BPA Describing Business Processes

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Business Process Analysis - Describing Business Processes

One of the first tasks of a process engineer or any other person involved in business process work is the description processes.

It may seem a straightforward task to set about documenting processes (either existing or desired). This workshop was developed as a result of consulting engagements to define an operational model of business processes, i.e. what should be included in business process descriptions.

This workshop trains analysts to handle a variety of material, formal and informal, which is necessary for a good understanding of business processes. In addition, techniques are presented to help the analysts to capture information about very different levels of processes.

This workshop starts with a wide-ranging illustrated review of different ways in which business processes can be described and analysed.

Participants are trained in a set of techniques that will help to deal with a variety of source materials ranging from text and diagrams, to ideas and undocumented knowledge of business processes.

Business processes involve a wide variety of resources including money, people, organisation, information, and so forth. These factor inputs are examined with reference to techniques that are available. Human, social, and organisational factors are also examined.

Standards for describing and analysing processes are presented, and participants are trained to be able to describe the process to at least Levels I & II. The workshop looks forward to techniques that can improve business processes.

Workshop exercises provide participants with an opportunity to use techniques that are included in the seminar. Participants are encouraged to use their own business process material to increase the return on investment from the workshop/seminar.

Audiences:

This workshop is suitable for any person with responsibility for creating or advising about the description and documentation of business processes.

• Process engineers will find that this workshop provides a fundamental set of techniques to underpin professional work;
• Managers responsible for defining business processes will find that the workshop gives a thorough grounding to be able to create a set of standard business process documentation;
• Consultants who are advising on business process work will gain insight from this workshop with a rigorous approach to the analysis work that should underpin any serious business process project.

Objectives

After successful completion of  this workshop it is expected that participants will:

• have an operational definition of the business process that can be implemented;
• be able to identify a wide range of techniques that can help a business process  analysis project;
• be able to analyze text and diagrams, and convert the resultant process description to at least Levels I & II;
• be able to create and advise on standards to be applied to the description and  documentation of business processes;
• know a range of business process models and be able to identify the range of input resources used by processes to generate products and services.

Day 1 - Introduction & Background Skills

What is a process?
Evolution of process modelling techniques
Modelling processors
Producing outline process models

Day 2 - Basic Analytical Techniques

Analysing text and diagrams
Analysing costs
Process resource analysis techniques
Defining process outputs, inputs and transformations

Day 3 - Describing Processes

Completeness, consistency, and documentation standards
Describing processes - Levels I & II, and beyond