confidential and secure data
– Our projects will commonly have an impact on the enterprise
as a whole (increased profit/efficiency)
• As such every BPM project needs to consider and be
aware of the ethical issues that will occur on a daily
basis
• Process consultants often face difficult or conflicting
ethical situations
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 Business Analysis
• No business process improvement or change activity
can be undertaken without the use of business
analysts and/or business analysis techniques
• You must never attempt to change a business process
without first analyzing the business impact of the
change in detail
• Most people think they understand the techniques of
analysis (e.g., requirements gathering), but few
actually do
• Most projects failures do not stem from technology
– Rather, a lack of insight, stakeholder support or planning -- all
things that are the focus of business analysts!

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 Methods
• In analysis work - consistency of methods of collection
and delivery are essential
• There are many different types of methods
• The use of any method is typically much more effective
than none - or a loose hybrid
• This presentation introduces you to three potential
approaches for both business and technology process
analysis
– Business Process Analysis
– Structured Analysis
– Object-oriented Analysis

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 1. Business Process Analysis
• Most common starting point is when something is not right in the
organisation…
– A meta problem: there are duplicative processes and information
across departments
– A business problem: exception rate is too high
– A micro problem: some user interface screens are confusing
• Business Analyst needs to
– evaluate the situation from various angles and identify core issues
– review any documentation, interview workers
– flowchart/document current process
– recommend improvements
• When to use: When you have already clearly identified a specific
process or process for improvements

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 2. Object-Oriented Analysis
• Centered around understanding of Objects and Classes
– Class - A class describes the characteristics of a thing (attributes,
behaviors, properties, etc.)
– Object - An instance of a class
• modeling techniques linked to UML (Unified modeling Language)
and software engineering
• Analysis focuses on “use cases”
• Makes use of Sequence Diagrams, Class Models, and Activity
Diagrams
• When to use: When you wish to improve a specific business
applications’ performance and usability

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 3. Structured Analysis

• Views a “System” as a collection of processes

executed according to certain logic (or illogic!)
• Focuses on data flows
• Models Data and Processes separately
• Makes use of Data Flow Diagrams, Relationship
Diagrams, and Flowcharts
• When to use: When you wish to improve your existing
IT investment infrastructure and gain greater process
efficiencies in the enterprise

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 Flowcharts Defined
What is a flowchart?

• “A graphical representation of the sequence of

activities, steps, and decision points that occur in a
particular, discrete process.”

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 Flowchart Example

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 Why Flowchart?
• To explain the sequence of a process graphically
• To improve communication and obtain business-user
validation
• To identify bottlenecks and loops
• To assist with problem analysis
• To provide a blueprint for development
• To identify variations in process activity

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 Charting vs. Modeling
• Flowcharting creates a graphical representation of the
sequence and key elements of a business process
• Process modeling extends this by
– Mapping dependencies and related flows
– Adding data intelligence to the steps
– Enabling simulation of flows to check for efficiencies and
bottlenecks
– Enabling reuse of mapped chart elements
– Supporting future monitoring of improved processes

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 Advantages of Modeling
• There are seldom single process flows - processes
tend to have interdependencies
– These are difficult to capture in a regular flowchart
– Multiple processes and systems are the hallmark of most BPM
projects
• The granular level of detail in a model supports
eventual automation analysis
• Cross-dependent processes can be acknowledged and
inter-related
• The needs of different stakeholders can be managed
holistically (from business to technical)
• Models can potentially become managed objects in a
ECM/BPM repository with version and access controls
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 Modeling Tool Options
End User
Focus Drawing
Tools

BPMS

EA
modeling

Development
Infrastructure Tools
Focus

System to Human to
System focus Human focus
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 Model to Execution
• “Execution” means implementing the
model in an ECM or BPM system

• The promise of powerful modeling tools

is to create a process model, then to
automate its execution

• The reality is far more complex – tools

for moving from modeling to execution
are evolving slowly

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 Standards and Protocols
BPMN
XPDL
(Business Process
(XML Process
Modeling Notation)
Definition Language)

BPEL
(Business Process
Execution Language)

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 BPMN
BPMN consists of four basic elements:

BPMN • Flow Objects

• Event
(Business Process • Activity
• Gateway
Modeling Notation) • Connecting Objects
• Sequence Flow
• Message Flow
• Association
• Swimlanes
• Pool
• Lane
• Artifacts
• Data Object
• Group
• Annotation
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 Reality of BPMN
• BPMN has been designed to be understood by
business analysts to technical developers
• BPMN is a good standard - but it does not always
translate to BPEL (execution) - interim work will likely
be required
• All standards are open to interpretation - business
analysts address different issues to technical
developers…

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 Technology
• Maybe none at all (often)
• In the context of this course:
– BPM
– Workflow
– Smart Process Apps
– ECM (Enterprise Content
Management)
– ERP (Enterprise Resource
Planning) / Business Applications

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Contemporary BPMS Architecture

Design &
Rules Process
Simulation
Engine Registry
Services

Orchestration
Monitoring Content / Data
(Workflow)
Services Repositories
Engine

Integration
Services

Note: Not all tools provide all these services or implement them in the same way…

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 Design & Simulation
• Tools to capture and design
business process models
• Designed to be used in the first
instance by business analysts
• Good design tools enable primary
flowcharting, and secondary detailed
modeling activities
• Advanced UIs also allow for
processes to be simulated so that
existing and proposed process
enhancements can be tested and
modified in advance of go-live
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Analysis and Activity Monitoring
• Sometimes called Business Activity
Monitoring, or “BAM”
• Data is created whilst executing a
business process
• The data can be analyzed and displayed
via dashboards or reports
• Processes need to be monitored!
– Who has what
– Where it is
– When they got it
• Identifies bottlenecks and areas of weak
or no activity
• Provides reporting
• Enables process analysis

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 Process Registry
• Contains the process models and rules
• Also contains metadata about
processes
• Supports re-use of process
components
• Web Services (SOA) compatible
approach
• Traditional challenges of component re-use apply…
• Granularity and componentisation
• Management complexity
• Governance

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 Orchestration (Workflow)
Engine
• Core component for BPM
• Sometimes called Process Engine or
Process Server
• Parses and implements rules governing
transitions between tasks
• Updates the state of each process
instance
• Offers or delivers tasks as needed to
workers or applications to do the work
• Provides reporting and alerts on
demand

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 Integration
• BPM application will seldom access just
one source of information
• Hence the need to link the Orchestration
Engine with other sources of data and
services
• The process definition needs to be
comprehensive enough to understand
and address the application
• Invocation can be either push or pull
• May require variety of integration
techniques:
– EAI
– ESB
– BPM to BPM
– Brute force
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 Rules Engine
Business rules describe the policies and
practices of an organisation. For example a
business rule might state that no credit
check is to be performed on return
customers
Rules engines:
• Driven by defined rules, rather than processes
• Separates business rules from application code
• Evaluate the information provided by the process and control
changes in complex flows
– Business processes often have complex flow controls.
• Allow the separation of rules from business processes
– This composite approach provides more flexibility and is more
adaptable to change
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 Content Repository
• ECM repository containing mainly
unstructured data (documents
and files)
• Manages information created in
the business process
• Manages information used by the
business process
• Manages metadata that may drive business processes
– E.g., content of a certain document type prior to a particular date
is processed differently than other document types

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 Relationship Between
BPM & ECM
Both BPM and ECM:
• Have notions of workflow
– Involve business processes
– Involve use of resources
– Involve tasks
• Work on the basis of “the right information, to the right
person, at the right time”
• Have a reputation for being expensive

ECM almost always involves processes

• But not all BPM deals with ECM (unstructured content)
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For more information -
AIIM BPM Certificate Program

BPM as a Practice BPM as a Project BPM Master

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course content to be
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26% of course
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BPM Practitioner Course – available as an online, 24/7 self-paced, or 2-day face-to-
face course:
- Get a thorough understanding of different workflow and BPM technologies
- Learn the fundamentals of flowcharting and standard charting symbols and functions
- Learn how to best map, analyze, standardize, and automate business processes
- Learn how to take a finished process model to execution
- Identify and plan enterprise application integration
- Earn the AIIM BPM Practitioner designation after passing the online exam

BPM Specialist Course – available as an online, 24/7 self-paced course:

- Identify business benefits and stakeholders of your BPM program
- Learn requirements gathering and analysis
- Learn best practices for designing new processes
- Learn how to best manage change and continuous improvements
- Earn the AIIM BPM Specialist designation after passing the online exam

BPM Master BPM Master Course – available as a 3-day virtual live, or 4-day face-to-
face course:
- Fast track your education with the best of the BPM Practitioner and Specialist courses
- Meet with, and learn from industry experts and professionals with similar challenges
- Earn the AIIM BPM Master designation after passing the case study exercise

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