From a BPM.com posting…
Modeling means that they would identify, define and make a representation of the complete process to support communication about the process.
I prefer to call it – documenting the process. In order to improve a process, you need to understand the ‘as is’ state.
Documenting the process isn’t just about identifying the steps. You need to identify what activities take place at each step. You need to know who is performing those activities. You need to be able to identify the ‘rules’ that identify that the activity is complete. You need to identify what information is needed to perform that activity and where it can be found. If the person creates information, where and how will it be saved?
The next step is to actually follow the documented process to confirm that you have it documented correctly. You may go through several iterations before you have it right. It could be beneficial to get some customer input.
The next step is to investigate how to improve that process. You could start by removing non-value adding activities. You might look for ways to improve how those activities are carried out. You can look for ways to automate some of the activities.
This dialog really suggests that it might be a good idea to have a process improvement process. Yours may differ than this, but it is all good.
Don’t forget that BPM is a discipline – it is something that you do. BPM is not something that you do once and forget it. It is an ongoing activity.
Start now to get ahead of your competition…
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