Business process management

• Managing business processes is a huge

challenge in most organizations. Many
business owners assume that it is a huge
expense or that it is only worth it for massive
processes.
• However, BPM is important no matter what
size your business is.
• Business process management is an
organizational discipline where a company
takes a step back and looks at all of the
processes in total and individually.
• It analyzes the current state and identifies
areas of improvement to create a more
efficient and effective organization.
• Business process management (BPM) is how a
company creates, edits, and analyzes the
predictable processes that make up the core of
its business.
• Each department in a company is responsible
for taking some raw material or data and
transforming it into something else. There may
be a dozen or more core processes that each
department handles.
• Business process management is neither task
management (which focuses on individual
tasks) nor project management (which handles
one-time or unpredictable flows).
• Task management is about handling or
organizing a set of activities that arise out of a
project. These projects are often one-time and
non-repeatable.
• When these projects are well-organized like in
construction work, a project management
software like ‘Microsoft Project’ is used.
Trello, Asana, or Kissflow Project are good
tools for managing tasks in ad-hoc projects.
• Business process management is focused more
on repetitive and ongoing processes that
follow a predictable pattern, or process
management.
• When left unorganized and unsystematized,
poor business processes can lead to mayhem.
• At the individual level, people only see one
part of a process, and very few can scan out
and see the full effects of a process, where it
starts and ends, the key data needed, and
where potential bottlenecks and inefficiencies
lie.
Unmanaged, chaotic processes hurt business
and lead to one or more of these scenarios:
• Time wasted
• More errors
• Increased blame
• Lack of data
• Demoralized employees
 STEPS IN BPM

Analyze existing processes

Identify processes for change
Design the new process
Implement the new process
Continuous measurement
Benefits of business process management

• Gain control of chaotic and unwieldy processes

• Create, map, analyze, and improve business
processes
• Run everyday operations more efficiently
• Realize bigger organizational goals
• Move toward digital transformation
• Improve and optimize tangled operations
• Closely track individual items as they move
through a workflow
Tools for Business Process Management

1. Process Maker
• Process Maker is a popular BPM and workflow
management solution in one.
• Process Maker lets you design, automate, and deploy
business processes and workflows.
• The unique thing about Process Maker is that it offers
1) an open-source option,
2) an on-premise option, and
3) a cloud option. Very few other products have all three.
• Process Maker is used by corporations,
governments, and education organizations.
• Process design is done with BPMN 2.0
notations, which is familiar to most process
consultants.
• The makers of Process Maker offer user
support through videos, emails, webinars, and
instant chat
2. Kissflow
• Kissflow is a best-in-class BPM software that
enables organizations to reinvent existing
business processes for digital optimization.
• Its no-code development nature allows
business users to automate process flows,
enforce business rules, and make ad-hoc
process changes without any coding.
• Best of all, Kissflow is not just restricted to
structured and repeatable business processes, it
also supports all types of work (process, case,
projects, and more).
• Its intuitive process stream allows stakeholders
to collaborate with each other efficiently and
securely.
• Some of the best features of Kissflow include:
user-friendly dashboards, custom report
templates, and advanced workflow and form
design.
• It also integrates with other software solutions
and standard productivity apps seamlessly.
• Kissflow offers three different pricing plans
for various business sizes. Each pricing plan
supports a different range of features and user
base. All plans include instant chat support,
detailed documentation, and informative
webinars.
• With Kissflow Process, business process
management has never been easier.
3. Zoho Creator
• Zoho Creator is a low-code development platform
with provision for app creation for mobile, tablet
and web platforms.
• Zoho Creator is a popular choice. It has a script
builder that you can use to drag and drop snippets of
code.
• Zoho is known for its cloud-based suite of products,
and Creator is a very simple low-code BPM tool.
• Pricing varies from $10 to $15 per user per
month. Customer support is through emails,
phone calls, and training.
• Creator support has a ticket escalation feature
as well.
4. Nintex
• Nintex is an automation tool designed to
enable easy digital transformation for
enterprise organizations.
• Nintex is designed to work in tandem with
tools like Office 365, SharePoint, and Project
Server.
• Nintex has historically been an on-premise
tool but has recently introduced some cloud
options as well.
• Support is primarily offered through their
online forums. Pricing is offered by quotation,
which is usually a sign for a big sticker-shock.
5. Bizagi
• Bizagi offers its enterprise-grade automation
solution through not one, but three separate
products: Bizagi Modeler, Bizagi Studio, and Bizagi
Engine.
• These products have mainly been an on-premise
option, but Bizagi has recently introduced a cloud
option as well. The modeler is based on Bizagi’s
own version of BPMN which requires some prior
knowledge and training.
• Pricing for the on-premise version is typical of
most legacy options. You pay for the license
(somewhere around $25/user/month),
maintenance fees if you want upgrades, and
extra for support.
• Cloud prices are dependent on the number of
apps you want to create and how often you use
them.
SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
LIFE CYCLE
 The system-development life cycle enables users to
transform a newly-developed project into an
operational one.
 The System Development Life Cycle, "SDLC" for
short, is a multistep, iterative process, structured in a
methodical way.
 This process is used to model or provide a framework
for technical and non-technical activities to deliver a
quality system which meets or exceeds a business's
expectations or manage decision-making progression.
 Traditionally, the systems-development life
cycle consisted of five stages.
 That has now increased to seven phases.
Increasing the number of steps helped systems
analysts to define clearer actions to achieve
specific goals.
 Similar to a project life cycle (PLC), the
SDLC uses a systems approach to describe a
process. It is often used and followed when
there is an IT or IS project under development.
 The SDLC highlights different stages (phrases
or steps) of the development process.
 The life cycle approach is used so users can
see and understand what activities are
involved within a given step
 It is also used to let them know that at any
time, steps can be repeated or a previous step
can be reworked when needing to modify or
improve the system.
 SDLC Is a series of steps or phases that outline
how software is planned, built and maintained
 phases of the SDLC
1. Planning
 This is the first phase in the systems
development process. It identifies whether or
not there is the need for a new system to
achieve a business"s strategic objectives. This
is a preliminary plan (or a feasibility study) for
a company"s business initiative to acquire the
resources to build on an infrastructure to
modify or improve a service.
 The purpose of this step is to find out the
scope of the problem and determine solutions.
Resources, costs, time, benefits and other
items should be considered at this stage.
2. Systems Analysis and Requirements
 The second phase is where businesses will
work on the source of their problem or the
need for a change.
 In the event of a problem, possible solutions
are submitted and analyzed to identify the best
fit for the ultimate goal(s) of the project. This
is where teams consider the functional
requirements of the project or solution.
 It is also where system analysis takes place—or
analyzing the needs of the end users to ensure the
new system can meet their expectations.
 Systems analysis is vital in determining what a
business’s needs are, as well as how they can be
met, who will be responsible for individual pieces
of the project, and what sort of timeline should be
expected.
 There are several tools businesses can use that are
specific to the second phase. They include:
 CASE (Computer Aided Systems/Software
Engineering)
 Requirements gathering
3. Systems Design
 The design phase decides how the system will
operate in terms of the hardware,
software, and network infrastructure that will
be in place; the user interface, forms,
and reports that will be used; and the specific
programs, databases, and files that
will be needed.
 The design phase has
four steps

1. The design strategy must be determined. This

clarifies whether the system will
be developed by the company’s own
programmers, whether its development will
be outsourced to another firm (usually a
consulting firm), or whether the company will
buy an existing software package.
2. This leads to the development of the basic architecture
design for the system that
describes the hardware, software, and network
infrastructure that will be used.
3. The database and file specifications are developed.
These define exactly what
data will be stored and where they will be stored.
4. The analyst team develops the program design, which
defines the programs that
need to be written and exactly what each program will do.
 4. implementation
• The final phase in the SDLC is the
implementation phase, during which the system
is actually built (or purchased, in the case of a
packaged software design and installed).
• This is the phase that usually gets the most
attention, because for most
systems it is the longest and most expensive
single part of the development process.
 This phase has three steps:

1. System construction is the first step. The system

is built and tested to ensure
that it performs as designed. Since the cost of fixing
bugs can be immense, testing is one of the most
critical steps in implementation. Most organizations
spend more time and attention on testing than on
writing the programs in the
first place.
2.The system is installed. Installation is the
process by which the old system is turned off and
the new one is turned on. There are several
approaches that may be used to convert from the
old to the new system. One of the most important
aspects of conversion is the training plan, used to
teach users how to use the new system and help
manage the changes caused by the new system.
3. The analyst team establishes a support plan
for the system. This plan usually includes a
formal or informal post-implementation review,
as well as a systematic way for identifying major
and minor changes needed for the system.
Methodologies for modelling and designing
systems
• Structured methodologies
• Object-oriented methodologies
Structured Analysis
 Structured Analysis is a development method
that allows the analyst to understand the
system and its activities in a logical way.
 It is a systematic approach, which uses
graphical tools that analyze and refine the
objectives of an existing system and develop a
new system specification which can be easily
understandable by user.
It has following attributes −
• It is graphic which specifies the presentation of
application.
• It divides the processes so that it gives a clear
picture of system flow.
• It is logical rather than physical i.e., the elements
of system do not depend on vendor or hardware.
• It is an approach that works from high-level
overviews to lower-level details.
 DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
• It is a technique developed by Larry
Constantine to express the requirements of
system in a graphical form.
• It shows the flow of data between various
functions of system and specifies how the
current system is implemented.
• It is an initial stage of design phase that
functionally divides the requirement
specifications down to the lowest level of detail.
• Its graphical nature makes it a good
communication tool between user and analyst
or analyst and system designer.
• It gives an overview of what data a system
processes, what transformations are
performed, what data are stored, what results
are produced and where they flow.
 Basic elements of DFD
• DFD is easy to understand and quite effective
when the required design is not clear and the
user wants a notational language for
communication.
• However, it requires a large number of
iterations for obtaining the most accurate and
complete solution.
• The elements are, entity, process , data store,
data flow
 Context diagram
• A context diagram helps in understanding the
entire system by one DFD which gives the
overview of a system.
• It starts with mentioning major processes with
little details and then goes onto giving more
details of the processes with the top-down
approach.
 Level 0 diagram
• The context diagram is broken down into more
specific, Level 0 DFD.
• Level 0 DFD depicts basic modules in the system
and flow of data among various modules.
• Level 0 DFD also mentions basic processes and
sources of information.
• It provides a more detailed view of the Context Level
Diagram.
• The main functions carried out by the system are
highlighted
 Data dictionary
• A data dictionary is a structured repository of
data elements in the system.
• It stores the descriptions of all DFD data
elements that is, details and definitions of data
flows, data stores, data stored in data stores,
and the processes.
• A data dictionary is a collection of the names,
definitions, and attributes for data elements and
models.
• The data in a data dictionary is the metadata about
the database.
• These elements are then used as part of a database,
research project, or information system.
• These are some of the most common elements
used in a data dictionary, though there’s variation:
• Attribute name
• Attribute type
• Entity-relationship
• Reference data
• Rules for validation, schema, or data quality
• Detailed properties of data elements
• Physical information about where data is
stored
• There are two types of data dictionaries: active and
passive.
• An active data dictionary is tied to a specific
database which makes data transference a
challenge, but it updates automatically with the data
management system.
• A passive data dictionary isn’t tied to a particular
database or server, but it also must be manually
maintained to prevent metadata from being out of
sync.
 Why data dictionaries are important
• The main reason companies use data
dictionaries is to document and share data
structures and other information for all
involved with a project or database.
• Using a shared dictionary ensures the same
quality, meaning, and relevance for all data
elements for all team members
• The data dictionary will define conventions for
the project and consistency throughout the
dataset. Without a data dictionary, there’s a
higher risk of losing crucial information in
translation and transition. Using a data
dictionary also helps teams analyze the data
easier later on.
 How to create data dictionary
• Many businesses rely on database
management systems (DBMS), and these
systems most often have built-in active data
dictionaries.
• Documentation can be generated with SQL,
Server, Oracle, or mySQL.
• To create a passive data dictionary, analysts
will need to build one separately from a
DBMS since passive dictionaries aren’t
managed by a management system.
• SQL, Server, and Oracle can be used to build a
dictionary, and there’s even a template in
Excel. The easiest way to integrate a
dictionary is to use it as part of a DBMS.
 Challenges with data dictionary
• A data dictionary benefits analysts by making
a database consistent and simplifying the data
analysis process.
• But a data dictionary on its own only carries
consistency and standardization so far.
• Without data preparation, data dictionaries can
be time consuming to create or only
standardize part of a database or project.
• So while the data elements are consistent with
a dictionary, that’s only one part of preparing
data for the actual analysis process.
• And data preparation on a large scale—
including as part of a data dictionary—can be
time consuming, leaving many businesses in a
data lurch.
 Pseudo code
• A pseudo code does not conform to any
programming language and expresses logic in
plain English.
1. It may specify the physical programming logic
without actual coding during and after the
physical design.
2. It is used in conjunction with structured
programming.
3. It replaces the flowcharts of a program.
 Advantages of structured analysis
• As it follows a top-down approach in contrast
to bottom-up approach of object-oriented
analysis, it can be more easily comprehended
than OOA
• It is based upon functionality. The overall
purpose is identified and then functional
decomposition is done for developing the
software.
• The specifications in it are written in simple
English language, and hence can be more
easily analyzed by non-technical personnel.
 Disadvantages of structured analysis
• In traditional structured analysis models, one
phase should be completed before the next
phase. This poses a problem in design,
particularly if errors crop up or requirements
change.
• The initial cost of constructing the system is
high, since the whole system needs to be
designed at once leaving very little option to
add functionality later.
• It does not support reusability of code. So, the
time and cost of development is inherently
high.