2.2 Designing a Process Architecture

General

• Processes can be in a consumer-producer relationship.
  • One process provides an output that the other process takes as an input.
• Process Architecture levels
  • Level 1: Process landscape model, very abstract.
    • Level 1 element points to concrete level 2 business process
    • Should be understandable. Not more than 20 categories of business processes of a company.
    • All employees should be able to relate to it with their daily work, and accept it as a consensual description of the company.
    • Dijkman approach (see further).
  • Level 2: Shows more granularity than level 1, still quite abstract.
    • Level 2 element points further to a business process model on level 3.
  • Level 3: Shows detail of the processes.
    • Including: control flow, data inputs/outputs, assignment of participants.

Dijkman Model

• Architecture along two dimensions:

  • Case Type: Type of cases handled by an organization. (product or service delivered to external customers or other internal departments)

    • Horizontal displayed.
    • Classified according to properties (see a paragraph down)

  • Business Function: Something an organization does.

    • Vertical displayed.
    • Hierarchical decomposition of functions:
      • Function consists of Sub-Functions which can consist of Sub-Sub-Functions etc.
      • Ex: Purchasing function -> Vendor selection + Operational Procurement
• Steps to create this model:
  1. Identify Case types
  2. Identify Functions for case types
  3. Construct One or more case/functions matrix`s
  4. Identify Processes

Step 1. Identify Case Types

• Selecting case properties that will be used for the classification.
  • Purpose: Determine different ways in which (similar) processes are handled.
    • Properties that make processes behave differently (different steps) should be included in the classification.
  • Properties used to classify:
    • Product/Service type: Home insurance, car insurance, life insurance.
    • Channel:
      • Contact medium: Telephone, face-to-face, internet.
      • Or location: Europe, North-America.
    • Customer type (customers dealt with): Frequent flyers, regular travelers.
  • Cases would be then classified by combining the previous:
    • Home insurance via telephone, home insurance via face-to-face, car insurance via telephone.
• RESULT: List with Case Types

Step 2. Identify Functions For Case Types & Construct a case/function matrix.

• Classification of the business functions that are performed on the different case types.
• Each case type need to be identified in detail.
  • Use a reference model.
  • Interview different people within the organization.
    • Purpose: Check if reference model applies to the organization or to identify functions.
    • With: Employees involved, product and service managers.
    • Different people may use different terms for similar business functions.
    • Avoiding terminological issues from the start.
• When a functional separation of the departments needs to be harmonized along for ex. different locations, management structures also need to change with it.
• RESULT: Matrix of which business function(s) associate with which case type(s).

Step 3. Construct Process Landscape Model

• A cell in the matrix contains a 'X' if the corresponding functions can be performed for the corresponding case types.
  • Group different processes.
  • Make the matrix`s so that all Xes are covered. You can use multiple matrices to increase readability.
• RESULT: One or more Basic Process Landscape Models

Step 4. Identify Processes

• Which combinations of business functions and case types form a business process.
• Trade-off between:
  • All X`s are different processes.
  • The entire matrix is one process.
• General rule: Entire matrix is one big process which will only be split up in case certain rules/guidelines apply.
• Guidelines to finish the identifying the process:
  1. If a process has different flow objects, it can be split up vertically.
     • Flow object = A product/service/object that the process activities are carried out on.
  2. If the flow object of a process changes multiplicity, the process can be split up vertically.
     • When some one task has a single flow object at a time, and another task has a batch you are better of splitting up the process.
  3. If a process changes state, it can be split up vertically.
     • In particular, we distinguish:
       • Initiation state: Contact between customer and provider.
       • Negotiation state: Customer and provider negotiate about the terms of service/delivery etc.
       • Execution state: The provider delivers the product or service
       • Acceptance state: Customer and provider negotiate about acceptance and payment of the delivery
  4. If a process contains a logical separation in time, it can be split up vertically.
     • Parts are performed at different time intervals
     • ex. Once per customer request, once per day, once per month, once per year
  5. If a process contains a logical separation in space, it can be split up horizontally.
     • If the process is performed differently at multiple locations.
     • There must be a difference in the way processes are handled at multiple locations. Just separation in space is not enough to make separation in space a must.
  6. If a process contains a logical separation in another relevant dimension, it can be split up horizontally.
     • There has to be no choice why a processes needs to be performed differently across logical units.
     • Another relevant dimension other than time and space.
  7. If a process is split up in a reference model, it can be split up.
     • A reference model is usually a best practice solution. So why not use that?
  8. If a process covers (many) more functions in one case type than in another, it can be split up horizontally.
     • If with different case types, in the same process, there is a difference in the number of functions the process can be split up.
     • See Composite Mortgage Application NL and Simplex Mortgage Application NL in the figure below.
• RESULT: One or more finished Process Landscape Models