Business process diagram for the impatient. Review of information systems for the description of business processes

I am often asked - what to read about business processes?
One of the best sites on the Runet is www.klubok.net. I myself "grew up" on the forum and articles on this site. Many articles have not lost their relevance even now. I recommend starting with him.

But if we talk about books, then I can confidently say the best book on business processes is a book written by Repin and Yeliferov: "Business processes of a company. Construction, analysis, regulation."

Description of business processes: striving for simplicity.

The article deals with the issues of choosing a notation for describing processes for the purpose of subsequent regulation. Frequently used Work Flow notations are compared with each other, such as: "Simple flowchart" in MS Visio, "Procedure" of Business Studio, ARIS eEPC notation and others.

When comparing notations, the focus is on creating simple and understandable process diagrams for employees of the organization.

For business analysts of companies, the theses discussed in the article are a serious reason to think about how effective the approaches they use to develop graphic diagrams of organizational processes are.

Introduction

One of the most important goals for the formation of graphic process diagrams is their subsequent use in the regulatory documents of the organization. As a rule, these schemes are used by employees who are not trained in complex notations, do not have system analysis skills, etc. For them, simplicity and clarity of schemes are very important. Complex, confusing schemes containing many different symbols are poorly perceived by people, which makes their practical use difficult. Therefore, for practical purposes, the correct choice and use of the notation (method) for describing processes is important. By what criteria should such a notation be chosen? How to compare different notations with each other? Let's look at some popular notations and try to answer these questions.

The following process description notations were chosen for comparison:

1. "Simple flowchart" (with displaying the movement of documents, using the "Decision" block);
2. "Simple block diagram" (without displaying the movement of documents, without using "Solution" blocks);
3. "Procedure" of the Business Studio system (one of options representation);
4. ARIS eEPC.

A simple and intuitive process was chosen as a test case. The results of the description of this process are presented in fig. 1-4.

On the diagram of Fig. 1. The sequence of process operations in time is shown with thick arrows, and the movement of documents is shown with thin dotted arrows. Blocks "Solution" are used in a classic way. They display information (questions) on which the subsequent course of the process “depends”. This approach to the use of "diamonds" is very common. But in fact, the entire logic of decision-making and the formation of certain outputs (documents) should be contained within the operations of the process. If you think about it, the value (meaning) of drawing these "diamonds" is not obvious. What are these objects: process operations, events? It seems to be neither one nor the other. These are rather statements for making a decision on some condition. But after all, we are developing a process diagram for people, and not writing a computer program in a special language. AT computer program"diamond" would be a full-fledged operation for comparing conditions, etc. But on the process diagram, you need to show real objects - processes performed by people, documents, information systems, etc. Think about it, is it correct to show “diamonds” separately from the process operation on the diagram? Instead, you can:

a) describe the decision-making logic in the form of a sequence of operations on the scheme of the process under consideration;
b) describe the logic in the form of a diagram of the steps of the corresponding sub-process, moving to the level below;
c) describe the logic in text (in the text attributes of the operation) and subsequently bring it into the process execution schedule.

Let us formulate the “pluses” and “minuses” of the above (Fig. 1.) method of using “diamonds”.

On fig. 2. shows an example of the same process, only described without the use of "Solution" blocks and documents. It is easy to check that there are 24 less graphic elements in this diagram than in the diagram in Fig. 1. Scheme fig. 2. looks much simpler. From the graphic elements it does not dazzle, but from the point of view of informativeness, this scheme is quite understandable and accessible to the end user. If for each operation of the process the requirements for its implementation are described in text, then by combining the tabular and graphical forms of presentation, it is possible to adequately describe the procedure for the execution of the process for company employees.

"Pros" and "cons" of the graphical representation of the process in the form shown in fig. 2. are shown below.

In general, the use of schemes in a format similar to that shown in Fig. 2 is convenient for both developers and employees working according to these schemes.

On fig. 3. the process diagram is presented, formed in the "Procedure" notation of the Business Studio modeling environment. The scheme has several features. Firstly, the "Decision" blocks are not used in a standard way - not as a graphic element for displaying a question and branching, but as a full-fledged decision-making process operation. In Business Studio, a “rhombus” has almost all the attributes of a full-fledged process, but cannot be decomposed (perhaps the system developers will make this possible in due course). Using a "rhombus" (instead of a quadrilateral) makes the diagram clearer. At the same time, any textual information can be entered into the diamond attributes: description, beginning, end, deadline requirement, etc.

The second feature of the process diagram shown in Fig. 3., is the use of arrows. To display the sequence of operations, you can use an arrow with a single tip - the "precedence" arrow. You can use an arrow with two tips to show the movement of documents. But it is in Business Studio that you can use only one type of arrow - the "precedence" arrows. At the same time, the required number of documents, which are defined in the directory of activity objects, can be attached to the named arrows. This approach makes it possible:

• significantly reduce the number of graphic elements on the process diagram, and at the same time:
• put in the process schedule necessary information about incoming and outgoing documents.

Thus, without cluttering the diagram with unnecessary elements, we can nevertheless fully describe the process and upload all the necessary information to the regulations.

"Pros" and "cons" of the graphical representation of the process in the form shown in fig. 3. are shown below.

In the case of using Business Studio, the "Procedure" notation can be used in slightly different ways. The author of the article tends to the approach presented in Fig. 3.

On fig. Figure 4 shows a diagram of the process under consideration, developed in the ARIS eEPC notation. Note that some operations of the process did not fit on the diagram. This incomplete diagram of the simplest process, made in ARIS eEPC notation, contains four logic statements and eight events! The person reading the diagram must be able to correctly interpret all of these logical operators. Without special training and some skills in reading such diagrams, an ordinary employee is unlikely to be able to understand the logic of the process in question without a detailed textual description or the help of a qualified business analyst.

Note that the process diagram in the ARIS eEPC notation takes up significantly more space than the circuits shown in Fig. 1-3. The complexity of the formation of such a scheme is also significantly higher.

In general, if you are not going to buy SAP R / 3, then the choice and use of the ARIS eEPC notation is not, from the point of view of the author of the article, the optimal solution. It is worth paying attention to more visual and intuitively understandable notation for process descriptions. However, for some, the ARIS eEPC notation may seem more clear and understandable. To a certain extent, it's a matter of taste.

Description of the process for subsequent automation purposes

It is interesting to look at the process diagram in question if it is described in the BPMN 2.0 notation. This notation is intended to describe "executable" processes, i.e. processes supported by the BPM system.

Your opinion on using BPMN 2.0. shares A.A. Belaichuk - CEO"Business Console" company:

Life practice

On fig. Figure 6 shows a fragment of a process diagram developed by business analysts of a very specific company in the notation they invented. The scheme is built using the principles of the "Simple block diagram" - the "Solution" block is used in its classic version. In addition, the diagram shows many other symbols used in a non-standard way.

When forming the scheme of Fig. 6, business analysts obviously "fought" for visibility and maximum clarity for the average user. They sought to minimize, or even eliminate, textual commentary on process diagrams. The performers simply printed an A3 format diagram, when reading which everything immediately became clear: what to do, how, what documents to use, etc.

The scheme under consideration is, of course, not an example of simplicity and clarity. But it was formed in order to convey the maximum of useful information to the executors of the process.

conclusions

So, it is obvious that when describing processes, one should strive for simplicity and understandability for employees.
The use of complex, formalized notations when describing processes leads to:

• difficulties in the use (interpretation) of schemes by ordinary employees;
• impossibility (difficulty) of organizing work on describing processes by employees of departments who have not passed special education;
• a significant increase in the labor costs of business analysts for the formation of schemes;
• additional difficulties in documenting circuits (large volume, etc.);

Therefore, do not clutter up the process diagram with various graphic elements. But if you use them, it is better that they carry useful information for employees, and were not simply a consequence of the formal application of modeling notations.

V.V. Repin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Executive Director of BPM Consulting Group LLC, Head. Department of Business Process Management NOU HPE "IEF "Synergy", founder of the portal www.FineXpert.ru

Exactly these simple principles I am trying to convey to business leaders who, fascinated by beautiful presentations of software products, often forget that a simple checklist is often better than 10 pages of regulations.

A description of the company's business processes is needed when automating, creating a process-by-process calculation system, developing internal control and audit procedures, and, finally, serves as the basis for building a balanced scorecard. This problem can be solved using both standard tools Microsoft office and specialized programs. We will talk about the most common systems used in enterprises when describing business processes, their advantages and disadvantages, and also advise which system to choose for solving specific problems.

Why automate the description of business processes

Before analyzing the capabilities of various software tools that allow you to describe the company's business processes, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, let's determine in what situation the financial director will need such software.

Five main groups of tasks can be distinguished:

-development of internal regulations and job descriptions. Formalized descriptions of business processes provide an answer to the question of how a particular document “moves” in a company, what functions are performed by specific employees and departments. Based on these data, regulations on structural divisions, job descriptions, regulations on management and document flow, or business process regulations can be formed. At the same time, some systems (for example, ARIS, EM Tool Kit) allow you to generate such documents automatically after the business process models are built;

- process costing and planning. To accurately calculate the cost of certain types of activities in the company, as well as to correctly determine the cost of manufactured products, the methodology of process-based costing (Activity based costing) 1 is used, which should be based on a formalized description of business processes. According to the authors of the article, the Activity based costing technology can also be implemented in Excel, however, if there are any changes in the company's business processes (for example, in the sequence of actions of employees, staffing or wages), the constructed model will have to be completely redone. While a specialized system will allow, with minimal labor costs, to take into account such changes when calculating the cost of business processes and the cost of products or services using the Activity based costing method. A similar situation develops with the use of budgeting based on activities (Activity based budgeting) 2 . A serious argument in favor of the need to describe business processes is that it allows you to trace where and how the value stream for the company's customers is created, and eliminate sources of unjustified costs;

- creation of a balanced scorecard. According to the authors of the article, typical mistakes allowed in the development of a balanced scorecard, are in the wrong definition of responsibility for achieving key performance indicators or highlighting as key those indicators that are secondary to business processes. The presence of the most detailed description of business processes, up to specific actions, will help to avoid such problems. officials. At the same time, it is almost impossible to provide such a level of detail using standard Microsoft Office tools;

- implementation of internal control 3 and audit. Building an internal control system in a company involves classifying business processes and highlighting those that affect key financial reporting items, identifying the risks of these business processes and developing procedures to prevent the onset of risk situations. In order to correctly identify risks, it is first necessary to describe business processes;

- preparation of terms of reference for the development of a corporate information system. In order for the specialists of the consulting company to be able to take into account the needs of employees as much as possible

enterprises, they need relevant and adequate models of the company's business processes, on the basis of which the terms of reference will be prepared. s

Personal experience

Alexey Proshin,director of tools for describing business processes of FORS - Development Center (Moscow) One of the tasks that can be solved by describing business processes is the successful implementation of an information system. main reason The failure of the implementation of IT projects lies in the mismatch of ideas about IT technologies among people involved in business and those who implement them in practice. To avoid this, everyone must speak the same language, which is also understood by senior managers, including financial directors. Such a language can be created using business process modeling and analysis tools. On their basis, diagrams, graphical models are built, step by step demonstrating how business processes are built in the company, how interaction between people is organized and what needs to be changed. I would especially like to emphasize that the main goal of describing business processes is to understand and optimize the interaction between all components of the company involved in solving business problems. The need to automate certain operations is a question that can be answered only when there is a clear idea of ​​their place and purpose in the overall picture of the business.

Criterias of choice

The choice of system will depend on the tasks facing the company, as well as its financial capabilities. The cost of software for five jobs can range from 3 thousand to 30 thousand US dollars, depending on the functionality. However, according to the authors, when choosing software, in addition to cost, the main criteria are: methodology for describing business processes, the ability to use attributes and automatically update models, integration with accounting or ERP systems.

Methodologies for describing business processes

Today, there are two main approaches to the graphical representation of business processes: SADT / IDEF0 (Structured Analysis and Design Technique / ICAM DEFinition) methodology and ARIS (Architecture of Integrated Information Systems). From the user's point of view, business processes in the IDEF0 standard are simpler and clearer (see Figure 1). Business process diagrams compiled according to the ARIS methodology will contain more data, but they are quite complex for perception by users who do not have special skills in working with them. Therefore, if an enterprise acquires a software tool for describing business processes for the development of regulations, regulations, job descriptions and business process analysis, it can be recommended to use systems that support IDEFO standards. To assess the cost of business processes, develop terms of reference for the implementation of ERP systems, create an internal control and risk management system, as well as develop a balanced scorecard, the ARIS methodology is more suitable. On fig. Figure 2 shows a fragment of the ARIS business process model "Providing a loan" in a graphical representation (notation) of eEPC (extended Event-driven Process Chain).

Using Attributes

This criterion characterizes the ability to set a set of characteristics (attributes) for model objects (say, actions performed as part of business processes). For example, the main characteristics of an action are the cost and time of its execution. If the system allows you to assign these attributes, then when analyzing business processes, you can estimate the time it takes to complete a business process, the workload of personnel and equipment, and its cost. Thus, the CFO gets effective tool cost management.

Automatic updating of business process models

The same action can be performed in several business processes. For various reasons, the cost of an action or its execution time, as well as other characteristics, may change. The system should allow you to quickly make changes to business processes. This greatly reduces the time for updating already created business process models and bringing them up to date. Unfortunately, many systems do not fully support this function due to the nature of data storage, so changes often have to be made manually.

Integration with other systems

Integration of programs for describing business processes with accounting, financial and ERP systems allows you to automatically transfer them to business process models various characteristics objects. For example, the cost of materials used, the number of orders received from customers, the time to complete individual actions, and other data that are taken into account in such systems can be added as object attributes. Integration is provided through the development of interfaces or the use of MS Excel spreadsheets. This significantly reduces the amount of manual labor involved in collecting and entering information. As a rule, such solutions are suitable for large and medium-sized companies that plan to implement a process-based costing methodology or a balanced scorecard.

It should also be noted that when choosing a tool for describing business processes, one should pay attention to the possibility of generating various reports on the developed models, as well as the extent of software use.

Software systems on the market

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the most common tools for describing business processes used in Russian enterprises:

MS Visio (Microsoft);

EM Tool Kit (IC "Orientsoft");

ARIS (IDS Scheer AG);

Integrated systems (BAAN/Dem, Oracle Designer).

MS Visio

The MS Visio visual tool is an application from the Microsoft Office 2000 family. It is not specialized software for describing business processes, therefore its functionality is very limited and does not allow for in-depth analysis and evaluation of models, development of any regulatory documents, as well as automatically make changes to models. MS Visio is an unconventional and very flexible graphical editor that provides a quick visual representation of small and generalized models. The cost of a single license varies from $225 for a standard configuration to $550 for a professional one.

Advantages. Ease of development and use of the system, the ability to quickly develop a graphical representation of business processes and, if necessary, make changes to them.

Flaws. The system does not allow you to generate reports based on the described business processes, analyze the cost and time of performing actions and the entire business process. Standard MS Visio tools cannot develop a hierarchical business process model containing several levels of detail (from the company level to the level of individual employees).

Recommendations. The system can be used for graphical representation of business processes of small companies at the level of structural units. As a rule, models in MS Visio are used when reorganizing the processes of interaction between structural divisions of a company.

EM Tool Kit

EM Tool Kit (Enterprise Modeling Tool Kit) 4 allows you to describe business processes in IDEF0 format, form regulations regulating the activities of the company (document flow regulations, job descriptions, etc.), as well as audit organizational systems such as quality management systems, internal controls, etc. average cost system for five jobs is about 3 thousand US dollars.

Advantages. The system allows you to create nested business process models (see Figure 3 on p. 92), automatically generate reports, and define attributes for actions performed during a business process. It should be noted that modules are presented on the Russian market of software systems that allow you to automatically download the necessary attributes from software products developed by 1C. Through the use of attributes, the EM Tool Kit makes it possible to estimate the cost and duration of a particular business process. It is possible to organize simultaneous work of several users.

Flaws. Among the most significant shortcomings of the system, one can note the absence of “and”, “or” operators, which makes it difficult to describe the logic of business processes. The standard tools of the EM Tool Kit do not allow the implementation of an extended methodology for process costing and the calculation of the total cost of manufactured products, services provided, or other cost objects.

Recommendations. The EM Tool Kit is aimed at small and medium-sized companies; it can be used to develop internal standards and regulations, technical specifications for the implementation of information systems, to analyze and optimize business processes, and to implement a quality management system.

An analogue of the EM Tool Kit is the BPwin system, which has great opportunities in terms of supported methodologies (IDEFO, IDEF1X, IDEF3) and reporting. However, according to the authors, BPwin is more suitable for IT service specialists, as it is primarily focused on solving problems related to the implementation of corporate information systems. /

Personal experience

Oleg Kostikov,Director for Economics, Baltiysky Zavod JSC (St. Petersburg) The state of affairs at JSC "Baltiysky Zavod" at the time of the start of the introduction of the corporate information system (CIS) required a deep analysis of the structure of the enterprise, the functions of various departments, and workflow in order to understand the situation "as is" and identify problems and ways to solve them

The business processes of each division of the plant were described based on the results of surveys of employees of these divisions in accordance with the approved list of key users. As a result of the meetings, schemes and textual descriptions of business processes were drawn up. As a result of the survey of the enterprise, reports were created for each division, which included a text part describing business processes "as is" and IDEF diagrams (created using BPwin), visually representing the organizational structure, functions of participants in business processes and the flow of documents between participants. At the stage of business process development, schemes and descriptions of business processes, approved by all functional managers (heads of departments, directors of areas), became the basis for setting up the information system.

ARIS

The ARIS platform from IDS Scheer AG is a specialized set of tools for structured description and analysis of business processes. The system includes functional modules for:

Design and optimization of business processes (ARIS Easy Design, ARIS Toolset, ARIS Business Design, ARIS Business Architect, ARIS Business Server);

Dynamic analysis and optimization of business processes (ARIS Simulation);

Development and implementation of a quality management system (ARIS Quality Management Scout);

Monitoring and control of the efficiency of business processes (ARIS Process Performance Manager);

Management of procedures that ensure the operation of the internal control system for the formation of financial statements (ARIS Audit manager);

Development, implementation and maintenance of the operational risk management system (ARIS Process Risk Scout);

Creation of a process costing system - Activity based costing (ARIS Process Cost Analyzer);

Designing a balanced scorecard (ARIS BSC), etc.

Depending on the purchased modules and the number of jobs, the cost of the system can range from 9,000 to 13,000 euros. ARIS has more than 130 various ways graphical representation of models of the organization's activities. Of these, the following models will be useful for the CFO:

Organizational structure (Organizational Chart);

Value Added Chain Diagram;

Extended event-driven process chain (extended Event Driven Process Chain).

Advantages. The ARIS platform has a wide range of functions. It provides the ability to analyze the built models of business processes, identify "bottlenecks" and optimize business processes based on "what-if" analysis. In other words, the user can change certain business processes, for example, redistribute the powers of employees and evaluate how much the time to perform certain operations or the cost of work will increase. The ARIS Process Cost Analyzer module allows you to implement the traditional Activity based costing methodology to determine the cost of business processes, and use the results in the strategic enterprise management module (ARIS BSC). Using additional modules and internal language programming, the user can form any rules and regulations, as well as manage the risks of the company, create a quality management system and internal control.

Flaws. The disadvantages include the rather high cost of the software. The graphical representation of business process models is quite difficult for the perception of unprepared users. It should also be noted that to use, for example, the EM Tool Kit, you need to complete a training course lasting two to three days, and to master the basic functionality of ARIS, you will have to visit several specialized training courses lasting from five to fifteen days. In addition, the system contains a large number of features that may never be needed. In practice, no more than 15% of all types of models that can be formed are used.

The shortcomings of the functional plan include approaches to the implementation of the methodology of process costing. The system does not have the ability to set both elementary and complex action drivers, that is, you cannot use complex schemes allocation of costs between products, services, customers and orders.

Recommendations. The system will fit large companies and holdings planning to implement expensive ERP systems, to carry out certification in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 standards, to implement a balanced scorecard and a process-by-process calculation methodology for business processes.

Integrated Systems

Today, many ERP systems include modules that allow you to write a description of business processes. Examples include Oracle Designer and BAAN DEM.

Advantages. As a rule, such software products have wide functionality for describing business processes, generating reports and assigning various attributes. The main advantage is integration with other modules of the ERP system. Due to this, on the basis of the created model, it is possible to carry out automatic tuning ERP systems (determining parameters and access rights, creating user interfaces, etc.). At the same time, any changes in the business process model will be automatically taken into account in the integrated information system.

Flaws. The disadvantages include the high cost of both the module for describing business processes and the ERP system, without which the use of integrated tools for describing business processes is unjustified. It should be noted that when describing business processes using integrated systems, one has to largely adapt to the requirements and limitations of the ERP system, which is not always convenient.

If the company has not yet decided on the choice of an information system, then it is better to use universal tools for describing business processes, on the basis of which the requirements for an integrated information system will be determined and the terms of reference for the development of the system will be drawn up.

From simple to complex

The choice of software tools for modeling business processes depends primarily on the company's strategy, scale of activity, the level of maturity of processes and management technologies, as well as on existing level automation. As the business develops, business processes will become more complex and, accordingly, the requirements for tools that allow them to be documented will increase. According to the authors, companies can be recommended to begin work on describing business processes using MS Visio or the EM Tool Kit, and with the development of business and an increase in the level of automation, gradually move to integrated platforms. /

Personal experience

Pavel Burkov,Director of the Department of Economic Consulting MVS Group (Moscow) We, like many others, used MS Visio to describe when reengineering business processes and their subsequent automation. However, when describing the activities of even small companies, problems arose that were well known to those who used software products in modeling (for example, the need to repeatedly enter the same information into different models and difficulties in the operational adjustment of business process models). But the most important drawback was the lack of the ability to generate convenient reports (regulations) for clients. It was then that we decided to master a specialized software product for describing business processes. First it was BPwin. However, it seems to us that the presentation of business processes in this system is not very convenient for understanding by company employees, that is, the people for whom they are created. Therefore, we decided to use Business Studio to describe business processes. This is a versatile modeling tool. Designed for projects of various scales and activities, support for regular work to improve and regulate business processes.

Vladimir Repin

General Director of LLC "Vladimir Repin Management"

Member of ABPMP Russia

management consultant

Business trainer

Candidate technical sciences

The article deals with the issues of choosing a notation for describing processes for the purpose of subsequent regulation. Frequently used Work Flow notations are compared with each other, such as: "Simple flowchart" in MS Visio, "Procedure" of Business Studio, ARIS eEPC notation and others. When comparing notations, the focus is on creating simple and understandable process diagrams for employees of the organization.

For business analysts of companies, the theses discussed in the article are a serious reason to think about how effective the approaches they use to develop graphic diagrams of organizational processes are.

Introduction

One of the most important goals for the formation of graphic process diagrams is their subsequent use in the regulatory documents of the organization. As a rule, these schemes are used by employees who are not trained in complex notations, do not have system analysis skills, etc. For them, simplicity and clarity of schemes are very important. Complex, confusing schemes containing many different symbols are poorly perceived by people, which makes their practical use difficult. Therefore, for practical purposes, the correct choice and use of the notation (method) for describing processes is important. By what criteria should such a notation be chosen? How to compare different notations with each other? Let's consider several examples of describing a business process using popular notations and try to answer these questions.

Notation Comparison

The following process description notations were chosen for comparison:

1. "Simple flowchart" (with displaying the movement of documents, using the "Decision" block);
2. "Simple block diagram" (without displaying the movement of documents, without using the "Solution" blocks);
3. "Procedure" of the Business Studio system (one of the possible presentation options);
4. ARIS eEPC.

A simple and intuitive process was chosen as a test case. The results of the description of this process are presented in Fig. 1-4.

Rice. 1. Process diagram in the notation "Simple flowchart" in MS Visio (with the movement of documents, using the "Solution" block)

In the diagram shown in Fig. 1, the sequence of process operations in time is shown with thick arrows, and the movement of documents is shown with thin dotted arrows. Blocks "Solution" are used in a classic way. They display information (questions) on which the subsequent course of the process “depends”. This approach to the use of "diamonds" is very common. But in fact, the entire logic of decision-making and the formation of certain outputs (documents) should be contained within the operations of the process. If you think about it, the value (meaning) of drawing these "diamonds" is not obvious. What are these objects: process operations, events? It seems to be neither one nor the other. These are rather statements for making a decision on some condition. But after all, we are developing a process diagram for people, and not writing a computer program in a special language. In a computer program, a “diamond” would be a full-fledged operation for comparing conditions, etc. But on a process diagram, you need to show real objects - processes performed by people, documents, information systems, etc. Consider whether it is correct to show “diamonds” separately from process operations on the diagram? Instead, you can:

• Describe the decision-making logic in the form of a sequence of operations on the scheme of the process under consideration;
• Describe the logic in the form of a diagram of the steps of the corresponding sub-process, moving to the level below;
• Describe the logic in text (in the text attributes of the operation) and subsequently display it in the process execution schedule.

Let us formulate the "pluses" and "minuses" of the above (Fig. 1) method of using "diamonds".

"Simple flowchart" in MS Visio (with the movement of documents, using the "Solution" block)

On Fig. Figure 2 shows an example of the same process, only described without the use of "Solution" blocks and documents. It is easy to check that there are 24 less graphic elements in this diagram than in the diagram in Fig. 1. Diagram Fig. 2 looks much simpler. From the graphic elements it does not dazzle, and from the point of view of informativeness, this scheme is quite understandable and accessible to the end user. If for each operation of the process the requirements for its implementation are described in text, then by combining the tabular and graphical forms of presentation, it is possible to adequately describe the procedure for the execution of the process for company employees.

Rice. 2. Process diagram in the notation "Simple flowchart" in MS Visio (without the movement of documents, without using the "Solution" block)

"Pros" and "cons" of the graphical representation of the process in the form shown in Fig. 2 are shown below.

"Simple flowchart" in MS Visio (without document movement, without using the "Solution" block)

In general, the use of schemes in a format similar to that shown in Fig. 2 is convenient for both developers and employees working according to these schemes.

On Fig. 3 shows the process diagram formed in the “Procedure” notation of the Business Studio modeling environment. The scheme has several features. Firstly, the "Decision" blocks are used in a non-standard way - not as a graphic element for displaying a question and branching, but as a full-fledged decision-making process operation. In Business Studio, a “rhombus” has almost all the attributes of a full-fledged process, but cannot be decomposed (perhaps the system developers will make this possible in due course). Using a "rhombus" (instead of a quadrilateral) makes the diagram clearer. At the same time, any textual information can be entered into the diamond attributes: description, beginning, end, deadline requirement, etc.

The second feature of the process diagram shown in Fig. 3, is the use of arrows. To display a sequence of operations, you can use an arrow with a single tip - the "precedence" arrow. You can use an arrow with two tips to show the movement of documents. However, in Business Studio, you can get away with using only one type of arrow, the "precedence" arrows. At the same time, the required number of documents, which are defined in the directory of activity objects, can be attached to the named arrows.

This approach makes it possible:

• Significantly reduce the number of graphic elements on the process diagram, and at the same time;
• Display the necessary information about incoming and outgoing documents in the process regulations.

Thus, without cluttering the diagram with unnecessary elements, we can nevertheless fully describe the process and upload all the necessary information to the regulations.

The fact that the name of the arrow does not depend on the documents that are attached to it, allows you to name the arrows on the diagram in the most understandable and convenient way for employees. For example, a set of specific documents can be linked to the precedence arrow “A set of reports has been prepared”. The name of the arrow in this case indicates to the executor the event that completed the previous operation called "Generate a cash collection report for the day." (Note that in the STU methodology, the arrow after the process operation is an entity, not an event. After the “Solutions” block, you can show the possible results of the solution).

Rice. 3. “Procedure” of the Business Studio system (variant with non-traditional use of “Solution” blocks)

"Pros" and "cons" of the graphical representation of the process in the form shown in Fig. 3 are shown below.

"Procedure" of the Business Studio system (variant with unconventional use of "Decision" blocks)

In the case of using Business Studio, the "Procedure" notation can be used in slightly different ways. The author of the article tends to the approach presented in Fig. 3.

On Fig. Figure 4 shows a diagram of the process under consideration, developed in the ARIS eEPC notation. Note that some operations of the process did not fit on the diagram. This incomplete diagram of the simplest process, made in ARIS eEPC notation, contains four logic statements and eight events! The person reading the diagram must be able to correctly interpret all of these logical operators. Without special training and some skills in reading such diagrams, an ordinary employee is unlikely to be able to understand the logic of the process in question without a detailed textual description or the help of a qualified business analyst.

Note that the process diagram in the ARIS eEPC notation takes up significantly more space than the diagrams shown in Fig. 1-3. The complexity of forming such a scheme is also significantly higher.

Rice. 4. Process diagram in ARIS eEPC notation (built in Business Studio)

Process diagram in ARIS eEPC notation (built in Business Studio)

In general, if you are not going to buy SAP R / 3, then the choice and use of the ARIS eEPC notation is not, from the point of view of the author of the article, the optimal solution. It is worth paying attention to more visual and intuitively understandable notation for process descriptions. However, for some, the ARIS eEPC notation may seem more clear and understandable. To a certain extent, it's a matter of taste.

Description of the process for subsequent automation purposes

It is interesting to consider the above example of a business process description if it is presented in BPMN 2.0 notation. This notation is intended to describe "executable" processes, i.e. processes supported by the BPM system.

Your opinion on using BPMN 2.0. A. A. Belaichuk, General Director of the Business Console company, shares:

"In Fig. 5 shows the same process in BPMN notation. As we can see, this figure is similar to Fig. 1: In BPMN notation, tasks are represented by rectangles, forks are represented by diamonds, and data is represented by a document-like icon. Control flows are solid lines, data flows are dashed.

It should be noted that only a small part of the BPMN notation is involved in this diagram: only one type of fork out of 5 available in the palette, one type of tasks out of 8. In addition to a wider palette, this notation is distinguished by the ability to model not only an isolated workflow, but also several processes interacting with each other through messages or data. In addition, this notation is more strict: it defines not only icons, but also the rules by which they can be combined with each other. The need for such rules is dictated by the fact that the BPMN notation is focused not only on the fact that people will read it, but also on direct execution by special software - the "engine" of the BPM system.

At the same time, as this example shows, when using a limited subset of the palette, BPMN is no more complicated than a familiar flowchart. Well, for those who want to master BPMN professionally, we recommend specialized trainings bpmntraining.ru.”

Rice. 5. Process diagram in BPMN 2.0 notation

Life practice

On Fig. Figure 6 shows a fragment of a process diagram developed by business analysts of a very specific company in the notation they invented. The scheme is built using the principles of "Simple block diagram" - the "Solution" block is used in its classic version. In addition, the diagram shows many other symbols used in a non-standard way.

Rice. 6. Examples of the process diagram of one of the companies

When forming the scheme Fig. 6, business analysts obviously "fought" for visibility and maximum clarity for the average user. They sought to minimize, or even eliminate, textual commentary on process diagrams. The performers simply printed an A3 format diagram, when reading which everything immediately became clear: what to do, how, what documents to use, etc.

The scheme under consideration is, of course, not an example of simplicity and clarity. But it was formed in order to convey the maximum of useful information to the executors of the process.

conclusions

So, it is obvious that when describing processes, one should strive for simplicity and understandability for employees.

The use of complex, formalized notations when describing processes leads to:

• Difficulties in the use (interpretation) of schemes by ordinary employees;
• Impossibility (difficulties) of organizing work on describing processes by employees of departments who have not undergone special training;
• A significant increase in the labor costs of business analysts for the formation of schemes;
• Additional difficulties in documenting circuits (large volume, etc.).

Therefore, do not clutter up the process diagram with various graphic elements. But even if they are used, it is better that they carry useful information for employees, and not be simply a consequence of the formal application of modeling notations.

http://finexpert.ru/ — communication environment for professionals http://bpm3.ru/ — processes, projects, efficiency

In this lesson, you will learn about building simple (top-down diagram, data tracking diagram, process scheduling diagram, etc.) and functional block diagrams (displaying the relationship between a business process and departments).

Simple block diagram

The Simple Flowchart template is designed for designing flowcharts, top-down diagrams, data tracking diagrams, process planning diagrams, and structural forecast diagrams. The template contains the necessary shapes, connectors, and links.

Exercise 1

Rice. 3.3.Simple block diagram (step 3)

8. Enter text in the flowchart shapes (see Figure 3.4). To enter text into a shape, follow these steps:

9. Tab home in a group Service select tool Pointer.

• Click the shape in which you want to enter text.
• Type in the desired text.

Note:

1. To zoom in on the figure, press the keyboard shortcut + and left-click on the shape until you reach the desired scale.
2. To zoom out on the figure, press the key combination on the keyboard + and right-click on the shape until you reach the desired scale.

Rice. 3.4. Simple block diagram (step 4)

Figure numbering in a block diagram

Visio can number the shapes in a flowchart. To specify numbering options, on the tab View in a group Macros click the button add-ons and select in the group Additional Visio Solutions command Figure numbering. In the opened window Figure numbering specify the desired numbering options and click the button OK.

Task 2

1. In the flowchart prepared in task 1, add automatic numbering of all figures (see Fig. 3.6).

   For this:

   • On the tab View in a group Macros click combo button add-ons, select a group Additional Visio Solutions, and in it the command Figure numbering.
   • In the opened window Figure numbering specify parameters
     • tab General:
       • Operation - Autonumbering;
       • Apply To - All Shapes;
       • Start at - 1;
       • Interval - 1;
       • Select the Continue numbering shapes when dragging onto page check box.
     • On the tab Additionally:
       • Place number - Before the text of the shape;
       • Numbering order - Left to right, top to bottom;
       • Check the box Exclude connecting lines.
     • Click the button OK.
2. Save the block diagram.

Rice. 3.6. Simple block diagram (step 6)

Changing the flowchart

Adding a shape between two other shapes

To add a new shape between two other flowchart shapes, drag the new shape onto the connector that connects the shapes between which the new one is inserted. Visio inserts the new shape between the existing ones and automatically expands the flowchart.

Deleting a Shape

To remove a shape from the flowchart, select the shape and click on keyboard.

Renumbering figures

To renumber the flowchart shapes, do the following:

1. On the tab View in a group Macros click the button add-ons and select in the group Additional Visio Solutions command Figure numbering.
2. In the opened window Figure numbering tab General select radio button Renumber in the same order, specify starting number for numbering and click OK.

Task 3

1. Modify the flowchart prepared in task 2:
   • Delete figure Document(Submit application).
   • Between figures Solution(Application is completed correctly) and Document(Send rejection) place the figure Process(Forward to trade show assistant).
   • Add a Shape Process(Call exhibitor about payment) below figure Document(send invoice).
   • Renumber the flowchart shapes in the same order, starting with the initial number - 1.
2. Save the block diagram.

Rice. 3.7. Simple block diagram (step 7)

Repositioning connected shapes

Once the connection of the flowchart shapes is created, you can completely reposition them and rebuild the connections. To do this, on the tab Constructor in a group Layout click combo button Change page layout and select the desired layout.

If you change the flowchart layout, it may not fit on the document page. In this case, change the page size (tab Constructor, Group Page settings, the Size combo box) or its orientation (the Constructor, Group Page settings, combo button Orientation).

Task 4

Function block diagram

Purpose of Layout Functional Block Diagram

Layout Function block diagram is designed to display the relationship between a business process and organizational or functional units, such as departments responsible for performing the steps of this process.

The lanes in a flowchart represent functional units, such as departments, positions, or some other function. Each shape representing a step in the process is located in the track of the functional unit responsible for that step.

Task 5

Adding, moving, deleting a track

For additions tracks into a functional block diagram, do one of the following:

• Right-click an existing track on the diagram and select the item from the context menu. Insert "Track" before or Insert "Track" after.
• Hover your mouse over a corner of one of the tracks. Click the blue arrow that appears Insert path shape.
• On the tab Function block diagram in a group Insert press the button Track. The track will be added after the selected track or at the end of the strip if no track is selected.
• From a set of elements Function block diagram shapes drag track to Right place to the edge of the strip.

For displacement tracks:

1. Click the title of the track you want to move to select it. The mouse pointer will change to a move icon.
2. Drag the track to the desired location.

Shapes placed on the track will move with it. To check if a shape is on the track or just on top of it, select the shape. If the shape is on a track, the color of the track will change to yellow-orange. If the shape is not on the track but needs to be placed there, move it a bit and the track will identify it.

For removal tracks:

1. Click the label of the track you want to delete.
2. Press key on keyboard.

Note. Deleting a track also deletes all the shapes it contains.

Training is conducted on personal computers.

The course is dedicated to describing business processes using a common business editor. Microsoft charts Visio. which is easy to learn and at the same time allows you to quickly and efficiently create business models.

During the training, the most common methodologies (notations) of business process modeling supported by Visio are considered, and practical skills of building graphical process diagrams in MS Visio are developed.

The course program is aimed at specialists involved in the description, analysis and optimization of business processes.

1. Basic Microsoft Visio features required for business process diagramming.
   • Working with chart sheets. Using Shape Sets. Working with sample shapes. Adding shapes to a chart. Drawing dynamic connecting lines between shapes. Glue connecting lines to shapes. Dynamic and static bonding. Set snapping and sticking options. Using the auto-connect feature. Change the size and position of shapes. Change size and position text field figures. Shape handles: selection, rotation, text box, control, connection point. Shape formatting. Copying shapes and their format. Automatic alignment and placement of shapes. Grouping shapes and combining them into containers. Scaling, changing the size and appearance of the diagram page. Setting the parameters of the diagram page and its printing.
2. Basic rules for constructing process diagrams.
   • Building a network of processes top level. Decomposition of processes. Determination of the objectives of the process description. Definition of process boundaries: inputs, outputs, suppliers and consumers. Construction of process diagrams of the upper and lower levels. Rules for displaying process execution logic. Rules for using events and logical operators. Displaying responsible and executing processes.
3. Methodologies and standards for describing business processes supported by Microsoft Visio.
   • The most commonly used methodologies and standards (notations) for describing business processes supported by the Microsoft Visio software product. Diagram of the IDEF0 process. Ordinary flowchart of the process. Flowchart of the process with lanes (Swimmer Lanes). ARIS VAC process diagram (Value Added Chain Diagram). ARIS EPC (Event driven Process Chain) process diagram. BPMN process diagram (Business Process Model and Notation). Comparative analysis, advantages, disadvantages and areas of application of notations. Display on the diagram of manual and automated processes. Setting time and cost parameters for processes, requirements for terms and quality and other necessary data.
4. Service functions of MS Visio in the application to the task of describing business processes.
   • Decomposition and installation of hyperlinks to nested business process diagrams. Setting and editing protection for chart shapes. Set chart shapes to link to various external files, documents, and resources. Creating and editing attributes of diagram objects. Adding and editing property fields (attributes) for shapes. Create and edit sets of shapes. Formation of reports based on a graphic diagram. Formation of an HTML publication of a graphic diagram.