This document discusses Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Process Oriented Architecture (POA), and Business Process Management (BPM). It defines each topic and explains how they are related. RPA involves automating processes by interfacing with existing applications through their presentation layer, APIs, scripts, or direct data access. POA links process areas to customer journeys through the organization. BPM takes a disciplined approach to identify, design, execute, measure, and control automated and non-automated business processes. The document also outlines considerations for RPA architecture and implementation.
Passkey Providers and Enabling Portability: FIDO Paris Seminar.pptx
RPA (Robotic Process Automation), POA (Process Oriented Architecture) And BPM (Business Process Management)
1. RPA (Robotic Process
Automation), POA (Process
Oriented Architecture) And
BPM (Business Process
Management)
Alan McSweeney
http://ie.linkedin.com/in/alanmcsweeney
2. Topics
• Introduction
• RPA – Interfacing With Existing Applications And Processes
• RPA Architecture And Implementation
• Process Oriented Architecture
• RPA, POA And Digital Enablement
• Process Analysis
• Process Design
• Process Transformation And RPA
June 25, 2018 2
4. (Robotic) Process Automation
• RPA is concerned with (partially or completely) automating
processes
• Involves outcome and decision automation
• The process is the glue that links the decision-making activities
together
• Automation needs to focus on processes and their decisions
and how to make them consistent, repeatable and autonomous
and be able to be performed in real time
• Existing applications implement or are used in (operational)
processes
• RPA is concerned with abstracting the details of these
operational processes into partially or fully automated meta-
processes
June 25, 2018 4
5. RPA, POA (Process Oriented Architecture) And BPM
(Business Process Management) – Three Related Topics
June 25, 2018 5
RPA
Process automation POA
Linking process areas to
actual (desired)
interactions – customer
(external interacting party)
service journeys through
the organisation
BPM
Disciplined approach to identify,
design, execute, document,
measure, monitor and control both
automated and non-automated
business processes to achieve
consistent, targeted results aligned
with an organisation’s strategic
goals
6. Overlapping Technologies And Approaches
June 25, 2018 6
Business
Process
Management
(BPM)
Business
Process
Execution
Language
(BPEL)
Business
Process Model
and Notation
(BPMN)
Rules Engines/Business
Rules Management
Systems (BRMS)
Specific BRMS
Products
Specific
BPM
Products
RPA
Robotic Process
Automation
Specific
RPA
Products
POA (Process
Oriented
Architecture)
7. June 25, 2018 7
Resolve Problems With Existing Process Approach
• Symptoms of poor business process management
− No standard process/method for addressing how to define
business requirements and when to improve business processes
− When automation of processes is commissioned, “Business” says
that they do not always get what they think they have asked for
− The processes used to document and communicate business
processes and requirements are neither easy nor documented
− Our business programs frequently exist in a culture of reacting to
cross-functional problems/emergencies
− IT has responsibility for creating and maintaining business process
flows, business requirements and business rules
8. Goals Of RPA
• Allow existing set of applications be interacted with and controlled
• Map complexity to existing applications to simplicity of requesting applications
• Single platform for all automation initiatives
• Provide an interface to allow interactions be initiated and results obtained
• Automate (some of) the interactions with the controlling applications
June 25, 2018 8
RPA
Existing
Applications
Requesting
Applications
9. Why RPA?
− RPA can just be a decorative skin hiding the ugliness of what lies below
− RPA just masks inefficiencies of existing applications/organisation
structures/processes
− RPA just makes a bad situation less bad
• All true but the cost of application and organisation
transformation and time to achieve it may be too great and too
long
− Organisation needs a solution now
• RPA enables quick deployment of efficient, (semi) automated
solutions while longer-term transformational changes are
effected
• There is always a risk that these long-term changes never
happen
June 25, 2018 9
10. June 25, 2018 10
Key Business Drivers For RPA And POA
• Save money – do things better with optimised processes
− Build better new processes faster
− Know what you are doing (right or wrong) through current
process understanding
− Get control of parallel processes by consolidating to core
processes
− Eliminate non-value added work through automation of manual
processes
− Business process outsourcing
• Implement large systems better
• Stay ahead of compliance and regulation
• RPA is an opportunity to create value
11. Why Implement RPA?
• Reduce manuals errors, improve quality, accuracy and ensure consistency
− Automation creates a repeatable process that encapsulates best practices
− Avoids manual errors that cause problems and require resolution and rework
− Reduced cycle times
• Reduce manual effort
− Processes operate automatically without the need for manual effort
− Increase productivity
− Increase throughput
• Always available
− Process is always ready for work
− Respond more quickly
− Greater scalability
• Collect information
− Automated solution captures process information for reporting, analysis and process
improvement
− Information gives the opportunity for process insight
− Greater visibility and control
− Reduce risk
June 25, 2018 11
12. Characteristics And Requirements Of Process
Automation
• A workflow-oriented approach to process and decision
automation
• A repeatable work process involving people and systems with
defined and documented activities
− Repeatable and repeated consistency
• Joins multiple isolated and disconnected applications
• Handle and insulate complexity
− Systems and process knowledge dispersed throughout the organisation
− Not always documented
− Documentation not always up-to-date
• Processes cross functions and teams
− Automation captures this cross-functional knowledge
June 25, 2018 12
13. RPA – Interfacing With Existing Applications And
Processes
June 25, 2018 13
14. Processes And Applications
• Process uses application(s) and applications embody processes defined within
their processing logic and sequence
• Operational processes may be contained entirely within/be implemented by an
application or they may exist outside the application
June 25, 2018 14
Application
Process
Application
Process
Application
Process
15. Application Interface Options
June 25, 2018 15
Application
Databases Applications
Application
Presentation
Pages/Screens
Process And
Decision
Automation,
Request
Management
Application
Interface
Layer
1
2
4
5
3
Requests
and
Responses
16. Application Interface And Control Options
1. Interface with existing applications through its presentation
layer, simulating keystrokes and screen navigation
2. Avail of APIs/service interfaces provided by applications
3. Use existing service integration/API management layer
(SOA/Service Bus or similar)
4. Use scripts to control calling and sequencing of applications
5. Directly update underlying application database
• RPA implementations will mix available interface and control
options as appropriate
• RPA environment provides facilities to enable the use of all
available interface options
June 25, 2018 16
17. Application Interface Options
• Not all interface options will be available for all
applications being connected to and interacted with
June 25, 2018 17
18. Presentation Layer Integration
• This is just a fancy phrase for screen scraping/keystroke simulation
− The duct tape of application integration
− Lowest common denominator – will work with any application
− Non-invasive approach
• Uses existing application screens and pages to interact automatically with
application
• Uses existing application security model
• Reuse existing application logic, processing, error handling, data
management
• Independent of architectures of existing applications
• You known it will work (after a fashion)
• No process or application changes are needed
• This form of integration needs to be aware of the context of the
application, identify screens, responses and handle application delays and
variable response times
• It can be a brittle and sensitive form of integration
June 25, 2018 18
19. Presentation Layer Integration
• Technique has been in use for more than 20 years:
− For example, IBM WebSphere Host Publisher/Rational Host
Access Transformation Services (HATS)
• Integration works very well with legacy “green screen”
applications such as z/OS, iSeries
− Structured, consistent and simple layouts
− Easy to identify context of screen
− Simple behaviour
− Undemanding data entry and extraction
− (Relatively) straightforward error detection, handling and
recovery
June 25, 2018 19
20. Presentation Layer Integration – “Green Screen”
Applications
• Easy to
integrate data
from screens,
navigate
through
application
June 25, 2018 20
21. Presentation Layer Integration – Controlling GUIs
• GUI applications are more
complex and problematic
to control using
presentation layer
integration
− Need to understand the
range of controls on a
screen/page
− More complex application
behaviour
− Context can be difficult to
determine
− Navigation can be
complicated
− Data entry and extraction
can be tricky
− Error checking, handling and
recovery can be challenging
June 25, 2018 21
trgWnd = AskItemList(AskMsg, AskList, @tab, @sorted, @single)
;Get chosen window handle
hWnd=DllHwnd(trgWnd)
; Some error checking from the help file to make sure we have a valid handle to the target
window.
hwndChk = DLLhwnd(trgWnd)
Spec = cWndGetWndSpec(hwndChk) ; Get the window specification.
hWnd = cWndByWndSpec(%Spec%) ; Get the handle by the window specification.
if hWnd!=hwndChk ; Make sure the result matches the original handle
pause('ERROR!', "Could not get valid handle for %trgWnd% window.%@crlf%Exiting program.")
clipput(Spec)
goto Cancel
endif
;Get maximum number of child levels
maxlevel = udfMaxLevelCount( hWnd, 1, 0 ) ;include parent by setting level to one
;Get total number of child windows
wincnt = udfWinCount( hWnd, 0 )
;Initialize database
; Format:
; RowNumber, MaxLevels, ParentCount, [Child1, Child2, Child3, Etc ] , Class , Id , Title ,
WndStyle, WndStyleEx, ClassStyle
staticcols = 9
data = Arrdimension( wincnt, maxlevel + staticcols - 1 ) ; Subtract one because Parent is
included in maxlevel
ArrInitialize(data, '')
;Get Window data
info = udfGetWndInfo( hWnd )
name = ItemExtractCsv( 1, info, 1 )
name = StrReplace( name, @lf, ' ' ) ; 4.0 fix
id = ItemExtractCsv( 2, info, 1 )
class = ItemExtractCsv( 3, info, 1 )
wndsytle = ItemExtractCsv( 11, info, 1 )
wndstyleex = ItemExtractCsv( 12, info, 1 )
classstyle = ItemExtractCsv( 13, info, 1 )
; RowNumber, MaxLevels , ParentCount, [Child1, Child2, Child3, Etc ] , Class , Id , Title ,
WndStyle, WndStyleEx, ClassStyle
data[0, 0] = 0 ;RowNumber
data[0, 1] = maxlevel ;MaxLevels
data[0, 2] = 0 ;Parent
;data[0, 3] = level ; ;*Ignore* Child Windows
data[0, maxlevel+2 ] = class ;Class
data[0, maxlevel+3 ] = id ;ID
data[0, maxlevel+4 ] = name ;Title
data[0, maxlevel+5 ] = wndsytle ;WndStyle
data[0, maxlevel+6 ] = wndstyleex ;WndStyleEx
data[0, maxlevel+7 ] = classstyle ;ClassStyle
;Initalize Level
level = 0
udfGetWinData( hWnd, level, maxlevel, data )
; Write out CSV the Application DataTemp (C:Documents and SettingsDeanaApplication
DataWinBatchTemp)
appdatadir = ShortCutDir( 'AppData', 0 , @true ) : 'WinBatchTemp'
;Check if dir exists. it not create it
if !DirExist( appdatadir ) then DirMake( appdatadir )
ArrayFilePutCsv( appdatadir : csvfile, data )
;Run(appdatadir : csvfile, '')
;Run('Notepad.exe', appdatadir : csvfile )
22. APIs/Service Interfaces
• Existing applications may provide APIs or expose services
or have message queueing interfaces that allow structured
communication with them
June 25, 2018 22
23. Service Integration
• Existing service bus/integration layer may have already
abstracted functions of some existing applications and
provide communication and interaction facilities
June 25, 2018 23
24. Scripting
• Scripts can be used to call applications or perform
functions as part of the overall process
June 25, 2018 24
25. Direct Data Layer Access
• The data within the application data stores can be
interrogated or updated directly without going through
the application
• Direct data updates can be problematic as application data
logic is bypassed and data integrity can be compromised
June 25, 2018 25
27. Process Automation – Designing The Application
• This involves designing a meta application that controls
one or more existing applications to automate, fully or
partially, the interactions with those applications and thus
enable the successful operation of the process
• Process analysis and design covered in detail later
June 25, 2018 27
28. Designing The Meta Application
June 25, 2018 28
Task 1
Task 3Task 2
Decide
Start
Wait
Task 4
Task 5
Task 7Task 6
Decide
Task 8Task 8
Wait
Task 9
Notify
End
29. Meta Process Design
• The (semi) automated meta process can bypass or conceal the
inefficiencies/non-value adding activities of the underlying
operational processes
• The core principles of process efficiency are:
− Collapse – reduce the number of participants and replicated activities
− Compress – reduce the number of steps in the process
• Covered later in Process Analysis and Process Design topics
June 25, 2018 29
Collapse
Compress
30. Meta Process Is A Representation Of The
Compressed/Collapsed Operational Process(es)
• When unnecessary and replicated activities in the operational processes
have been removed, you are left with necessary activities that must be
incorporated into the meta-process
June 25, 2018 30
Collapse
Compress
31. Automated Process Maps (Internal) Processes To
(External) Process
June 25, 2018 31
Abstracted (Automated) Process
Organisational Operational Processes
Based on Organisation Competency
Grouping
Process And
Decision
Automation,
Request
Management
32. Automated Process Maps (Internal) Processes To
(External) Process
• The process interaction and automation layer allows the
externally presented abstracted (cross-functional) process
to be mapped to existing processes and applications and
their functions
• This external process can be exposed to a wider set of
users than can access the underlying applications
− Insulates users from the complexity and fragmentation of the
underlying applications
− Insulates the underlying applications from security and access
concerns
• Allows you to do what you want rather than what you
limited to do based on the constraints of the existing
applications
June 25, 2018 32
33. RPA Implementation Options
• Bottom-Up
− Start small, gain understanding and experience, assess suitability,
usability and utility
• Top-Down
− Take an architectural approach, implement standards, tools,
create process and application inventory, define application
interaction approaches and standards
June 25, 2018 33
34. Process
Dashboard/
Analytics/
Reporting
June 25, 2018 34
RPA Management, Governance, Implementation, Execution And
Operational Framework – Idealised High Level Capabilities
Process Library
Operational
Process Usage
Data
Operational
Process
Operational
Process
Process Strategy Design
and Development
Business
Process Design,
Testing and
Development
Process
Templates
Process
Publication/
Deployment
Applications
Calling/
Requesting
Processes
Interacting Applications
Process
Component
Library
Deployed
Process
Execution
Process
Alerting/
Event
Management
Administration
Interface
Interaction Layer
AccessLayer
35. RPA Management, Governance, Implementation, Execution And
Operational Framework – Idealised High Level Capabilities
• Describes an architecture for an RPA development,
deployment, execution and management solution
• Set of components and facilities required to implement
and operate organisation-wide scalable RPA applications
• Can be used to assess the capabilities of RPA applications
June 25, 2018 35
36. RPA Management, Governance, Implementation, Execution And
Operational Framework – Idealised High Level Capabilities
• Process Strategy Design and Development – provides process analysis capabilities
• Business Process Design, Testing and Development – an environment that allows meta-processes be
developed and tested
− Process Templates – library of templates that can be reused
• Process Component Library – library of process components that can be assembled into a developed process
• Process Publication/ Deployment - a process for deploying or publishing developed processes to an
operational execution environment
• Process Library – the library of deployed processes
• Deployed Process Execution – the environment that runs deployed processes, manages resources, controls
parallelism
− Operational Process – a process being executed
− Access Layer – manages requests and responses to operational processes using a variety of options:
synchronous/asynchronous, request/response, message, direct API
− Interaction Layer – manages interactions with external applications being controlled
• Interacting Applications – the set of existing applications being controlled or connected with
• Applications Calling/Requesting Processes – the applications that are interacting with the meta-processes via
the access Layer
• Operational Process Usage Data – the set of process execution data collected on executed processes
• Process Dashboard/ Analytics/ Reporting – facility to present, report on and analyse operational data
• Process Alerting/ Event Management – facility to generate alerts and handle events from executing processes
• Administration Interface – facility to manage the operational and executing process environment
June 25, 2018 36
37. RPA Implementation Options
• Ultimately long-term organisation-wide success and results
will require a strategic top-down approach
June 25, 2018 37
Option Advantages Disadvantages
Bottom Up • See results quickly at low cost
• Limited investment in tools
• Gain knowledge and experience
• Validate approach
• Solutions implemented fragile and
not efficient, scalable or robust
• Not a basis for large-scale
operations
Top Down • Scalable, robust solutions
• Reusable components
• Takes a strategic and organisation-
wide view of RPA
• Manage entire application
development and deployment
lifecycle
• Manage processes in execution
• Large investment before results
obtained
• Strategic approach may mean
solution implementation loses
flexibility and agility
39. Success Measurement Framework
• Efficacy
− Are the solutions working?
− Are they producing the correct outcomes?
− Metrics
• Cost of RPA project and cost of operation of replaced processes vs cost of existing processes
• Efficiency
− Are the solutions operating with the minimum of resources?
− Metrics
• Staff reduction
• Productivity increase
• Throughput increase
• Effectiveness
− Are the solutions contributing to longer-term objectives?
− Metrics
• Accuracy improvement
• Cycle time reduction
• Customer satisfaction
• Number of automated controls
• Assessment of risk reduction
June 25, 2018 39
41. RPA and POA (Process Oriented Architecture)
• Individual processes and process areas within an organisational
vertical hierarchy represent competencies and associated
organisational operational functions and structures designed to
handle units of work
• These competencies are utilised or invoked in response to requests
or events
• Competencies/process areas can be shared
• A Process Oriented Architecture is a way of linking process areas to
actual (desired) interactions – customer (external interacting party)
service journeys through the organisation
• Allows two views of any process to be maintained and operated
− External view – that experienced by user
− Internal view – that worked on by the organisational competency
• There will always be two views of any process
June 25, 2018 41
42. So What Is A Process?
• Set of activities triggered by one or more events or statuses, requiring one or
more inputs and performed in structured outcome-dependent order or sequence
to generate one or more outputs and cause one or more outcomes
• Individual activities within the process concerned with making decisions and
generating outputs
• Process is the self-contained unit that completes a given task
• Process can consist of sub-processes and/or activities
• Process and its constituent activities, stages and steps can be decomposed into a
number of levels of detail, down to the individual atomic level
• Process analysis and design is concerned with optimising an existing or new
process and focussing on efficiency and adding value
• Process is primarily concerned with its outcomes and outputs
− Activities and their sequence that generate outcomes and outputs are largely secondary
− Activity and sequence view is useful for identifying opportunities for efficiencies, resource
optimisation, monitoring progress, collecting volumetric information and detecting
problems, duplicated effort, bottlenecks, resource constraints and non value-adding activities
June 25, 2018 42
43. So What Is A Process?
• A process has nothing to do with value: it should but it does
not have to
− This is desirable but not mandatory
• A defined process can have many attributes
• Each activity in a defined process can have many attributes
such as:
− Required Role/Skill
• An instantiated process can have many attributes such as:
− Start
− End
− Process Version
− Assigned Priority
− Participants and Activities
− Outcome(s)
− Output(s)
June 25, 2018 43
44. Process Decomposition
• Processes can be represented at different levels of detail
June 25, 2018 44
Process
Rules
Decisions
Trigger(s)
Required Input(s)
Output(s)
Outcome(s)
45. Process Routing
• Activities within processes can be linked by routers that
direct flow and maintain order based on the values of
output(s) and the status of outcome(s)
June 25, 2018 45
Activity
Trigger(s)
Required
Input(s)
Output(s)
Outcome(s)
Router
Activity
Trigger(s)
Required
Input(s)
Output(s)
Outcome(s)
Activity
Trigger(s)
Required
Input(s)
Output(s)
Outcome(s)
46. Why Process Architecture And Process Automation?
• Increasing velocity of change means that informal,
undocumented expertise makes reaction slow, exceptions
are only known and understood locally – process
architecture ensures knowledge is documented and
change can happen quickly
• Change to digital operations means that internal processes
are exposed – these inefficient processes must be make
efficient and external interactions must be masked from
the internal complexity
June 25, 2018 46
47. Where Does The Meta Process Reside?
• The meta process is the idealised method of performing
the required work to generate the required outcome if the
existing application/process/organisation/technology
constraints did not exist
• What I would like to do if I could but I currently cannot
June 25, 2018 47
48. Processes And Decisions
• Decisions are the outcomes of (activities and tasks within)
business processes
• Business processes define the paths to these outcomes
• Process automation is actually concerned with automating
decisions within the context of the process flow
• Because decisions and processes are closely interwoven it
is important to understand both business processes and
the decisions they generate
June 25, 2018 48
49. Processes, Business Rules, Outcomes, Decisions,
Actions
June 25, 2018 49
Information Inputs Business Rules
ActionsDecisionsOutcomes
50. Business Rules
• A business rule defines how inputs are processes to
perform actions and make decisions
• Business rules (should) describe and contain the
intelligence and decision making of the organisation
• A process contains and applies multiple business rules
• Process automation requires that business rules are
defined and applied automatically
• Automated processes must be standardised
June 25, 2018 50
51. Processes, Business Rules, Outcomes, Decisions,
Actions
• Processes generate outcomes by applying business rules
• Outcomes can be actions performed or decisions made
• Process automation means actions or decisions previously
made manually are now make automatically
June 25, 2018 51
52. Process Automation And Autonomy
• Process automation means the actions and decisions
contained within the process now occur autonomously
• Accuracy becomes very important
• Recording of actions and decisions is necessary for
auditing
• Degrees of automation and autonomy
− Attended or assisted automation – partial
− Unattended or unassisted automation – complete
− RPA supervision – notification of exceptions and alerts
June 25, 2018 52
53. Decisions
• Operational decisions are core to business operations
• Decisions affect what gets done and what does not get done,
what proceeds and what does not
• They are tactical and focussed, have a narrow scope, are made
frequently and are repeated and repeatable
• They frequently have to be made quickly or at least within a
short and defined interval
• Discovering decisions involves identifying and documenting the
key business decisions within the organisation
• Operational decisions can be crucial to the effective operation
of the organisation
• The accuracy and speed of operational decisions that can
determines if the organisation delivers on its business
objectives
June 25, 2018 53
54. Existing Operational Processes And Organisation
Structures
• Operational processes and their enabling applications tend to be
structured around (vertical) organisation structures and the existing set of
applications
• Processes that cross functional boundaries can be poorly integrated and
involve repeated data entry and replicated effort
• Process architecture, management and automation can address this
June 25, 2018 54
55. Process Architecture And Process Automation
• Automating the process ensures that it gets executed as designed
• Informal processes are a consequence of a lack of standardisation
• Critical processes must have end-to-end management
• Processes run across organisational functional units
• Real-time access to process performance metrics enable process
excellence and enables performance and risk management
− Automation introduces risk as well as providing a basis for reducing risk
• Process management is delivered and enabled through process
architecture and process automation and management technologies
− Technology is an enabler but it is not everything
• Process architecture allows strategies and objectives to be linked to
the processes that will deliver them
June 25, 2018 55
56. Process Architecture And Process Automation
Strategy Evolution
June 25, 2018 56
Organisation
Business
Strategy
Organisation
Business
Architecture
Organisation
Business
Requirements
IT Strategy
Enterprise
Architecture
Solution
Architecture
Process
Architecture
and Automation
Strategy
Process
Architecture
and Automation
Programme
Process
Architecture
and Automation
Solutions
Strategy Planning Implementation
BusinessITProgramme
57. Process Architecture And Process Automation
Strategy Evolution
• The process architecture and process automation initiative
proceeds from the organisation’s business strategy and
enabling business architecture
• The organisation’s IT strategy proceeds from and enables
the delivery of the business strategy
• The process architecture and process automation
programme strategy is developed from the business
strategy and business architecture
• The process architecture and process automation
programme that implements the strategy and its
constituent solutions take inputs from enterprise and
solution architecture
June 25, 2018 57
58. Process Oriented Architecture Maps Actual External
Interaction Paths To Organisational Operational Process
Competencies
June 25, 2018 58
External Interaction Paths – Experience Journeys
Organisational Operational
Process Competency Grouping
59. Process Oriented Architecture
• A Process Oriented Architecture is a way of linking process areas to actual (desired)
interactions – customer (external interacting party) service journeys through the
organisation
• Allows two views of any process to be maintained and operated
− External view – that experienced by user
− Internal view – that worked on by the organisational competency
• There will always be two views of any process
• The complexity of internal organisational operational process competency groupings needs
to be masked from the customer (external party)
• There are discontinuities and disconnections between the natural interaction sequence and
the way the organisation responds to these interactions
• This leads to differences between customer (external party) expectations and what actually
happens
• Process Oriented Architecture links organisation competencies to these contact and
experience sequences and journeys
− Enables end-to-end view, across cross functional and operational areas
− It is the glue that bonds customer (external party) interaction sequences with operational processes and
structures
− Enables straight through processing
• Process Oriented Architecture is a key enabler of successful digital transformation
June 25, 2018 59
60. External Interacting Parties
• An organisation will interact will multiple external parties
• Each external party will have a number of interaction paths
or journeys
• These journeys are the routes of experience of external
parties
• These routes of experience need to be mapped (as)
seamlessly (as possible) to internal organisational
operational process competency groupings
June 25, 2018 60
61. Process Oriented Architecture Maps Actual External
Interaction Paths To Organisational Operational Process
Competencies
• External Interaction Paths – the natural real life way a
customer (external party) interacts with the organisation
and avails of the organisation’s products and services
• Organisational Operational Process Competency
Grouping – the way the organisation structures itself to
perform work
• There are discontinuities and disconnections between the
natural interaction sequence and the way the organisation
responds to these interactions
• Leads to differences between customer (external party)
expectations and what actually happens
June 25, 2018 61
62. External Interaction Paths
• These represent the Straight Through Processing that the
customer (external party) wants to experience
• The complexity of internal organisational operational
process competency groupings needs to be masked from
the customer (external party)
June 25, 2018 62
63. Process Oriented Architecture
• External interaction paths represent how external parties
actually (want to) interact with the organisation
− External interaction paths are effectively meta-processes that
aggregate individual processes/sub-processes
• Process Oriented Architecture links organisation
competencies to these contact sequences
− Enables end-to-end view, across cross functional and operational
areas
− It is the glue that bonds customer (external party) interaction
sequences with operational processes and structures
− Enables straight through processing
June 25, 2018 63
64. Three Pillars Of Any Organisation
Organisation
Strategy, Infrastructure and Product and Service Development
Develop strategy, implement governance and management, commit to the enterprise, build
technology, communication and resource infrastructure that supports products and services and
support functional processes, develop and manage new products and services, manage mergers,
acquisitions and divestments, develop and manage strategic business partners and business
relationships and the supply chain
Operations
Implement and operate organisation competencies and associated processes that support the
customer operations and management including both day-to-day and operations support and
readiness processes and sales management and supplier/partner relationship management
including customer acquisition, product and service sales, product and service delivery and billing
Organisation Management
Basic organisation competencies and associated business processes required to run any
organisation - facilities, information technology, financial management, legal management, HR,
regulatory management, process, cost and quality management, strategy development and
planning, improvement and change and knowledge management
June 25, 2018 64
65. Three Pillars Of Any Organisation
• Exact organisation profile depends on many factors such
as:
− The type and mix of products and services the organisation
provides
− The nature of the customer relationship – known or anonymous
− The number of different types of customer
− The number and type of external parties interacted with
June 25, 2018 65
66. Sample Enterprise Business Process Groups –
Generalised Structure
June 25, 2018 66
Vision, Strategy,
Business
Management
Core Operational Processes With Cross Functional Linkages
Management and Support Processes
External Party Facing
Processes
Supporting Processes
67. Interactions Between Organisation Processes
June 25, 2018 67
Core
Processes
Supporting
Processes
Management
Processes
Defines Strategy and Approach
for Implementing and Operating
Core Operational Processes
Defines Strategy and Approach
for Implementing and Operating
Core Operational Processes
External Interacting Parties and Experience Journeys
What They
Interact With
69. Taking A Process Oriented Architecture Approach
• This enables the mapping of external straight through
processing to internal organisational operational process
competency groupings
• Maps the desired customer (external party) experiences to
competencies that may cross organisational functional
boundaries
June 25, 2018 69
70. Sample Organisation Business Process Models –
Generalised Structure
• Core Operational Processes – drive and operate the
organisation, deliver value, support external party
interactions
• Management and Support Processes – internal processes
and associated business functions that enable the
operation and delivery of the core operational processes
• Vision, Strategy, Business Management – processes that
measure, control and optimise the operational and
support processes and set the direction of the organisation
June 25, 2018 70
71. June 25, 2018 71
Sample Organisation Business Process Models –
Generalised Structure
Vision, Strategy,
Business
Management
Core Operational Processes With Cross Functional Linkages
Management and Support Processes
Develop and Manage
Products and Services
Market and Sell
Products and
Services
Deliver Products
and Services
Manage
Customer Service
Human Resource
Management
and
Development
Information
Technology
Management
Financial
Management
Facilities
Management
Legal, Regulatory,
Environment,
Health and
Safety
Management
External
Relationship and
Partner
Management
Service,
Knowledge,
Improvement
and Change
Management
Vision and Strategy
Business Planning,
Merger, Acquisition
Governance and
Compliance
72. Core And Supporting Processes And Interactions
• External parties interact with the organisation’s core
business processes
• Core business processes may be logical, cross-functional
representations of multiple, internal operational processes
that may or may not be connected to present a seamless
logical view
June 25, 2018 72
73. Achieving A Process Oriented Architecture
Organisation Competency
And Process Definition
Customer Experience
Journey Definitions
Mappings From
Experience Journeys To
Organisation Competency
Process
Oriented
Architecture
June 25, 2018 73
74. Achieving A Process Oriented Architecture
• This requires:
1. Structured approach to identifying, categorising and
structuring internal organisational operational process
competency groupings – use sample process breakdowns as a
starting point
2. Customer (external party) experiences journeys identification
and definition – take a use case approach
3. Mapping of experiences journeys to internal operational
competencies
June 25, 2018 74
75. RPA, POA And Digital Enablement
June 25, 2018 75
76. Digital Transformation And Enablement Is About …
June 25, 2018 76
Moving the organisation from one that is internally focussed around
its siloed structures:
To one that is focussed on customer (external interacting party)
straight-through interactions:
77. External Interactions And Internal Organisation
Reality
June 25, 2018 77
External Organisation Interactions
Internal Organisation Reality
78. Digital Strategy And Digital Transformation
• Digital strategy is a statement about the organisation’s digital
positioning, operating model, competitors and customer and
collaborator needs and behaviour to achieve a direction for
innovation, communication, transaction and promotion
• Digital transformation is concerned with moving the
organisation from its current state to one that involves
extending and exposing business processes outside the
organisation along the dimensions of:
− External Parties Participating in Digital Interaction/Collaboration –
who of the many parties in your organisation landscape do you interact
with digitally
− Numbers and Types of Interactions/ Collaborations and Business
Processes Included in Digital Strategy – which types of interactions and
associated business processes do you digitally implement
− Channels Included in Digital Strategy – what digital channels do you
interact over
June 25, 2018 78
79. Digital Strategy, Architecture And Transformation
June 25, 2018 79
Digital
Transformation
Digital
Strategy
Digital
Architecture
Statement About The
Organisation’s Digital
Positioning, Operating
Model, Competitors And
Customer And Collaborator
Needs And Behaviour
Extending And
Exposing Business
Processes Outside
The Organisation
Future State
Application, Data
and Technology
View To Achieve
Digital Operating
Status
80. Digital Transformation And Underlying Digital
Architecture
• Is all about enabling technology and its successful
implementation and operation including:
− Organisation changes
− Business process changes
• Digital transformation is (very) complex
• Management must appreciate the technology focus and the
benefits of an enterprise architecture approach
• Early involvement of enterprise architecture increases
successes and reduces failures
• Management must trust and involve enterprise architecture
• Enterprise architecture function must accept and rise to the
challenge and deliver
• Enterprise architecture function must allow its value to be
measured
June 25, 2018 80
81. Digital Strategy, Architecture And Transformation
• Requires process architecture and process automation
• External processes are exposed that are representations
of internal processes
• POA and RPA provide the strategic basis and
implementation and operational framework for a digital
strategy
June 25, 2018 81
82. Sample Digital Process
• High-level and simplified example of a utility-type service
provider operating in a competitive environment
• Every customer (external interacting party) journey/digital
process will have a direct sequence indicating success from
the organisation’s view and a number of alternate paths
June 25, 2018 82
83. Sample Digital Process – Buy, Receive And Pay For A
Product/Service
June 25, 2018 83
Look For
Information
/ Awareness
and Interest
Generated
Look For
Details on
Specific
Product/
Service/
Offer
Receive,
Evaluate
Offer,
Negotiate
and
Compare
Decide To
Buy
Product/
Service
Pass
Enrolment,
Buy/
Subscribe
and Receive
Product/
Service
Receive and
Pay Usage
Statements
and Bills
Query Usage
Statement
and Bill, Pay
Bill
Report
Fault/
Complaint
Upgrade/
Buy
Additional
Product/
Service/
Respond to
Offer
Renew,
Evaluate
Alternatives
and
Negotiate
Decide to
Leave/
Cancel
Service
Accept
Counteroffer
Do Not
Pursue
Interest
Do Not
Accept
Offer/
Accept
Other
Supplier
Do Not
Pursue
Interest
Change
Mind Before
Completing
Leave
Do Not
Complete
Cancelled
Because of
Delivery/
Provision
Problems
84. Service Journey/Digital Process And Operational
Processes
• Multiple alternate routes of service journey/digital process
require operational complexity
− Element of this can be automated
• Service journey is an abstraction of the associated
operational processes
− POA approach allows mapping of external digital processes to
internal operational processes
• Operational processes represent organisational
competencies
• Operational complexity needs to masked from service
journeys
June 25, 2018 84
85. Sample Customer Service Journey – Phases And
Steps
June 25, 2018 85
Phase Step Description
Research/Consider Look For Information/ Awareness
and Interest Generated
Look for general information and/or be made aware of the existence of
the organisation and its products/services
Inquire/Evaluate Look For Details on Specific
Product/ Service/ Offer
Investigate specific offer or promotion and/or make contact with
organisation to get specific details on product/service
Receive, Evaluate Offer, Negotiate
and Compare
Receive and evaluate a specific offer. Negotiate the details of the offer
and compare the offer with that from other suppliers/service providers
Decide/Negotiate Decide To Buy Product/ Service Make a decision to buy a specific product/service from the selected
supplier/service provider
Buy/Subscribe Pass Enrolment, Buy/ Subscribe
and Receive Product/ Service
The customer is successfully setup and passes any checks. Buy the
specific product/service, do not change before completion and receive
the product/service successfully from the supplier/service provider
Use/ Bill and Pay/
Change/ Upgrade/
Complain/Report
Fault/ Leave
Receive and Pay Usage Statements
and Bills, Pay Bill
Use the product/service, receive usage information and bills and pay
bills
Query Usage Statement and Bill Query usage information and bill
Report Fault/ Complain Report a fault in the delivery or usage of the product/service or make a
complaint
Upgrade/ Buy Additional Product/
Service/ Respond to Offer
Buy new or additional products/services or respond to upgrade/replace/add
offer
Renew, Evaluate Alternatives and
Negotiate
Renew at the end of the contracted period, evaluate alternatives from
the current and other organisations and negotiate product/service and
price
Decide to Leave/ Cancel Service Give notice to leave and cancel service
Accept Counteroffer Accept counteroffer and stay with organisation
86. Sample Customer Journey/Digital Process –
Organisational Processes Interacted With
• The customer (external interacting party) will interact with
organisation competency areas/processes during the
journey
− Primary processes – directly involved in the interaction
− Enabling processes – indirectly involved in the interaction, such as
support, readiness, management, analysis, reporting
June 25, 2018 86
87. Sample Customer Journey – Primary And Secondary
Processes
June 25, 2018 87
Phase Step Primary Processes Secondary Processes
Research/ Consider Look For Information/
Awareness and Interest
Generated
• Manage Contact • Record, Track, Analyse and Report on Customer Contacts
• Manage Information Content and Access
Inquire/ Evaluate Look For Details on Specific
Product/ Service/ Offer
• Respond to Customer and Issue and Distribute
Marketing Collateral
• Qualify Customer
• Track Leads
• Manage Prospect
Receive, Evaluate Offer,
Negotiate and Compare
• Negotiate Sales/Contract
• Acquire Customer Data
• Cross/Up Selling
• Develop Sales Proposal
• Manage Sales Accounts
Decide/ Negotiate Decide To Buy Product/ Service
Buy/Subscribe Buy/ Subscribe and Receive
Product/ Service
• Determine Customer Order Feasibility
• Authorise Credit
• Complete Customer Order
• Issue Customer Orders
• Fulfil Order
• Track and Manage Customer Order Handling
• Report Customer Order Handling
• Manage Inventory
• Manage Deliveries
Use/ Bill and Pay/
Change/ Upgrade/
Complain/ Report
Fault/ Leave
Receive and Pay Usage
Statements and Bills, Pay Bill
• Apply Pricing, Discounting, Adjustments and Rebates
• Create Customer Bill
• Produce and Distribute Bill
• Collect Billing Information
• Manage Customer Billing
• Manage Customer Payments
• Manage Customer Debt Collection
Query Usage Statement and Bill • Receive and Handle Inquiry
• Track Inquiry to Completion
• Respond to Query
• Record, Track, Analyse and Report on Customer Contacts
Report Fault/ Complain • Receive and Handle Fault Report/Complaint
• Track Fault Report/Complaint to Completion
• Respond to Fault Report/Complaint
• Record, Track, Analyse and Report on Customer Contacts
Upgrade/ Buy Additional
Product/ Service/ Respond to
Offer
• Manage Contact
• Negotiate Sales/Contract
• Cross/Up Selling
• Develop Sales Proposal
• Build Customer Insight
• Analyse and Manage Customer Risk
• Personalise Customer Profile for Retention and Loyalty
• Validate Customer Satisfaction
• Manage Information Content and Access
Renew, Evaluate Alternatives
and Negotiate
• Negotiate Sales/Contract
• Cross/Up Selling
Decide to Leave/ Cancel Service • Manage Termination
Accept Counteroffer
88. Primary And Secondary Processes
• Operational processes, both primary and secondary, can
be invoked multiple times during the service journey
June 25, 2018 88
89. Sample Partial Process Decomposition Levels – Buy,
Receive And Pay For A Product/Service
Buy Product/Service
Customer Contact
Management
Information Request
Fulfilment Response
Provide Quotation
Collect and Validate
Requirements
Process Information and
Create Quotation
Issue Quotation
Follow-up on QUotation
Manage Negotiations
Sell
Handle and Fulfil Order
Billing
Bill Invoicing
Bill Payments and
Receivables
Management
Bill Inquiry Handling
Receive Customer Bill
Inquiry
Assess Customer Bill
Inquiry
Authorise Customer Bill
Invoice Adjustment
Track and Manage
Customer Bill Inquiry
Resolution
Analyse Detailed Bill
Inquiry
Determine Appropriate
Bill Adjustment
Record Customer Bill
Invoice Adjustment
Issue Adjusted Bill
Report Customer Bill
Inquiry
Close Customer Bill
Inquiry
Handle Payment
June 25, 2018 89
90. Process Inputs And Outputs/Outcomes
June 25, 2018 90
Buy, Receive And Pay
For A
Product/Service
Trigger(s)
Customer
Interest
Required Input(s)
Customer and
Product/Service
Details
Output(s)
Delivered and
Billed for
Product/Service
Outcome(s)
Customer Buys
and Pays for
Product/Service
91. Service Journey/Digital Process And Operational
Processes
June 25, 2018 91
Look For
Information/
Awareness
And
Interest
Generated
Look For
Details on
Specific
Product/
Service/
Offer
Receive,
Evaluate
Offer,
Negotiate
and
Compare
Decide To
Buy
Product/
Service
Pass
Enrolment,
Buy/
Subscribe
and
Receive
Product/
Service
Receive
and Pay
Usage
Statements
and Bills
Query
Usage
Statement
and Bill,
Pay Bill
Report
Fault/
Complaint
Upgrade/
Buy
Additional
Product/
Service/
Respond to
Offer
Renew,
Evaluate
Alternatives
and
Negotiate
Decide to
Leave/
Cancel
Service
Accept
Counteroffer
Process Oriented Architecture/Robotic Process Automation Layer
92. Mapping Sample Digital Process To RPA Management,
Governance, Implementation, Execution And Operational
Framework
June 25, 2018 92
External Meta Process
Internal Systems
Mapped To By Meta
Process
RPA Engine
93. POA High Level Reference Architecture
• POA and RPA
architectures
and components
are very similar
June 25, 2018 93
Reference Data Manager
Enter and Maintain Organisation
and Process Reference Data
Process Creator and Mapper
Create and Maintain Definitions
of Operational and Cross-
Functional Journey Processes,
their Mappings and Their
Versions
Process Dashboard
Provide Role-Based
Administration and Management
Analysis and Reporting Access to
Inflight and Historical Processes
Process Manager/ Operator
Allow Processes to Be
Instantiated and Operated in
Response to Requests, Manage
Notifications, Alerts and
Escalations
Process Library and Explorer
Maintain Library of Versions of
Operational and Cross-Functional
Journey Processes and Provide
Role-Based Access
Process Data Collector
Collect and Maintain Information
on Instantiated Processes
Process Workbench
Provide Role-Based Access to
Participants in Inflight and
Historical Processes
94. POA High Level Reference Architecture
• View of what is required to implement and operate a
process oriented architecture and the operational
components
• This requires:
1. Structured approach to identifying, categorising and structuring
internal organisational operational process competency
groupings
2. Customer (external party) experiences journeys identification
and definition
3. Mapping of experiences journeys to internal operational
competencies
June 25, 2018 94
95. POA High Level Reference Architecture Components
June 25, 2018 95
Reference Data
Manager
Process Creator
and Mapper
Process
Dashboard
Process Manager/
Operator
Process Library
and Explorer
Process Data
Collector
Process
Workbench
Create Process
Definitions – Cross-
Functional and
Operational Mappings
Initiate Processes
Based On Triggers,
Allocate and Notify
Participants
1
2
Allow Processes to
be Viewed and
Worked on By
External and
Interval Participants
3
View Status of In Flight Processes
4
Collect Information on
Inflight Processes
5
96. Dual View Of Processes
June 25, 2018 96
Look For
Information/
Awareness
And
Interest
Generated
Look For
Details on
Specific
Product/
Service/
Offer
Receive,
Evaluate
Offer,
Negotiate
and
Compare
Decide To
Buy
Product/
Service
Pass
Enrolment,
Buy/
Subscribe
and
Receive
Product/
Service
Receive
and Pay
Usage
Statements
and Bills
Query
Usage
Statement
and Bill,
Pay Bill
Report
Fault/
Complaint
Upgrade/
Buy
Additional
Product/
Service/
Respond to
Offer
Renew,
Evaluate
Alternatives
and
Negotiate
Decide to
Leave/
Cancel
Service
Accept
Counteroffer
External View
Internal View
External Process
View Step
Internal Process
View Step
97. Process Oriented Architecture And Digital
Enablement
• The object of digital transformation and enablement is the
extension of internal processes to specific parties over
specific channels outside the organisation
• When you extend business processes outside the
organisation, you need to ensure cross-functional/cross-
capability operation
• External parties are not concerned with process limitations
caused by a siloed organisation not operating efficiently
• Process Oriented Architecture is a key enabler of
successful digital transformation
June 25, 2018 97
99. Process Analysis
• Structured approach to analysing existing process
important to successful RPA implementation
June 25, 2018 99
100. June 25, 2018 100
Process Analysis Scope
Process Analysis
Overview of
Process Analysis
Purpose of Process
Analysis
When to Perform
Process Analysis
Continuous
Monitoring
Event-Triggered
Analysis
Process Analysis
Roles
Preparing to
Analyse Processes
Choose the Process
Scope the Depth of
Analysis
Choose Analytical
Frameworks
Performing the
Analysis
Understanding the
Unknown
Business
Environment
Organisational
Culture/Context
Performance
Metrics
Customer
Interactions
Handoffs#
Business Rules Capacity
Bottlenecks Variation
Cost
Human
Involvement
Process Controls Other Factors
Gathering
Information
Analysing the
Business
Environment
Analysing
Information
Systems
Analysing the
Process
Analysing Human
Interactions
Document the
Analysis
Analysis Issues and
Considerations
101. June 25, 2018 101
Process Analysis
• Process analysis is the first step in establishing a new process or
updating an existing process is creating a common understanding of
the current state of the process and its alignment with the business
objectives
− Process is a defined set of sequential or parallel activities or behaviours to
achieve a goal
− Process analysis is creating an understanding of the activities of the process
and measures the success of those activities in meeting the goals
• Accomplished through various techniques including mapping,
interviewing, simulations and various other analytical techniques
and methodologies
• May include a study of the business environment and factors that
contribute to or interact with the environment such as government
or industry regulations, market pressures and competition
102. June 25, 2018 102
Process Analysis
• Other factors to be considered
− The context of the business
− Business strategy
− Supply chain (the inputs and outputs of the process),
− Customer needs
− Organisational culture
− Business values
− How the process will perform to achieve business goals
• Information gained through the analysis should be agreed upon by
all those that interact with the process
• Should represent what is actually happening and not what is thought
or wished to be happening
• Unbiased view without placing blame for existing inefficiencies
103. June 25, 2018 103
Purpose Of Process Analysis
• Analysis generates the information necessary for the
organisation to make informed decisions assessing the
activities of the business
− Without it, decisions are made based on opinion or intuition
rather than documented, validated facts
• Due to business change the processes of an organisation
can quickly become inconsistent to their original design
and no longer meet the needs of the business
• Process analysis is an essential tool to show how well the
business is meeting its objectives
• Creates an understanding of how work (the transformation
of inputs to outputs) happens in the organisation
104. June 25, 2018 104
Purpose Of Process Analysis
• Analysis generates an understanding and measurement of process
effectiveness and its efficiency
− Effectiveness of a process is a measurement of achieving the purpose or need
for the process whether the process
• Meets the needs of the customer
• Satisfies the objectives of the business
• Is the right process for the current business environment or context
• Measuring the efficiency of the process indicates the degree of
resources utilised in performing the activities of the process
• Measures whether the process is costly, slow, wasteful or has other
deficiencies and is a measurement of the performance of the
process
− Uncovers important facts about how work flows in the organisation
− Helps in the design and/or redesign of processes to better meet the goals of
the business
105. June 25, 2018 105
Purpose Of Process Analysis
• Information generated from analysis includes
− Strategy, culture and environment of the organisation that uses the process (why the process
exists)
− Inputs and outputs of the process
− Stakeholders, both internal and external, including suppliers, customers and their needs and
expectations
− Inefficiencies within the current process
− Scalability of the process to meet customer demands
− Business rules that control the process and why they must exist
− What performance metrics should monitor the process, who is interested in those metrics and
what they mean
− What activities make up the process and their dependencies across departments and business
functions
− Improved resource utilisation
− Opportunities to reduce constraints and increase capacity
• Information becomes a valuable resource to management and leadership to understand
how the business is functioning
• Help them to make informed decisions on how to adapt to a changing environment
• Ensure that the processes running the business are optimal for attaining business objectives
106. June 25, 2018 106
When To Perform Process Analysis
• Can be the result of continuous monitoring of processes or
can be triggered by specific events
− Continuous Monitoring
− Event-Triggered Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Performance Issues
• New Technologies
• Startup Venture
• Merger/Acquisition
• Regulatory Requirements
107. June 25, 2018 107
Continuous Monitoring
• Business Process Management is a long-term commitment
as part of the business strategy rather than a single activity
that is completed and then forgotten
• Managing the business by process implies that there are
regular and consistent performance metrics that monitor
the processes of the organisation
• These metrics are routinely reviewed and steps are taken
to ensure process performance meets the predetermined
goals of the organisation
• Eventual goal should be the ability to continuously analyse
processes as they are performed through the use of
monitoring tools and techniques
108. June 25, 2018 108
Continuous Monitoring
• Benefits of continuous analysis
− Alerts management to potential poor performance of the process
− Help point to the cause of the poor performance such as system
deviations, competition, environmental factors, etc.
− If the process is not performing, immediate action can be taken to
resolve the cause
− Real-time feedback through continuous analysis provides a
measurement for the human performance and reward systems
− Reduces the number of process improvement projects
performed, thus saving time and cost associated with those
efforts
109. June 25, 2018 109
Event-Triggered Analysis
• Strategic Planning
− Regular review and update of strategic plans
− Survey the market and competitive landscape for new opportunities and
establish new goals
− Process analysis may need to occur following an update to the strategic plan to
re-align the processes to meet the new organisation’s objectives
• Performance Issues
− Current performance may be declared inadequate for a variety of reasons
− Process analysis can assist in determining the reasons for the inadequacies and
identify changes that may improve performance
• New Technologies
− Advancing technologies can improve process performance
− Analysis will help create an understanding of how they should be adopted
− Process analysis will help the organisation understand how and where new
technologies should be applied to gain the maximum benefit to the
organisation
110. June 25, 2018 110
Event-Triggered Analysis
• Startup Venture
− When new ventures or businesses are anticipated need to identify the
processes that will be required to successfully deliver the new products and
services
• Merger/Acquisition
− Mergers and acquisitions result in the joining of production and service
processes
− Process analysis should be performed before the merging of processes to
ensure that the combined outcome meets the combined business objectives
• Regulatory Requirements
− New or changes to existing regulations require the business to modify its
processes
− Process analysis as part of meeting these requirements will ensure the
business is able to meet the requirement change with as little impact to the
business as possible
111. June 25, 2018 111
Process Analysis Roles
• Process analysis can be performed by a single individual
• For larger organisations may require a cross-functional team
− Provide a variety of experiences and views of the current state of the process
− Result in a better understanding of both the process and the organisation
• Important to make sure that enough time has been allocation for the
analysis resources to function properly in the assignment
• Communicate to the team their responsibilities according to the role
that each will play in the process
• Have a thorough understanding of the expectations of each member
• Agree to commit the time and effort required to make the project a
success
112. June 25, 2018 112
Process Analysis Roles
• Analyst
− Decide the depth and scope of the analysis
− How it is analysed
− Perform the analysis
− Provide documentation and final reports to the stakeholders and executive
leadership
• Facilitator
− Lead process analysis teams with an unbiased view
− Objectivity is important to ensure the analysis truly represents the current
state
− Let the group discover the path through the analytical techniques chosen and
through proper management of group dynamics
• Subject Matter Experts
− Individuals closest to the process with knowledge and expertise
− Familiar with both the business and technical infrastructure that supports the
process
113. June 25, 2018 113
Preparing To Analyse Processes
• Steps
− Choose the process
− Determine the scope of the depth of analysis
− Choose analytical frameworks
114. June 25, 2018 114
Choose The Process
• May be competing priorities and several processes that
need to be analysed
• Agree priority through examining the critical business goals
of the organisation
− A critical business goal defines why the organisation exists and
what controls the success of the organisation
− An organisation may have one or more critical business goals
• Identify critical business goals
• Identify processes supporting those goals
• Process performance metrics
115. June 25, 2018 115
Choose The Process
Organisation
Critical
Business
Goal
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Critical
Business
Goal
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Critical
Business
Goal
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
Supporting
Process
Performance
Metrics
116. June 25, 2018 116
Choose The Process
• Process performance can then be analysed and ranked to
understand where the effort for process analysis should be
placed
• Processes that scored high in both importance to the
organisation and severity of current issues are the
processes that need the most attention first
117. June 25, 2018 117
Choose The Process
Analyse First
Low High
High
Low
ImpactontheOrganisation
Severity of Issues With Business Process
Process A Process B
Process C
Process D
Process G
Process E
Process F
Process H
Process I
Process J
Process K Process L
118. June 25, 2018 118
Determine The Scope Of The Depth Of Analysis
• Scoping the depth of the process that is to be analysed is one of the
first actions of the analyst or analysis team
• Scoping is critical to
− Decide how far the project will reach
− How much of the organisation it will involve
− The impact any changes will have upstream and downstream of the process
analysed
• May be necessary to interview a variety of individuals in various
business functions before making scoping decision
• The more business functions and activities included in the analysis
project, the more complicated the analysis and the longer it is likely
to take
• Could break down larger processes and analyse sub-processes in
order to optimise time but before doing so must consider the impact
of future process improvement projects
119. June 25, 2018 119
Choose Analytical Frameworks
• No single right way to perform a business process analysis
• Topics to be studied, methods for studying them, tools to be used,
etc. are all dependent on the nature of the process and the
information available at the time the analysis begins
− Some projects may start with a completed, verified model that can be used for
analysis
• Review and decide which of the methodologies, frameworks or tools
should be used
• Decide what techniques and tools to use in addition to or as part of
the framework
• Too much analysis can also hinder the process of creating or re-
designing a new process
120. June 25, 2018 120
Performing The Analysis
• Understanding the Unknown
• Business Environment
• Organisational Culture/Context
• Performance Metrics
• Customer Interactions
• Handoffs
• Business Rules
• Capacity
• Bottlenecks
• Variation
• Cost
• Human Involvement
• Process Controls
• Other Factors
• Gathering Information
− Interviewing
− Observing
− Researching
• Analysing the Business Environment
− Value Chain Analysis
− S.W.O.T.
• Analysing Information Systems
− Information Flow Analysis
− Discrete Event Simulation
• Analysing the Process
− Creating Models
− Cost Analysis
− Transaction Cost Analysis
− Cycle-Time Analysis
− Pattern Analysis
− Decision Analysis
− Distribution Analysis
− Root-cause Analysis
− Sensitivity Analysis
− Risk Analysis
• Analysing Human Interactions
− Direct Observation
− Apprentice Learning
− Participatory Video Analysis
− Activity Simulation
− Workplace Layout Analysis
− Resource Allocation Analysis
− Motivation and Reward Analysis
121. June 25, 2018 121
Understanding The Unknown
• Process of analysis is a process of discovery involving
finding answers to a series of questions about the process
• Generate data to ensure that any conclusions are based on
facts extrapolated from the data and not on hearsay or
generalisations
122. June 25, 2018 122
Business Environment
• Obtain general understanding of the reason for the process to exist
within the business environment
− What is the process trying to accomplish?
− Why has it been created?
− What triggered the analysis?
− What are the systems required to support or enable the process and how
sustainable are those systems?
− Where does it fit into the value chain of the organisation?
− Is the process in alignment with the strategic objectives of the organisation?
− Does it provide value to the organisation and how critical is it?
− How well does it function in the current business environment and how well
could it adapt if the environment were to change?
− What are the risks to the process (external, environmental or internal) and can
the process adapt to survive those risks?
123. June 25, 2018 123
Organisational Culture/Context
• Every organisation has a culture that impacts and is
impacted by the internal and external processes of that
organisation
− How work is performed
− What motivates the members of the organisation to do the work
− By changing the process by which they work, the culture may also
change
− May lead to unintended consequences as new processes are put
into place
• Part of the analysis process is to ask questions that will
help understand the culture of the organisation and those
unwritten rules that determine how and by who work is
really accomplished
124. June 25, 2018 124
Organisational Culture/Context
• Leadership
− Who in the organisation are the influencers and leaders?
− Are they in positions of authority?
− If they do not agree with the process improvements, will the improvement be
successful?
• Social Networks
− What kind of social networks exist in the organisation?
− How will any changes affect those social networks?
− If individuals will be displaced as a result of a process change, what would be
the anticipated result of these networks?
• Personnel Change
− Will individuals voluntarily leave the company as a result of the process
change?
− If so, how will this disrupt the process?
125. June 25, 2018 125
Organisational Culture/Context
• Motivation
− What is the motivating factor for production?
− If the workers are not self-motivated
− how does work get done?
− What are the incentives that reward work output?
− If the success of a process has been measured on quantity as opposed to
quality, what will happen if the measurement is shifted to quality?
− Will the organisation stop producing to ensure quality?
• Change
− How will the change affect the leadership training in the organisation?
− What is the motivating factor for promotion?
− Will the goals for measuring leadership change?
− How will the reason for the process change be interpreted by the individuals
− effected or responsible for the process?
− Is it a sign of weakness in the organisation or strategy?
126. June 25, 2018 126
Performance Metrics
• Performance issues can be defined as gaps between how a
process is currently performing in relation to how it should
be performing
• A methodical analysis can help to understand the nature of
the gaps, why they exist and how the situation can be
rectified
• Key element of this understanding is the identification of
actionable and auditable metrics that accurately indicate
process performance
− Metrics will provide indicators as to where and how a process
should be adjusted
127. June 25, 2018 127
Performance Metrics
• Is the process meeting its performance goals?
• Does the process take too long and if so, why and what is the
measurement of “too long”?
• What could happen to make it worse?
• How would we know if the process has improved, i.e., if time is the
measurement of the process, can cost be ignored or if cost is the
measurement of the process, can time be ignored?
• How is data reported about the process, who views this data and
what do they do with it?
• Where should performance points be recorded so the process is
accurately measured and monitored?
• Would entering these performance points affect the performance of
the process?
128. June 25, 2018 128
Customer Interactions
• Understanding the customer interactions with the process
is critical to understanding whether the process is a
positive factor in the success of the organisation’s value
chain
• The fewer the number of required interactions between
the customer and a given service, the more satisfied the
customer
129. June 25, 2018 129
Customer Interactions
• Who is the customer, what is his need, why does he choose to
participate in the process and could he go elsewhere instead of using
this process?
• Do customers complain about the process?
• How many times does a customer interact with the process? Is it too
many? Are there redundancies in the interactions?
• How do we know if they are satisfied?
• What is the customer's expectation or objective with the process
and why does he need the process?
• How does the customer want to interact with the process?
• If the process supports internal activities, what is the impact or
indirect effects to the customer?
130. June 25, 2018 130
Handoffs
• Any point in a process where work or information passes from one
system, person or group to another is a handoff for that process
• Handoffs are very vulnerable to process disconnections and should
be analysed closely
• Typically, the fewer number of handoffs, the more successful the
process
• Which of the handoffs are most likely to break down the process?
• Questions to ask of each handoff:
− Are there any bottlenecks of information or services as a result of handoffs
happening too quickly?
− Can any handoff be eliminated?
− Where do streams of information come together and is the timing accurate?
131. June 25, 2018 131
Business Rules
• Business rules create constraints that impact the nature
and performance of the process
• Help define the performance expectations
• Create clear guidelines around these expectations
• Often business rules are created without an understanding
of why they exist or are so outdated that they no longer
apply but because of organisational culture they still are
being followed
132. June 25, 2018 132
Business Rules
• Do the current business rules cause obstacles by requiring
unnecessary approvals, steps or other constraints that
should be eliminated?
• Are the business rules in alignment with the objectives of
the organisation?
• Who created the business rules and upon what were they
based?
• When were the rules created and does their need exist?
• If the rules were eliminated, what would be the result?
• How flexible is the process to accommodate changes in the
business rules?
133. June 25, 2018 133
Capacity
• Analysing the capacity of the process tests upper and
lower limits and determines whether the resources
(machine or human) can appropriately scale to meet the
demands
− Is the process scalable and if inputs were increased, at what point
will the process break down?
− What would happen if the process slowed down and what is the
cost of the idle time of the process? If idle, can those resources be
put to work on other processes?
− What happens when the process cannot get supplies and
materials quickly enough to meet demand?
− If the process speeds up can the consumer of the process handle
the increase in production?
134. June 25, 2018 134
Bottlenecks
• A bottleneck is a constraint in the process that creates a backlog of
work to be done
− What is being constrained: information, product, service?
− Why does the bottleneck exist, what are the factors contributing to the
bottleneck and are these factors people, systems or organisational?
− Is it the bottleneck the result of handoffs or lack of information?
− Is the bottleneck the result of a resource constraint and what type of resource:
human, system or machinery?
− Are there unnecessary check points that create the bottleneck that can be
eliminated?
− If multiple streams are processing information in parallel, do the streams come
together at the same time or is one waiting for the other?
− Does the process create a backlog upstream or downstream from the process?
135. June 25, 2018 135
Variation
• Variation in the process may not be good
• Variation slows down the process and requires more
resources to properly scale
• If the nature of the business requires variation as its core
business strategy then look for places where some of the
variation can be reduced which could save on the overall
cycle time of the process
• How much variation is tolerable for the process?
− Is variation necessary or desirable?
− Where are the points where variation is most likely to occur? Can
they be eliminated and if so, what are some recommendations?
− Can automation help eliminate variation
136. June 25, 2018 136
Cost
• Understanding the cost of the process helps the team
understand the value of the process in real money to the
organisation
− What is the total cost of the process?
− Can the process be broken up into small cost allocations?
− Is the cost in line with industry best practices?
− Is the cost absorbed by the customer directly or is it a cost of
business?
− Can the cost be reduced through automation or technology
improvements? If so, how and by what extent?
137. June 25, 2018 137
Human Involvement
• Processes involve either automated activities or activities
performed by people
• Automated activities generally run consistently and when
they do not it is possible to find and correct the situation
that is causing the problem
• Activities performed by people are more complex as they
involve judgment and skill that cannot be automated
− People do not always do the same task in the same way
138. June 25, 2018 138
Human Involvement
• How much variability is introduced by the human element? Is the variability
• tolerable?
• Can the action be automated? What would be the result to the process? What
would be the result to the human element and to the culture of the organisation?
• How complex is the task? What are the skill sets required? How are performers
trained for the task?
• How do the performers of the task respond to external events during the task?
• How does the performer know when the task is done well? What feedback
systems are in place to guide the performer? What can the performer do with this
feed back – what can he or she change with this knowledge?
• Does the performer know where the task lies in the process and what the results
of the actions are downstream? Does he /she know what happens before the
task? What does the performer do with variations in the inputs for the task?
• Can the performer identify variations before the task is completed?
• What is the motivation for performing the task or performing the task well?
• How much knowledge is available to the performer to accomplish this task? Is it
sufficient?
139. June 25, 2018 139
Process Controls
• Process controls are put in place to ensure adherence to
legal, regulatory or financial constraints or obligations
• Process controls are different from control processes
− Process controls defines the control
− Control processes defines the steps to achieve that control
• Questions to assist in understanding what process controls
are in place
− What are the environmental impacts of the process and do those
impacts need to be controlled?
− Who are the regulatory or governing agencies that will regulate
the process and do they need to be informed of the process
change?
140. June 25, 2018 140
Other Factors
• Purpose of the discussion topics is to initiate and
encourage discussion about the process
• Other discussion topics not mentioned will naturally arise
during the process analysis and should be explored
• Some of the topics noted above might not apply to the
process being analysed
• The analysis must encompass a variety of techniques and
topics to achieve a complete and well rounded
understanding of the process
141. June 25, 2018 141
Gathering Information
• Next step in the analysis is for the analyst or team to gather as much
relevant information about the process and business environment as
possible
• Types of information gathered depend on the business and process
being analysed
− The strategic information about the company such as long term strategy,
markets, threats, opportunities, etc.
− A company's performance in comparison to its peers or benchmarked to other
related industries
− The rationale for the process analysis and at who's request
− The fit of the process into the organisation
− The people who should be involved in the process analysis project
• Sources of information
− Interviews with individuals involved in the process
− Performance records/transaction reviews on the process and walkthroughs of
the process
− Audit reports
142. June 25, 2018 142
Interviewing
• Interviews those who are involved in or are associated
with the process are an important method of gathering
information and preparing for the process analysis
− Process owners, internal or external stakeholders (vendors,
customers or partners), those who work the process and those
who pass inputs to or receive outputs from the process
• Face-to-face setting is more productive as they allow for
greater dialog and discussion about what is or was actually
happening
• Group interview performed by a facilitator can also be
effective in generating discussion about processes
143. June 25, 2018 143
Observing
• Direct observation of the process is an important method
of gathering information
− Directly observing the systems or observing the human
interactions with the process, observing the process will help
create an understanding of what the process is actually doing
• During an analytical observation of a process, further
questions and interviews need to be conducted to better
understand a certain point
• Interviews and fact finding should take place throughout
the analysis process
144. June 25, 2018 144
Researching
• Research any documentation or notes regarding the
existing process
− Written documentation created when the process was created,
transaction or audit logs, process diagrams, etc.
145. June 25, 2018 145
Analysing The Business Environment
• Before understanding a business process, must also understand how
the business and the business environment interact
− Includes understanding the market, the external factors affecting that market,
the customer's demographics and needs, business strategy, the suppliers and
how work transforms to meet the needs of the customers
• As the business environment changes over time, so must the
organisation's processes
• The business analysis helps understand those environmental
changes that took place since the process was first created and can
help explain the reasons for poor performance of a process
− Understanding these relationships is important to understand how processes
might need to change
• Business environment analysis methods
− Value Chain Analysis
− SWOT
146. June 25, 2018 146
Value Chain Analysis
• Generic value chain model that introduced a sequence of
five primary and several support activities that are fairly
common through most organisations
• Easy to see the relationship of the value chain to standard
process management principles:
− Inbound logistics (inputs)
− Operations (acting on inputs to create value)
− Output and distribution logistics (outputs)
− Sales, marketing, etc.
− Service and support
147. June 25, 2018 147
Value Chain Analysis
Operational Processes With Cross Functional Linkages
Management and Support Processes
Operations
Output and
Distribution
Logistics
Marketing and
Sales
Service and
Support
Human
Resource
Management
Information
Technology
Management
Financial
Management
Facilities
Management
Legal,
Regulatory,
Environment,
Health and
Safety
Management
External
Relationship
Management
Knowledge,
Improvement
and Change
Management
Inbound
Logistics
148. June 25, 2018 148
Value Chain Analysis
• A value chain analysis enables the process analyst to look
at the process from a macro view that includes suppliers,
vendors, customers, etc.
• Identify weaknesses in the process that might occur
upstream or downstream from the actual process itself
149. June 25, 2018 149
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats) Analysis
• SWOT analysis can assist the analyst in understanding the
customer or their target market and what tolerances for
process inefficiencies exist for the customer within their
market
• Most markets, however, do not have a high degree of
tolerance for process inefficiency and, therefore, should be
considered volatile and highly effected by the process of
the organisation
• SWOT analysis headings provide a good framework for
reviewing strategy, position and direction of a company or
business proposition or any idea
150. June 25, 2018 150
Analysing Information Systems
• Information systems analysis is possibly the easiest type of
analysis to perform as it requires fewer individuals and is
easier to base upon fact and not opinion
− Information Flow Analysis
− Discrete Event Simulation
151. June 25, 2018 151
Information Flow Analysis
• Information flow analysis/data flow analysis) seeks to understand
how data flows through a system and to understand how those
points interact with that data through the process
• Data or information followed can be from any number of sources
• Interactions with that data, be it system or human, are charted from
the beginning point to the end point
• Helps uncover bottlenecks, unneeded queues or batches and non-
value-added interactions to the data
• Assists in uncovering business rules that should or should not be
applied based on the data
− Include how long the data should be in a valid state before it is archived or
destroyed, who is able to see the data, how secure data should be or the
reporting processes that need to interact with the data
152. June 25, 2018 152
Discrete Event Simulation
• Used to record the time of an event or a change in the
state of an event
• Event can include the time a customer order was received
and when the order was actually shipped
• Data derived from this analysis can assist the analyst in
discovering bottlenecks and isolating event or activity
specific breakdowns
• Discrete event simulation can be used when simulating
new processes during the design stage of the process
improvement project
153. June 25, 2018 153
Analysing The Process
• Various analytical tools/approaches are often used to extract
information about a process such as how long the process takes, the
quantity of product through the process, the cost of the process, etc.
• Select and use the most appropriate tools/approaches
− Creating Models
− Cost Analysis
− Transaction Cost Analysis
− Cycle-Time Analysis
− Pattern Analysis
− Decision Analysis
− Distribution Analysis
− Root-Cause Analysis
− Sensitivity Analysis
− Risk Analysis
154. June 25, 2018 154
Analysing The Process
• Creating Models
− Process models are often used to show processes and the various interactions with the
process
• Cost Analysis
− Also known as activity based costing
− Analysis is a list of the cost per activity totaled to comprise the cost of the process
− Used to gain an understanding and appreciation of the true cost associated with a
product or service
− Understand the real cost spent on the process so it can be compared to the value in the
new process, the goal being decreased costs or if increased efficiency, than the value of
the increase in production compared against the cost
• Transaction Cost Analysis
− Analyse how much time and resources are used for each transaction processed by the
application
− Can quickly uncover bottlenecks in the application as well as bottlenecks in business
processes as they interact with the system
• As most processes are dependent on some sort of automated system, the interaction and cost
per transaction of the system is critical to understanding the system
155. June 25, 2018 155
Analysing The Process
• Cycle-Time Analysis
− Looks at the time each activity takes within the process
− Each activity is measured from the time the input begins the activity until the activity
creates the desired output including the time any subsequent activity begins
− Analyse the process in terms of the time the process takes to complete with the goal of
reducing that time
− Uncover bottlenecks and potential bottlenecks within the process that prevent the
process from performing correctly
− Assists in discovering non value added activities that do not contribute to the process
output
• Pattern Analysis
− Looks for patterns within the process that can be streamlined into a single sub-process
to obtain efficiencies
− Systems and activities within organisations tend to mimic themselves within the same
organisation
− By recognising these patterns in the organisation it is possible to find duplications
• Decision Analysis
− Examine the relationship between a decision and its outcome
− Discover why a process has taken shape over time and assist in creating a new
− process
156. June 25, 2018 156
Analysing The Process
• Distribution Analysis
− Comparison of attribute-based data
− Plotted on a chart to show the comparisons of the data points
− shape of the distribution curve helps to identify the biggest population of data
affected by a particular attribute in the data
− Assist in predicting the probability of an outcome
− Assist in understanding the degree of variation that exists within the data
• Root-Cause Analysis
− After the event analysis used to discover what truly caused a given outcome
− Finding the root cause for an outcome is not always as easy as it may seem as
there may be many contributing factors
− Process of finding the root cause includes data gathering, investigation and
cause and effect relationship diagramming to eliminate outcomes
157. June 25, 2018 157
Analysing The Process
• Sensitivity Analysis
− A “what if” analysis that tries to determine the outcome of changes to the
parameters or to the activities in a process
− Helps understand the quality of the process
• Responsiveness
− Measurement of how well the process will handle changes to the various
parameters of the process such as an increase or decrease of certain inputs,
increasing or decreasing the arrival time of certain inputs
− Know how quickly the process will flow
− How much work the process can handle
− Where the bottlenecks will occur given any set of parameters
• Variability
− Measurement of how the output of the process changes through the varying of
parameters in the process
− Often, one of the goals in performance improvement is to eliminate variability in
the outcome
− Knowing how variability in the parameters affects the outcome is an important
− step to understanding the process
158. June 25, 2018 158
Analysing The Process
• Risk Analysis
− Examines the effects of the process under external pressures such
as factors affecting the supply chain, thereby having an adverse
effect
− Aims to consider what would happen to the process should any of
these scenarios happen and ultimately what the outcome would
be
159. June 25, 2018 159
Analysing Human Interactions
• Many processes require some type of direct human involvement to
ensure progression of the process
• These processes that usually require the most analysis to attain an
understanding of the process
• Various techniques can be used to assist in creating that
understanding
− Direct Observation
− Apprentice Learning
− Participatory Video Analysis
− Activity Simulation
− Workplace Layout Analysis
− Resource Allocation Analysis
− Motivation and Reward Analysis
160. June 25, 2018 160
Analysing Human Interactions
• Direct Observation
− Much can be learned by just watching process performers in action
− They are the experts and generally have found efficient ways to do what they
have been asked to do within the constraints that have been imposed on them
− Primary advantage of direct observation is that the analyst can see the current
process firsthand
− As a worker may work seamlessly from “transactional based” to “knowledge
based” work it may be difficult to observe and document all of the actions and
knowledge required for the human interaction
− Observation can be a disadvantage causing a slightly altered behaviour by the
performer
• Does the performer know how what he does impacts the results of the overall
process and customer of that process?
• Does the performer know what happens in the overall process or is he simply
working in a black box
• What criteria does he use to know whether at the end of each performance cycle he
has done a good job? Could he change anything with that knowledge? Would he
want to?
161. June 25, 2018 161
Analysing Human Interactions
• Apprentice Learning
− The performer teaches the analyst the job which can yield
additional detail about the process
− By teaching, the performer has cause to think about aspects of
the process that might occur subconsciously
− By performing the process, the analyst has a greater appreciation
for the physical aspects of the activity and can better assess the
details of the operation
• Participatory Video Analysis
− Record with video the actions of the performer
− Note that there may be liability and personal intrusion issues with
− taping the actions of anyone
− Performer can be asked at a later time to narrate the recording,
providing additional information about the actions
162. June 25, 2018 162
Analysing Human Interactions
• Activity Simulation
− Simulation of the activities involved in a process
− Step through each activity, observing its inputs, outputs and the business rules
that govern its behaviour
− Group of process participants each take the role of a process participant and
talk through the process
− Handoffs from one performer to the next can be observed to ensure all needed
inputs are available for the next activity and from what source
• Workplace Layout Analysis
− Physical analysis of a work place, assembly line or manufacturing floor space
− Quickly uncover queuing or batch related bottlenecks, disconnections and
duplicated efforts as work items are transferred from one physical location to
another
− Useful for any process that involves a physical space where activities are
performed and handed off between individuals, groups, machines, etc.
163. June 25, 2018 163
Analysing Human Interactions
• Resource Allocation Analysis
− Study of the resources required to complete each task
− Takes into perspective the skills of the resources and abilities of tools or other
automated systems in meeting the needs that a process demands
− Aims to discover if it is not the process but the resources that are inefficient in working
through the process
− Seeks to determine why an activity takes a given amount of time
− Consider what the resource is capable of accomplishing and asks whether the skills and
training are sufficient to perform the activity adequately
− Examines whether the resource is constrained
− Can uncover bottlenecks that can be improved with little cost or change in
infrastructure given the organisation's ability to manage human resource issues
• Motivation and Reward Analysis
− Examination of the human motivational and reward systems in place for the process
− Understanding those motivations and rewards as a process is analysed will help uncover
unseen disconnects and bottlenecks in the process
− Motivation and reward analysis should also consider what rewards should be in place to
positively affect any new process or activity that is introduced
164. June 25, 2018 164
Document The Analysis
• Final step in an analysis is the generation of the reports and other documentation
• Should clearly present an understanding of the current state but does not and
should not need to do more than that
• Acts as a formal agreement among those that participated as to the accuracy of
the analysis
• Forms the basis to present the results of the analysis to management
• Contents
− Overview of the business environment wherein the process lives
− Purpose of the process (why it exists)
− Process model (what it does) including inputs to the process and outputs
− Gaps in performance of the process (why it needs to be re-engineered)
− Reasons and causes for the gaps in the process performance
− Redundancies in the process that could be eliminated and the expected savings as a
result
− Recommended solutions
165. June 25, 2018 165
Analysis Issues And Considerations
• Analysis critical success factors, possible practices and some of the
pitfalls that should be avoided during a process analysis
− Executive Leadership
− Organisational Process Maturity
− Avoid Designing Solutions
− Paralysis from Analysis
− Analyse with Metrics
− Proper Time and Resource Allocation
− Customer Interaction
− Benchmarking
− Understanding Organisation Culture
− Avoiding Blame
− Potential Threat
− Threat of Obsolescence
166. June 25, 2018 166
Analysis Issues And Considerations
• Executive Leadership
− Important factor to ensure success during any stage in a process improvement project is
the support and direct encouragement of the executive leadership team
− Otherwise getting proper funding and necessary resources for the duration of the
project will be difficult
− Ideally should be the primary driver behind the process improvement project
− Should be made aware of and provide full support to the process engineering or
improvement project
− May be necessary to convince the leadership team of the benefits of a process
improvement project through the completion of a few small projects that show the
gains in real money to the organisation through effective process reengineering
• Organisational Process Maturity
− Important to understand the business process maturity of the organisation
− Helps define the level of analysis preparation needed
− An organisation that is relatively new to the idea of process management will need,
first, to be briefed on the concepts of process management
− Need to understand the purpose of process management and the benefits it will
provide the organisation
167. June 25, 2018 167
Analysis Issues And Considerations
• Avoid Designing Solutions
− During the analysis process possible solutions to process problems will arise
− Members of the analysis team will want to explore these solutions and
sometimes begin work immediately on designing that solution
− Unwise to create a solution design before completing the analysis
− Do not discourage suggestions for solving process problems that are uncovered
during the analysis process but park them for later review
• Paralysis from Analysis
− Possible to do too much analysis
− May be a tendency to want to document each minor detail about each activity
that happens in a process
− Detail can quickly become tedious and those involved in the process
improvement team can lose interest
− If the analysis is prolonged, members assigned to the project may not have the
time necessary to remain dedicated to the project due to other commitments
− If it happens it is time for the team to step back and take another look at the
goals of the project and to simplify the analysis