Business Process Modeling and Analysis
Minimize Missing Business Requirements by Creating, Analyzing, and Presenting Data Flow, Activity, and Swim-lane Diagrams that Reveal Hidden Functional Requirements
Classroom Live ONSITE – Duration: 2 days (14 PDU/CDU)
Classroom Live ONLINE – Duration: 2-5 days (14 PDU/CDU)
Public Schedule
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Course Overview
A Business Process Model Is a Requirements Gathering Tool
Business processes are what organizations do. Whether documented or not, whether designed or not, whether understood or not, nothing gets done until someone (or "the system") does it. That is what business processes are all about. They are a combination of business operating procedures, business rules, business data, and supporting technology. Yet, many business processes are undocumented, misunderstood, not optimized, not followed, error-prone, and inefficient.
Business process analysis is a critical skill for the one wearing the business analyst hat. It analyzes business process models to identify opportunities for improvement without putting your project or your organization at risk.
This business analyst workshop teaches how to create business process models (context, dataflow, activity, and swimlane diagrams). It includes how to use those business process models to analyze and understand your organization’’s business processes. Finally, the class explains how process analysis reveals hidden business requirements, stakeholder requirements, solution requirements, and transition requirements for changes to the underlying information technology.
We Tailor the Content to Fit Your Needs
At no cost to you, we can assemble an optimal set of training topics based on your group’s current and desired business analysis skill levels. We can also use our Business Analysis Skills Evaluation (BASE) tool to establish these levels.
or call 702-625-0146
Target Audience
- Product Owners
- Business Analysts
- Requirements Engineers
- Business- and Customer-side Team Members
- Agile Team Members
- Subject Matter Experts (SME)
- Project Leaders and Managers
- Systems Analysts and Designers
- AND “anyone wearing the business analysis hat”, meaning anyone responsible for defining a future IT solution
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this skill-building experience, you can:
- Document existing business processes and workflows in data flow diagrams, activity diagrams, and/or swimlane diagrams
- Contrast process modeling conventions to select the best approach for your situation
- Create context and second level process models of current and proposed business processes
- Confirm that your requirements are in scope for your project
- Analyze Business Process Diagrams to understand and resolve business problems
- Analyze process models to discover missing requirements
- Extract and analyze business rules embedded in processes
- Use the process model to identify, present, and resolve workflow issues and uncover timing anomalies
- Plan to incorporate selected techniques to improve your performance on the job
Detailed Course Outline
1 Introduction to Process Modeling
Overviews
- Why Model Processes?
- Current Conventions
- Benefits of High-Quality Process Models
2 Modeling Business Processes with Data Flow Diagrams
Fundamentals of Process Modeling
- Basic Process Modeling Symbols
- Creating a Context Diagram
- Context Diagram Example
- Business Process Model Scope
- Scoped Business Process Model
- Context Diagram
- Creating a Context Diagram (Review)
Exploding a Process Reveals Details
- Leveled Process Models
- Completely Leveled Data Flow Diagram
- Example: Exploding a Process
- Process Specifications
- Case Study
3 Activity and Swimlane Diagrams
Selecting the Right Approach
- Activity Diagramming Conventions
- Example of an Activity Diagram
- Exercise: Creating an Activity Diagram
- Introducing Swimlanes
- Example of a Swimlane Diagram
- Exercise: Modeling Swimlanes
Exposing Concurrency and More
- Depicting Data on an Activity Diagram
- Introducing Object Flow
- Exercise: Modeling Object Flow
- When To Use Swimlane Diagrams
- Swimlane Diagram Version 1
- Swimlane Diagram Version 2
- Exercise: What’s Wrong with this Diagram?
4 Using Business Process Models
Basic Analysis using a Process Model
- Problem Definition
- Process Problem Analysis
- The 80/20 Rule is Magnified for Software
- Timing Analysis
- Showing Timing on a Process Model
- Information Usage Analysis
- Order Form for Invoicing System
- Analyzing Existing Outputs
5 Improving Business Processes
Basic Process Improvement
- Improvement Opportunities
- Exercise: Suggesting Improvements
- Determining Functional Control Location
- Locating Functional Controls
- Exercise: Defining Functional Controls
- Short Term Improvements (“Quick Fixes“)
- Exercise: Finding Short Term Improvements
- Short Term Improvements (cont’d)
- Exercise: Long Term Suggestions
6 From Showtime to Go Time!
Personal Improvement Plan
- Understanding the Learning Curve
- Developing Your Personal Implementation Plan