How to avoid the 10 biggest

mistakes in process modeling

Alexandre Mello

Process Modeling Motivation

Process, simply defined, is how we do what we do, that is, the knowledge of how work gets done
within an organization. This knowledge is usually internalized in a person´s head. In other words,
it is tacit, undocumented knowledge and that is difficult to analyze, evaluate or transfer to others
involved in the process. In order to perform the actions required to execute the process, the
knowledge must be made explicit, that is, documented in one or more formats such as a
flowchart or a video that makes it easy for those involved with the process to understand it and
use it.
The process for documenting a process and making it explicit is pretty much the same, whether
you are documenting an existing process or redesigning and documenting a new process.
If the process already exists, the knowledge needs to be extracted from the current performers
and specialists. On the other hand, the new process proponents should formalize the knowledge
after listening to the process owner, actual performers and specialists. In both cases, the
knowledge must be made explicit, by capturing it from its sources, expressing it in a
comprehensive way, delivering it and making it available to those involved in working with the
process. The documented process must be used to train and support performers to assure that
all parties will execute the process in a consistent manner.

Process Knowledge Dynamic

According to Zaharan, “A process document is a dead object. It only comes alive when it's
transformed in knowledge, in people's brain, and only becomes effective when this knowledge

Figure 1: Process Knowledge Dynamic

 How to avoid the 10 biggest mistakes in process modeling

directs these people's behavior.” Process Modelling is a tool for documenting process
knowledge and making it available to performers, enabling them to execute the process in a
standardized way. To summarize, to have value, process knowledge must be documented and
externalized in one or more forms and internalized by performers of the new process. Figure 1
graphically illustrates the transfer cycle that gives process knowledge value.

Process Modelling Current Situation

Generally speaking, process modelling is done to achieve the goals of a mandate. For example:
Document all processes in the organization. However, in following the mandate, several issues
and concerns must be identified and addressed. Specifically:
 Applicability of the generated models – The generated models do not observe the proper
use of the knowledge, giving rise to questions regarding its applicability;
 Cost of modelling in terms of ROI – The modelling has a resource cost that does not
provide a reasonable return on investment.
 The model creates overly detailed models that do not prove useful to those directly
involved in the process – It is exhaustive in detail, making it difficult for those using it to
gain a general understanding of the process, or the specifics regarding any part of the
process.
 The model does not adequately describe what is being done or will be done in the future
– The modelling just exposes the organizational units to internal inspections, since what
is described, in most cases, is not what is being or will be done.

The Mistakes
Following describes what I consider to be the 10 most common mistakes in Process Modelling
and provides suggestions for ways to avoid them.

1. Failure to understand modelling as a communication

tool.
The externalization of knowledge is only valuable to the organization if there is effective transfer
of this knowledge from the source to the user. This is the essence of the communication
process, as described in Figure 2.

Figure 2: General Communication Scheme

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 How to avoid the 10 biggest mistakes in process modeling

The communication theory is applied to processes Modelling in accordance with the points
presented below.

 The original sender is the performer who has the knowledge of the existing process or
is the proponent of the new process; the receivers are the performers who will execute
the revised or new process. The knowledge is the message to be transferred. There will
only be successful communication if there is a comprehensive understanding of the
knowledge and an effective delivery of the knowledge to the receivers/performers.
 This transfer occurs in two stages: in the first stage the knowledge is transferred from
specialist to the Process Analyst and in the second stage the knowledge is transferred
to the performers, connecting the original sender with the receiver/performer.
 The Process Analyst is responsible for promoting efficient communication between
the specialist and the performer, using a specific notation/language, appropriate for
the goals and purposes;
 It is necessary to establish a communication language and vocabulary common to the
specialist, performers, and other persons involved in the process. This common
language is a critical element if the communication is to be successful.
 The two biggest deterrence to effective communication are (1) too much information
– information that the new performers already know or information that isn't relevant
to the specific task, and (2) lack of information – absence of information that
performers need to know to perform the job.

2. Modelling without a clear articulated goal

The main goal of process modelling is to externalize the knowledge about how things are done,
making that knowledge available for specific purpose including but not limited to:
 Standardization
Standardization goals include:
o Increase predictability of the process results and enable the organization to
assume and fulfill its commitments to its customers.
o Ensure that the cost allocated to the process model is actually maintained.
o Ensure that the risks in the model are effectively mitigated when implementing
the model.
Process modelling enables the analyst to evaluate whether a real standard has been
successfully adopted by comparing the actual way of execution with modelled way.
 Diagnosis
In this case, the knowledge about how things are done should be used to identify and document
opportunities for process improvement. This doesn't mean that all the opportunities for
improvement can be achieved immediately. It simply states identify and documents the
opportunities. Implementation of the changes will be determined based on priorities, and
available resources
 Improvement
In this case, a new version of the process will be generated that improves the level of
performance of the process and problems that interfere with the expected performance of the
process should be eliminated.
 Other initiatives related to process

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 How to avoid the 10 biggest mistakes in process modeling

Other initiatives might include:

o Activity-based cost, Risk Identification and Mitigation or Security Problems
Identification. In these cases, it is necessary to assure the standardization of the
modelling to avoid dealing with theoretical costs, risks, controls and security
solutions instead of the real ones.
o Systems Development. In this case, the process modelling, through its flow,
procedures and business rules, becomes the major input for the systems
programming that will support or automate the process and serves as the basis
for the work required to define the specifications for systems development.
In Short:

o The answer to the question “Why are we going to document/model this

process?” determines the objective of the process modelling initiative.
o The objective should also include the definition about who will use the
externalized knowledge, what level of detail is required and the expected return
on investment of the initiative.

Process Modelling should not be an end in itself.

3. Using the same notation regardless of the target users

The process documentation can serve several purposes based on the needs of the many users
involved in the process. The table below highlights some users and stakeholders and their goals,
defining notation requirements and some possible representation forms.

BPMN (Business Process Modelling Notation) has become the preferred notation for process
modelling. It's important to say that this notation was created with the specific goal of
automatically generating process control flow. It is, therefore, very formal and is designed
primarily for those involved in systems design. Use of this notation, in its complete form, will
not be understandable or usable by most business managers. The restricted use of symbols,

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 How to avoid the 10 biggest mistakes in process modeling

in the early stages of modelling, with the gradual addition of symbols as new audiences and
new details are added, is a highly recommended practice.
It is worth noting that the level of detail adopted should be commensurate with the modelling
goal. Thus, modelling for cost management, for example, will be different from the modelling
for standardization in terms of target audience, process attributes, detail level of activities and
procedures, to name a few.

4. Not setting reasonable expectations regarding the

modelling purpose
Process modelling, as an end in itself, will not generate any measureable benefit to an
organization. It is only when the process model is standardized and implemented that
measureable benefits will be achieved. Many companies have invested in current process
modeling and expect, as a result, a performance improvement, that will not come. It should be
made very clear what to expect from each of the several initiatives.

5. Modelling without a well-defined context for the

communication process
Process modelling requires definition in three phases, each phase establishing the
communication context for the next. The phases are:

1st Identification
This level defines the process name such as “make widget”

2nd Characterization
This level describes what the process does and provides context for the process by describing
why the process exists, where the process begins and ends, and what the primary steps of the
process are.

Description
This level determines how things are done; it is the explicit process knowledge, and includes
practices used to achieve repeatability and standardization of implementation. It consists of
activities, control flow, procedures and others tools that aid in implementation, such as:
checklists, policies, forms, etc.

6. Not identifying and organizing the process parts

before modelling them
The process description strategy should take into account the communication requirements
for the both the modeler and the user and, the complexity of the process. This requires a
successive decomposition approach. Besides understanding facilitation, this approach can
provide information to different users at the exact level of the required detail. Failure to
decompose the model in this manner will result in very large and incomprehensible models,
leaving many users confused and unable to understand the model.

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 How to avoid the 10 biggest mistakes in process modeling

7. Not establishing the appropriate level of detail for the

model's purpose
As previously stated, the goal of process Modelling is to transfer the ability to carry out the
process from some process performers others. It makes important to observe a golden rule:
the knowledge to be made explicit and transferred is represented by the gap between what the
performer already knows when he assumes his role and what he needs to know in order to
perform his/her tasks. (see Figure 3). It is not necessary to describe the technical knowledge
required on the part of the performer (doctor, accountant, salesperson, manager, etc.), as their
functional role requires them to possess that knowledge. The knowledge to be externalized is
usually composed of the rules and activities of the non-technical skills required to perform the
process in each specific organization.

Figure 3: Knowledge Gap

8. Not properly evaluating the knowledge transmission

capacity of the model developed
Once modelled, the process is sent to the source of information, process specialist, for
validation. Since the specialist already has the knowledge necessary to fill this gap, he or she
rarely identifies a lack of information in the documentation. Information overload is tolerated
since the specialist has prior knowledge of everything documented. It seems obvious,
therefore, that the future performer should do the validation/certification of the modelled
knowledge. The performer is rarely involved in the evaluation process and should be, since he
or she is the final target of communication.

9. Confusing acceptance of the model with adoption of

the model or confusing documentation of the process
with establishment of a process standard
Many process modelling initiatives end in a process portal without providing the training and
support required to enable the performers to execute the process. The mere publication of the
model is not sufficient for the adoption of a process model as a standardized of work in the
Organization.

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 How to avoid the 10 biggest mistakes in process modeling

10. Including all information necessary to assist the

process execution procedures
The documentation should include all the information necessary to implement the process but
should be structured considering the performers´ needs. Thus, the information distribution of
various kinds, such as flow, procedures, policies, systems manuals, checklist, etc., should
consider hypertext mechanisms, from the flow and the procedure with access to
complementary information.
The appropriate amount of information, within the defined context and with direct access to
the desired points, is what makes the Process Model useful and relevant. This avoids creating
documentation that is laden with far too much unstructured information leading to mind
numbing reading that is not useful and making the documentation seldom used.

Process Modelling and Governance

Processes models only have value if kept updated, reflecting the way things are really done.
Processes should be stable but never static. The lack of clear Governance rules for keeping
models updated can cause all the effort in creating these models a waste of time, reinforcing
the notion that modelling is a useless endeavor.

About the author

Alexandre M. V. Mello has owned and managed consulting education

businesses (Expertise and BPM Experts) in Brazil for more than 2
decades. His expertise includes facilitation, strategy development,
process architecture definition, process CoE organization, and process
analysis and improvement. Besides consulting engagements, he delivers
training programs, workshops and conferences. He can be contacted at:
[email protected].

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