Alexis Kestler
Business process modeling (BPM) provides a bird‘s eye view of your organization‘s workflows using standardized diagrams and visual notation. With business process models, you can discover bottlenecks, enhance collaboration, enable automation and much more. This comprehensive guide will explain what BPM is, the techniques involved, top tools and templates, as well as the many benefits.
What is Business Process Modeling?
Business process modeling refers to graphically representing the workflows and processes within your organization. It provides a visual overview of the sequence of activities, decisions, participants and data flows needed to accomplish a business goal.
The objective is to create an unambiguous model of the as-is process flow using standard notation. This helps document, analyze and improve complex workflows. It also aids with training employees, planning changes and enabling automation.
According to a Forrester study, over 50% of firms are realizing benefits from business process modeling such as enhanced understanding of processes, better quality and productivity, reduced costs and risks, and improved customer experience.
Key Components of a Business Process Model
A standard business process model consists of the following key components:
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Process Flow: The sequence of activities shown from start to finish.
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Activities: The specific steps that need to be executed.
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Process Events: Actions that trigger or interrupt the process flow.
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Gateways: Decision points where different pathways can be taken.
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Swimlanes: Visual partitions to represent different process participants.
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Data Objects: Inputs and outputs like documents, records, etc.
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Connectors: Arrows showing the sequence and relationships between elements.
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Start and End Points: Beginning and termination of the workflow.
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Business Rules: Policies and logic guiding the process execution.
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Performance Metrics: KPIs to measure process effectiveness.
How to Create a Business Process Model
The key steps involved in creating a business process model are:
1. Gather Event Log Data
Apps and systems record event logs – a history of all actions taken. Analyzing these logs allows you to discover the actual process flow.
2. Mine the Event Log Data
Special algorithms help make sense of event logs by identifying patterns in the sequence of steps.
3. Map the Process Flow
Standard modeling techniques are used to visually map the flow of activities, decisions, events, data, systems and people involved.
Top Business Process Modeling Techniques
There are many standard notations and techniques for visually mapping your workflows. The most popular options include:
BPMN
The Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a graphical standard maintained by the Object Management Group. It uses flow objects, connecting objects, swimlanes, and artifacts to model processes.
Value Stream Mapping
This lean management technique helps visualize the steps from sourcing inputs to delivering outputs to optimize the workflow.
SIPOC
The Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers (SIPOC) method shows how these elements are connected in a process.
UML Activity Diagrams
Unified Modeling Language has various diagrams to represent business logic and workflows, especially in software development.
Gantt Charts
This visual shows tasks, timelines, dependencies and milestones which is useful for project management processes.
Data Flow Diagrams
These diagrams illustrate how data moves through systems and can highlight relationships between processes.
IDEF
The IDEF family of standards, especially IDEF0, provide functional modeling methods used across various industries.
Handy Business Process Modeling Templates
Several ready-made templates make it easy for non-technical users to create professional-looking process models quickly:
Process Map Template (Lucidchart)
Lucidchart offers an editable process map template to visualize workflows.
iPhone Ordering Process BPMN (Creately)
This advanced iPhone ordering process template comes pre-built with BPMN elements.
BPMN Template (Miro)
Miro has a simple BPMN template to map any workflow that can be edited by multiple collaborators.
Top Business Process Modeling Tools
Dedicated software provides built-in templates, shapes, connectors and symbols to easily create process models:
IBM Blueworks Live
This collaborative cloud-based tool makes it easy to discover, document, analyze, and improve processes.
Cflow
The intuitive drag and drop interface of Cflow allows anyone to map processes and enable workflow automation without coding.
The Benefits of Business Process Modeling
Here are some of the key reasons you should incorporate business process modeling:
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Provides a clear visual overview of complex workflows.
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Enhances understanding of processes enterprise-wide.
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Helps identify and eliminate inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
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Streamlines processes by removing redundant steps.
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Standardizes processes for consistent outputs.
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Aids with planning organizational changes and transitions.
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Enables identifying processes that can be automated.
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Facilitates training of new employees.
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Improves collaboration across departments and teams.
Final Words
In summary, business process modeling is critical for documenting your as-is workflows using standard visual notation. It helps improve organizational processes to enhance productivity, reduce costs, decrease errors and boost customer satisfaction.
Leveraging the right techniques, templates and tools allows you to easily create models that provide process transparency and valuable insights. The benefits range from identifying automation opportunities to improving quality control to minimizing risks.
This guide summarizes everything you need to know to get started with business process modeling and start realizing the many benefits it has to offer.
