Process Design Tutorial #7 | What
graphical elements are used in Business Process Models?
We’ve been talking about business
process modeling for the last few weeks and I've had some emails asking for more
information on the graphical elements used in process maps. So, let’s take a look.
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A Business Process Model consists of
several graphical elements which are used by most all Business Analysts and
Process designers:
Flow Objects
Flow objects are used to define the
behavior of a Business Process. These include:
- Events
- Activities
- Gateways
- Connecting Objects
You can connect Flow Objects to each
other with:
- Sequence Flows
- Message Flows
- Associations
- Swim-lanes
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You can group the primary modeling
elements through swim-lanes, which are:
Artifacts
You can use artifacts to provide
additional information about how the process works.
There are four standardized artifacts,
including:
- Data Object
- Group
- Annotation
The core modeling elements depicted by
these notations are:
- Description
- Element
- Event
- Notation
Think of an event is something that
“happens” during a process. Events affect how the process ‘flows’ and usually
has a cause (something that trigger it) or an impact (an end result).
Events are displayed as circles. They
have open centers so you can add markers to differentiate different triggers or
results.
Furthermore, there are three types of
Events: Start, Intermediate, and End.
Activity
An activity is a generic term for any
type of work that the business performs. For example, in a bank, you might have
activities, such as print a statement, post a check book, or check customer
statements.
An activity can be:
- Atomic (as small as it can be) or
- Non-atomic (compound)
Activities found in a Process Model are
Process, Sub-Process, and Task.
Tasks and Sub-Processes are shown as
rounded rectangles.
Gateway
Gateways control the divergence and
convergence of Sequence Flow. This means it will determine branching, forking,
merging, and the joining of paths.
Sequence Flow
A Sequence Flow shows the order in which
activities are performed in a Process.
Message Flow
A Message Flow shows the flow of
messages between two parties.
Association
An Association associates information
with Flow Objects. Text and graphical non-Flow Objects can be associated with
the Flow Objects.
Pool
A Pool acts as a ‘swimlane’ and is used
to partition a set of activities from other pools.
Lane
A Lane is a sub-partition within a
Swim-lane / Pool and extends the entire length of the Pool, either vertically or
horizontally depending on how you design your process flows.
Data Object
Data Objects are considered Artifacts
because they do not have any direct effect on the Sequence Flow or Message Flow
of the Process, but they do provide information about what activities require to
be performed and/or what they produce.
Group
A group is used to box a group of
objects, usually for documentation purposes. Grouping activities does not affect
the Sequence Flow as it is generally used for documentation or analysis
purposes.
Text Annotation
You can add text to the diagram to
provide additional information for the reader.
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Ivan
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Benefits of a Business Process Template
A Business Process is a set of activities designed to
produce a specific output. It is used to capture the specific ordering
of work activities, including inputs, outputs, triggers and actions.
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These Business Process templates will help you to:
-
Introduce the process and outline its purpose, goal,
and outcomes
-
Identify the fundamental assumptions behind this
process. For example, what assumptions does the process audience
have in relation to this process and how does the process support
those assumptions
-
Identify where and how the process interfaces with
other processes or whether it is a component or sub-components of
other processes
-
Use Visio flowcharts to illustrate process
activities, including inputs and outputs, decision points and user
activity
-
Identify data to be collected, such as reports,
forms, and policies
-
Identify reporting requirements associated with the
performance of the process and the format it must be delivered in
-
Identify the audience, role, and individuals who
will use the process definition, and the responsibilities of these
roles
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I'm Ivan Walsh, the person behind this site. I help people improve how they write, publish and extend their business assets.