INF10024 Business Digitalisation

Assignment 3

Student Guide
•Organisation and
Business Area Overview
Choosing the Business and Business Area

• Select a business you are familiar with

• Swinburne University of Technology

• Supermarket, Bank, Gymnasium, Retail Store, Government Agency, ….

• What is the purpose of the organisation?

• What does it do – provide credit (bank), offer tertiary education (university), sell consumables and perishables (supermarket), provide services
(government)

• Identify the business area (Division, Business Area, Business Unit) that you will focus on
• This will define the analytical boundary of your business process description and analysis

• Division = Student administration, Business Area = Course Applications, Business Unit = School of Business Applications

• Division = Finance, Business Area = Student fees, Business Unit = Reporting (MIS)

• What is your justification for selecting the business (i.e. organisation) and the business area
• This must be reasoned (you’ve worked in the process, you’ve been involved in the process, you understand the problems with the process, you
find the process interesting for a particular reason (state what that reason is)

• Don’t simply say choose an organisation and business area for the reason “you like them, etc.”

• Must be concise – 1 slide

•Process
Identification
Choosing the Business Process

• Identify the business process

• The business area could be, ….Student Administration and the business process could the Enrolment
Process, or the business area could be Swinburne Finance and the process could be the Fee Payment
Process,

• Or, it could be the Library and the process for borrowing a book

• Or, it could be inventory management at a supermarket, point of sale (self service or check-out), ….

• Identify the inputs and outputs of the process – these can be tangible things like a set of guidelines, a report,
an increase in your bank balance, or a book that you can take out of the library

• Select a business process that you can model on one page – don’t complicate
this
• Marks are not awarded based on process complexity

• Marks are allocated based on how well you identify, categorise, and contextualise the process
•Process
Modelling
Things to Keep in Mind

• First pass - Reduce the process to its basic steps

• Identify the process flow, process inputs (e.g. data, external technology services [e.g. Cloud])

• Identify the technologies needed to support the process

• This can be a high-level descriptions such the Student Administration System, server (to host the system), network,
telecommunications devices and software, database, etc.,
• Identify the actors involved (refer to them by their roles- eg. Student Administrator, Librarian, Course
Director, etc.)

• Model the process

• Use a swim-lane diagram to model your business process

• Second pass – Read your description of the business process to see if it

makes logical sense and refine the process flow, inputs, outputs,
technologies as required
 Student Administration Course Director
Example 1
1.0 Complete 2.0 Application
Application Received Admission Input
Requirements

Business:
Swinburne
University;
3.0 Requirements
Business Area: Met
Student
Administration;
No
Business Unit:
Yes
Course 4.0 Write Rejection
Enrolments; Letter

Business Process:
Course Enrolment
Process - 6.0 Receive 5.0 Write Acceptance
Letter Letter
Business: Swinburne University; Business Area: Student Administration; Business Unit: Applications; Business Process:
Course Enrolment Process - Description
Process ID Process Name Description
1.0 Complete Application Applicant accesses <<Future Students Page>> and completes on-line application. Student confirms the completion of the online
application and selects <<Send>> which sends the application to the <<Student Administration Mailbox>>.
Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology 1) Inputs: None; 2) Outputs: completed application; 3) External services: None; 4) Technology dependencies: Swinburne website
Dependencies <https://www.swinburne.edu.au>>, online application form, Email: Student Administration Mailbox, database
2.0 Application Received The <<Student Administration Mailbox>> is administered by a <<Student Administration Officer>>. A <<Student Administration
Officer>> selects the enrolment application and uploads this to the <<Course Application Folder>> in <<StudentOne>>.
Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology 1) Inputs: None; 2) Outputs: completed application; 3) External services: None; 4) Technology dependencies: Swinburne website
Dependencies <https://www.swinburne.edu.au>>, online application form, Email: Student Administration Mailbox, database (decision register)

3.0 Requirements Met Applicant’s application form is verified by the <<Course Enrolment Specialist>>. If the application is rejected, proceed to [5.0]. If
the application is accepted, proceed to [6.0].
Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology
Dependencies

4.0 Write Rejection Letter

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies

5.0 Write Acceptance Letter

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies

6.0 Receive Letter

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies
 Student Administration Finance
Example 2
Send Invoice
Receive Invoice Course Fees
Schedule

Payment
Arrange Payment
Received

Business:
Swinburne No

University; Prepare Late

Yes

Business Area: Payment Notice

Finance; Business
Unit: Student Fees;
Business Process: No Is
Payment
Fee Payment Confirmed
Process - Receive
Notice Yes

Generate
Receipt

Send
Receive
Receipt
Receipt
 Business: Swinburne University; Business Area: Finance; Business Unit: Student Fees;
Business Process: Fee Payment Process
Process ID Process Name Description
1.0

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies
2.0

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies

3.0

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies

4.0

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies

5.0

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies

6.0 Receive Letter

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology

Dependencies
•Improvement
Opportunity
How To Improve a Business Process

• Reduce manual handling of data

• E.g. uploading data into a system

• Improve process efficiencies

• Look for opportunities to reduce the number of process steps

• push manual activities back to a system

• Automate decision points

• Can a system determine an appropriate outcome rather than relying on human input

• ….
 Student Administration Course Director
Example 1
1.0 Complete 2.0 Application * * Input
Application Received Admission
Requirements

Business:
Swinburne
University; *
3.0 Requirements
Business Area: Push these steps back to the system and Met
Student automate and operationalise through the
Admissions requirements
Administration; system. No need for human involvement *
can input as decision
No
Business Unit: parameters into system.
Course 4.0 Write Rejection * Yes
No need for human
involvement
Enrolments; Letter

Business Process:
Course Enrolment
Process - 6.0 Receive 5.0 Write Acceptance *
Letter Letter

1) Improvements: reduce manual handling of data. see *

 Student Administration
Example 1:
New Process 1.0 Complete 2.0 Requirements
Application Met
Yes
No
Business:
Swinburne 3.0 Generate
University; Rejection Email

Business Area:
Student
4.0 Generate
Administration; 6.0 Receive Acceptance
Email
Business Unit: Email

Course
Enrolments;
Business Process:
Course Enrolment
Process -

1) Benefits: reduced 2* .5 fte, process cycle times reduce from 4 days to 5 mins
Business: Swinburne University; Business Area: Student Administration; Business Unit: Applications; Business Process:
Course Enrolment Process - Description
Process ID Process Name Description
1.0 Complete Application Applicant accesses <<Future Students Page>> and completes on-line application. Student confirms the completion of the online
application and selects <<Send>> which sends the application to the <<Student Administration Mailbox>>.
Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology Dependencies 1) Inputs: None; 2) Outputs: completed application; 3) External services: None; 4) Technology dependencies: Swinburne website
<https://www.swinburne.edu.au>>, online application form, Email: Student Administration Mailbox, database
2.0 Requirements Met Application form is vetted by <<Enrolment Decision Engine>> and decision engine generates decision based on inputs.

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology Dependencies Enrolment Decision Engine integrated to Student Administration Mailbox, database (decision register), Email

3.0 System Generates Rejection Letter Based on given parameters, the Enrolment Decision Engine determines the applicant is eligible. Based on criteria met, the
decision engine generates and sends an acceptance email to the applicant. Decision is logged in the decision register.
Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology Dependencies Enrolment Decision Engine integrated to Student Administration Mailbox, database (decision register), Email

4.0 System Generates Acceptance Letter Based on given parameters, the Enrolment Decision Engine determines the applicant is ineligible. Based on variance from criteria
the decision engine generates and sends a rejection email to the applicant. Decision is logged in the decision register.
Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology Dependencies Enrolment Decision Engine integrated to Student Administration Mailbox, database (decision register), Email

5.0 Receive email Applicant receives email advice

Inputs, Outputs, External Services, Technology Dependencies Email

•Benefits
Opportunity
Describe the Benefits to the Business

• Don’t frame benefits from a technology perspective, frame them whatb it

potentially means to the business
• Staff reductions

• Staff re-deployed to more value-adding activities

• Reduced process cycle times

• Potential increase in uptake of offers

• But give a plausible explanation

• Reasoned explanation

• Don’t make unrealistic assumptions

• Don’t give precise $ figures for expected uplift in profit, use bands such 5-15% increase in revenue, etc.
•ETHICS AND
SECURITY
• This will generate some interesting discussion in class. Let’s
talk about this in class as well
Considerations

• Data security risk

• Increased internet traffic into and out from organisation

• Introduction of new hardware/ applications

• Data Quality risk

• Increased manual handling of data?

• Customer privacy risk

• Australian Privacy Principles

• Regulatory requirements
• GDPR, APRA-CPG-234, APRA CPG-235, ….

• Ethical implications
• Community expectations
Bring any questions to class
or post to the Discussion
Board