Comments on: Business Process Modeling - Need and Approach http://www.ebizvitals.com/blog/2007/04/30/business-process-modeling-need-and-approach/ Practical BPM thinking and application Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:20:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Ankur Srivastava http://www.ebizvitals.com/blog/2007/04/30/business-process-modeling-need-and-approach/#comment-4 Ankur Srivastava Tue, 01 May 2007 11:07:16 +0000 http://www.ebizvitals.com/blog/2007/04/30/business-process-modeling-need-and-approach/#comment-4 Pretty interesting observation about "standards" being a pre-requisite for process modelling. I have experienced first hand a full blown collision of Modelling standards not only across projects in different business units in an organisation but within the same programme of a business unit! The issue is that not too many business analysts and process engineers feel comfortable modelling in a manner they are not used to. Organisations should ideally rely on Business Architects to adopt a de facto standard. Unlike technology platform being standardised in organisations, modelling techniques have still along way to go before they achieve the same level of maturity from a standards perspective. Any tips to facilitate the formalizing modelling standards? Pretty interesting observation about “standards” being a pre-requisite for process modelling. I have experienced first hand a full blown collision of Modelling standards not only across projects in different business units in an organisation but within the same programme of a business unit! The issue is that not too many business analysts and process engineers feel comfortable modelling in a manner they are not used to. Organisations should ideally rely on Business Architects to adopt a de facto standard. Unlike technology platform being standardised in organisations, modelling techniques have still along way to go before they achieve the same level of maturity from a standards perspective. Any tips to facilitate the formalizing modelling standards?

]]> By: Mark McGregor http://www.ebizvitals.com/blog/2007/04/30/business-process-modeling-need-and-approach/#comment-33 Mark McGregor Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:18:25 +0000 http://www.ebizvitals.com/blog/2007/04/30/business-process-modeling-need-and-approach/#comment-33 Lots of good things in this piece, however I disagree with the position on the need for process standards. Experience shows that the people who care about standards fall into two categories. Firstly vendors, because it saves them development costs and makes it easier for them to market to other peoples user bases. Secondly, it is IT people who of course are less interested in the business model and instead are looking to turn models into programs. In my experience it is very rare for the overhead of process notations to actually add real value to the business. While business process mapping or modeling is an important part of an improvement exercise it must always be remembered that the purpose is to help solve a genuine business problem. In which case the "just enough" approach is paramount and this usually does not require in depth business process models. My suggestion is that we do not confuse the needs of a business with teh needs of IT people who are building systems (these latter people will benefit from a standard) Lots of good things in this piece, however I disagree with the position on the need for process standards. Experience shows that the people who care about standards fall into two categories. Firstly vendors, because it saves them development costs and makes it easier for them to market to other peoples user bases. Secondly, it is IT people who of course are less interested in the business model and instead are looking to turn models into programs. In my experience it is very rare for the overhead of process notations to actually add real value to the business.

While business process mapping or modeling is an important part of an improvement exercise it must always be remembered that the purpose is to help solve a genuine business problem. In which case the “just enough” approach is paramount and this usually does not require in depth business process models.

My suggestion is that we do not confuse the needs of a business with teh needs of IT people who are building systems (these latter people will benefit from a standard)

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