Business Process Modelling

IAB203

Tutorial 9:
Process Discovery
CRICOS No. 00213J
 Agenda

• Weekly quiz
• Exercise 1:
Interviewing a Domain Expert
Modelling without input from
current process participants
• Exercise 2:
Discovery of a Credit
Application Process
• Exercise 3:
Discovery of a University
Admission Process
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 Arrange the process discovery tasks
• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Gather information Conduct the modelling

Define the setting Assure model quality

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 Provide one strength and one weakness for each
Process Discovery method
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 Classify some challenges of
Process Discovery?
Methods Overall
• a) Document analysis may require refinement

• b) Fragmented process knowledge

• c) Observation can contain participants’ bias

• d) Domain experts think on instance level

• e) Process modelling knowledge is not common

• f) Exceptional behaviour tends to be neglected in interviews

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 Exercise 1:

(a) How would you, a process analyst, prepare for an interview

with a domain expert?

Before the Interview

• Review and study all available written documentation. It is important
to get familiar with the terminology of the processes
• Setup an interview guide, which includes questions that aim to collect
details of matters that are not clear from the documentation.
• Consider additional information sources which may be of value (e.g.
other stakeholders, documents, websites, etc.)
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 Exercise 1:
(b) When might you derive a process model, without the direct
engagement of those executing the process? Who would you engage
with and what methods might you use then?
- When the process been modelled is a brand new one, perhaps one that
does not exist.

- Who would you engage with? Process owners/ project sponsors, and
Potential process stakeholders. While such ‘to-be’ processes may be
created, it is still good to get feedback from ‘potential’ process
stakeholders (if the current process stakeholders do not readily exist)
prior to finalising such processes.

- What techniques can be used here?

Brainstorming, Story boarding, Use Cases, Role playing, Prototyping
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
As a process analyst working for a university, you are engaged in a
project that aims at improving the university’s admission process. The
first step is to model the as-is process.
You have interviewed a few representatives for three key roles
participating in this process: student admission officer and member of
the academic committee.
Using the information gathered during stakeholder interviews, as well
as your experience testing the process, create a draft BPMN model of
the as-is student admission process. This draft will then be
validated with the people that have been interviewed, before sign-off by
the process owner.
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
Student admission officer:
My process starts when I receive an application from an applicant; I first
check the completeness of the documents. If the application is
incomplete, I send the request for clarification to the student. If I assess
the application as complete, I forward it to the academic committee. I
then receive a response from the academic committee which could be
either of the below:
• A notification of acceptance from the academic committee. In this
case, l prepare the acceptance letter and send it to the student. I then
receive a signed offer from the student.
• A notification of rejection. In this case, I send a rejection letter to the
student.
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
Member of the academic committee:
When I receive the documents from the admission officer, I assess their
quality. If I deem that the applicant is qualified, I send an acceptance
notification to the admission officer otherwise I send a rejection
notification and then archive the results in my database.
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
Applicant:
In order to apply for admission, the applicant needs to prepare an
admission application and send it to the university. They will then receive a
response from an admission officer, which can either be:
• an acceptance letter. In this case, the applicant needs to sign the offer
form in the letter and return it to the admission officer.
• a notification of rejection. In this case, the applicant does not do anything
further and the process is finished.
• a request for clarification from the admission officer. In this case, the
applicant provides the required documentation to the admission officer
via an updated application and then gets a response that is one of the
three types above (accepted, rejected or request for clarification).
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university
admission process
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 Exercise 2: Discovery at a university admission process -
final
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 Exercise 3: Discovery at a credit application
process

As a process analyst working for a financial institution, you are engaged

in a project that aims at improving the company’s credit application
process. The first step is to model the as-is process.
You have interviewed a few representatives for two key roles
participating in this process: customer service, corporate risk assessor
and risk management.
Using the information gathered during stakeholder interviews, as well
as your experience testing the process, create a draft BPMN model of
the as-is credit application process. This draft will then be validated
with the people that have been interviewed, before sign-off by the
process owner.
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 Exercise 3: Discovery at a credit application process
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 Final Notes

• Must register groups for assignment 2, whether or not you’re

working in the same groups as for assignment 1

• Tools => Groups => Assignment 2 Sign-up sheet

• Support session still running. Go as early as possible.

• Practice exam is available on Blackboard.

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 We’re Here to Help
Unit Coordinators Tutors
Dr. Ir. Sander Leemans Mr. Rob McMullen
r2.mcmullen@qut.edu.au
s.leemans@qut.edu.au

Dr. Wasana Bandara Ms. Mythreyi Velmurugan

m.velmurugan@qut.edu.au
w.bandara@qut.edu.au

Mr. Ryan Dunn Ms. Casey Ninnes

casey.ninnes@connect.qut.edu.au
ryan.dunn@qut.edu.au
Mr. Joshua Guy
joshua.guy@connect.qut.edu.au
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