Getting Started with Business Process Modeling
How much BPMN do you really need?
Michael zur Muehlen, Ph.D.
Center of Excellence in Business Process Innovation
Howe School of Technology Management
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken NJ
Michael.zurMuehlen@stevens.edu
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How do you make a Cup of Coffee?
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Coffee Lover
Put Boiling Water
Boil Water Put Coffee in Cup
in Cup
Thirsty Coffee is Ready
The Nescafé Process
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Water is cold
no
Kettle
empty? Boil Water
yes
Fill Kettle
Coffee Lover
Put Boiling
Water in Cup
Thirsty Coffee is Ready
No
Put Coffee in
Cup dirty? Cup
Dishwasher
Yes
Clean Cup
The Espresso Machine Process 4

Hand Coffee
Make Coffee
To Customer
Done
Barrista Order
cancelled Discard Coffee
Coffee Shop
Insufficient Payment
Cashier
Take Order + Collect
Payment
Coffee
Store Open Done
Order Payment
Household
Go To Coffee
Order Coffee Pay for Coffee Take Coffee
Shop
Thirsty Done
> 5 min wait Leave
The Starbucks Process 5

How to Get Started
Find
Pick a
Model matching
tool
Problem
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How to Get Started
Find
Pick a
Model matching
tool
Problem
Pick a Select Solve the
Problem Method Problem
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What is a Good Process Model?
Correct
Relevant
Economical
7

Correct
When is a model correct? Relevant
Economical
Correct Syntax
Proper use of the Modeling Method
Correct Semantics
Accurate representation of Reality
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“As-If” As-Is Correct
Relevant
Economical
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Source: Rob Davis (2006)

Modeling with BPMN
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What is BPMN?
Graphical Notation for Describing Business Processes
The “Look” of a process diagram
Flowchart based
Activity Network – Nodes and transitions
Sequential, Parallel and Conditional Paths
Arbitrarily complex diagrams
The BPMN will provide businesses with the capability of defining and understanding
their internal and external business procedures through a Business Process
Diagram, which will give organizations the ability to communicate these procedures
in a standardized manner.
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+ Pool, Lane, Grouping,
Annotation, Document,
Transaction Boundary...
BPMN 1.0 - Elements Available
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BPMN 1.1
Maintenance Update
Minor changes to notation
New symbol for Multiple Event
and Gateway (used to be star,
now pentagram)
New Signal Event
Separation of “catching” and
“throwing” events
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Normal Flow
Task
End Event
Start Event / Event
Pool
Data-Based XOR
Start Message
Text Annotation
Message Flow
Parallel Fork/Join
Lanes
Gateway
Sub-Process (Collapsed)
Association
Data Object
Intermediate Timer
Intermediate Message
End Terminate
Sub-Process (Expanded)
End Link
Default Flow
Inclusive Decision/Merge
Activity Looping
Exception Task
Start Link
End Message
End Exception
Complex Decision/Merge
diagrams
Event-Based XOR
Multiple Instance
Group
three sources:
Transaction
Intermediate Event
End Cancel
Compensation
Long-tail usage pattern
Intermediate Compensation
Consulting Projects
Conditional Flow
Exception Flow
Web (random collection)
Intermediate Link
not be found among any of the
Start Timer
BPMN Seminar participants
Off-page connector
Source: 126 BPMN diagrams from
Start Rule
Some BPEL-related primitives could
Intermediate Rule
Intermediate Multiple
End Compensation
Start Multiple
Web
Frequency of BPMN Symbol Use
Intermediate Exception
Seminar
Intermediate Cancel
Consulting
End Multiple
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Compensation Association

Normal Flow
Task
End Event
Start Event / Event
Pool
Data-Based XOR
Start Message
Text Annotation
Message Flow
Parallel Fork/Join
Lanes
Gateway
Sub-Process (Collapsed)
Association
Data Object
Intermediate Timer
Intermediate Message
End Terminate
Sub-Process (Expanded)
End Link
Default Flow
Inclusive Decision/Merge
Activity Looping
Exception Task
Start Link
End Message
End Exception
Complex Decision/Merge
Event-Based XOR
Multiple Instance
Group
Transaction
Intermediate Event
End Cancel
Compensation
Intermediate Compensation
Conditional Flow
Exception Flow
Intermediate Link
Start Timer
Off-page connector
Start Rule
Intermediate Rule
Intermediate Multiple
End Compensation
Start Multiple
Intermediate Exception
Intermediate Cancel
End Multiple
Compensation Association 15

Modeling in the Small:
Service Process Improvement
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Service Process Innovation
Problem: Service Processes in truck dealerships
are crucial for customers that need to maintain their
trucks, potentially very profitable, but not very well
understood.
Question: How can we improve the existing service
process, quantify improvements, and increase both
customer satisfaction and profitability? How well is
BPMN suited for this task?
Approach: Map the existing process in BPMN,
identify improvement potential, benchmark process
metrics, design new process in BPMN, supervise
implementation
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As-Is Process (v. 13)
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To-Be Process (v. 11)
19

Useful Abuse 20

Insights
A very limited BPMN subset is sufficient to create processes (and produce
redesign results)
“Creative abuse” can increase readability
Management literacy of the BPMN diagrams made it easier to illustrate the
ROI of a pure modeling project
Process simulation is essential to peg financial benefits to process
changes
Even in a blue collar environment, process improvement ideas can be
generated at the front line
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Correct
Relevance Relevant
Economical
Is everything relevant in the model?
Missing process paths?
Missing responsibilities?
Missing information?
Is everything in the model relevant?
Information overload
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Correct
2 Verbs in Activity Constraint
Bad Example Relevant
Economical
“Call Bank” = How
“Verify” = What 23

Correct
Consistent Level of Abstraction? Relevant
Economical
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Correct
When is a model Economical? Relevant
Economical
Effort spent on documentation
vs.
Value of model use
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Correct
Relevant
Economical
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As-Is or just To-Be?
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Perform As Is Modeling?
It is important to design as-is models if you feel
The as-is will include lots of improvement constraints
You aim for minor changes
You do not understand the domain at all
The organization is risk averse
The process is of strategic importance
You have a very cost effective methodology for as-is modeling
The difference between as-is and to-be is a change management
document
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Skip As Is Modeling?
You can skip as-is modeling when
The process is a commodity
You have a very good understanding of the as-is
People would otherwise not be able to think out of the box
You have a very good approach for process improvement
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Modeling in the Large:
Enterprise-wide Modeling
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Project Scope
Duration: 21 months
Project team: 13 Modelers (Full-time)
>80 Subject Matter Experts (Part-time)
Goal 1: Development of an Enterprise Process Model
Goal 2: Alignment of Organization with new Processes
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Online Glossary

Process Granularity
Decided to follow Process Objects
to discover process structure.
Invoice Pallet
Reminder
Payment
Complaint
Package Slip

As-Is Modeling
Survey of As-Is Processes in the district offices
Mixture of observation and workshops
“How does this typically work” is not a good question
Scenarios are helpful (rainy day - sunny day)
Standardization of models across different districts
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To-be Modeling
Definition of strategic Core Processes
Development of a Enterprise Process Framework
Modeling and refinement of an Enterprise Process Catalog
Enhancement of the glossary
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Process Framework - Facility
Management Enterprise
Management
Customer Asset Process Management Customers
Management Controlling
Strategical /Operative
Portfolio Reporting
Mgmt.
Market Activities Enactment of Services
Der bearbeitete
Der relevante
Technical
Project Planning Services
Market study
Shareholders Contracting Resource- Administrative Market
disposition Services Shareholders
Owners Marketing
Users and Owners
Acquisition Consulting Personnel Users
Services
Information- Material- Accounting,
Informations- Informations- Informations- Legal Issues
Informations-
processing management Finance
verarbeitung verarbeitung verarbeitung verarbeitung
Human Resources

Example Level 1-3
Unternehmensführung
Kunden Prozeßmanagement Controlling Kunden
Strategische/Operative
Führung Berichtswesen
Der bearbeitete Markt
Marktbearbeitung Leistungserbringung
!\"§===
Der relevante Markt
Eigentümer
Marketing
Planung
Technische
Dienstleistung
!\"§===
Eigentümer
Markt und
Akquisition
Investoren
Vertrags- Ressourcen- Kaufmännische Markt
Investoren
abschluß disposition Dienstleistung
Eigentümer
Nutzer Eigentümer
Personelle
Asset Projektstudie Beratung Dienstleistung Nutzer
Management
!\"§===
Nutzer
!\"§===
Nutzer
Informations- Material-
Informations- Rechnungs-
Informations- Recht
Informations-
verarbeitung wirtschaft
verarbeitung wesen, Finanzen
verarbeitung verarbeitung
Personalmanagement
Process: Goods Receipt
Process: Purchase on site
Process: Purchase Resources
Process: Evaluate Quotes
Process: Goods Issue

Process Framework: Fortune 100
Methods Enterprise Process Architecture Organization
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Lessons learned
Glossary was helpful
“Object” in real estate is very different from CS “object”
Modeling standards were invaluable
Not just words, but naming and phrasing conventions
Employees can learn “complicated” modeling techniques
Use method filters wisely
Decide who will read and who will contribute
Who owns the model?
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Lessons Learned (2)
Method became more and more standardized over time
Started with (nearly) all modeling elements
Ended with heavily customized method filters
Started with free-form EPC with routing guidelines
Ended with swimlane-style EPCs
Process modeling can become a self-fulfilling purpose
Rogue projects sprung up before the implementation phase
Integrating 650 models only works if you have standards
2 full time staff for model consolidation
in the end, everything changed…
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What’s the Big Picture?
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Top
Management
Support
Economics Governance
Project Management
Project Model Model
Setup Design Maintenance
Users Info. Tools
Modelers
Providers and Lang.
Modeling in Context 42

Thank You - Questions?
Michael zur Muehlen, Ph.D.
Center of Excellence in Business Process Innovation
Howe School of Technology Management
Stevens Institute of Technology
Castle Point on the Hudson
Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone:
+1 (201) 216-8293
Fax:
+1 (201) 216-5385
E-mail:
mzurmuehlen@stevens.edu
Web:
http://www.cebpi.org
slides: www.slideshare.net/mzurmuehlen
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