Business Process Modeling Technology. What tasks does business process modeling help to solve?

Conducting research in the field of business modeling has shown that there are already hundreds of methods, methodologies, processes, standards that regulate certain details of the selection and integration of workflows in the development of automated information systems. Until recently, work related to business analysis and business modeling was not popular with IS designers. Their role is not so obvious and is not accepted by all methodologies. The question arises of collecting information about the enterprise for which AIS is being developed (chosen) in the form of business models, or is it worth skipping this stage and immediately form the requirements for the system and start developing it?

Customer and Developer always speak different languages. General understanding is developed with difficulty, this process takes time, but its importance cannot be overestimated: after all, the successful implementation of the project in the field and the introduction of AIS largely depends on whether it will be possible to develop and document their general idea of ​​the subject of development. If the Developer goes even further and delves into the peculiarities of doing business at the Customer’s enterprise, he, firstly, will be able to achieve a better understanding of the requirements for AIS and, secondly, participate along with the Customer in the formulation of requirements, analysis of missed requirements, etc.

The task of business process analysis (business modeling), so popular in recent decades due to the stable market conditions, should be considered as part of a more general task, problem area analysis Problem area analysis - APO. Works devoted to the analysis of the problem area appeared in the domestic literature in the middle of the last century; this topic is inextricably linked with the task approach and expert systems engineering. The first steps in the field of modeling were carried out in the construction of intelligent systems. For such a “more mundane” task as the task of building an AIS, these methods began to be applied later. Knowledge extraction strategies largely intersect with the work of an analyst, methods for solving a problem by reducing to subtasks and searching in the state space are reflected in a variety of methods of business analysis, analysis and synthesis of software systems, and this list goes on. The thesis examines the question of how effective the application of certain models and methods in the description of organizational systems.

To solve this issue, it is necessary to determine the goals and objectives of the business analysis itself, as a stage in the construction of CIS.

From the standpoint of modeling, requirements analysis (RA) and problem domain analysis (DPA) are fundamentally different processes.

APO pursues the classical goals of creating a model: there is an object (automated enterprise or organizational system Organizational system - OS, OS) and the task of the analyst is to reflect this object in the created model with the required degree of accuracy, the development process diagram is shown in Figure 3.

Requirements analysis, on the contrary, is aimed at modeling an imaginary, not yet existing object (AIS). Those. first, a model is created, and then, based on it, an object is synthesized. Consider now the generalized "formula" for the creation of AIS.

OS->M(OS)->M(AIS)->M" (AIS)->M"" (AIS)->M""" (AIS)->AIS

After analyzing the organizational system, you can create a model M (OS). This is a business analysis (problem area) model.

Analysis of the problem area allows you to isolate:

• - on the one hand, the tasks and functions implemented within the OS and the functions of communication between the OS and the environment,
• - on the other hand, the structure of the subject area (at the beginning - at the level of the conceptual model),
• - third - the requirements for information and its processing.

Having singled out among the functions those that are subject to automation, we get the basis for identifying the functional requirements for the system. The rest of the information collected at the AFS stage serves to search for non-functional requirements. As a result, we obtain the AT model as the first approximation of the AIS model, M(AIS).

In-depth analysis and design, form, respectively, the analytical model M "(AIS), the design model M" "(AIS) and the implementation model M" "" (AIS).

The implementation level model allows you to combine the AIS itself, as a set of program, information, and organizational factors.

AIS, in turn, is a model of the organizational system M "(OS), closing the modeling cycle. In order to clarify the relationship between these processes, it should be noted that the created AIS is also a model in relation to the OS. Thus, creating an AT document , we thereby generate, as it were, a "second-order model", since the AT document is nothing more than a model of the OS model. Without having an APO model, we, of course, can create an AT model. But at the same time, we risk that when synthesizing the original model (i.e., AIS), without knowing about the OS, we can get into a mismatch situation: the resulting AIS will not be integral (consistent with) the OS and, thus, will not become viable.

The AIS development process can be displayed in the form of diagrams in the BPwin program. Figure 4 shows the stages of AIS development. Top-level diagrams - Creating a program (Fig. 4) consists of two second-level diagrams Development and Testing.

Development consists of Building the program framework and Creating the program body.

The third level Building the framework of the program

Fourth level Creation of the body of the program.

Fifth level Testing

Having considered business modeling, let's move on to business processes. The study of the methodology of business processes leads to the possibility of dividing them into three categories:

• - models that aim to analyze and improve the organizational system (for example, SWOT, VCM, BPR, CPI/TQM/ISO9000, BSC),
• - general purpose models such as SADT, DFD, IDEF1, IDEF3, IDEF5 and others,
• - models specially designed for use in automation (eg ISA, BSP, ARIS, RUP).

The most developed model for describing the problem area is proposed in the ARIS methodology. The ARIS architecture distinguishes the following subsystems in the organization:

• - Organizational. Determines the structure of the organization - the hierarchy of units, positions and specific individuals, the variety of connections between them, as well as the territorial binding of structural units.
• - Functional. Defines the functions performed in the organization.
• - Subsystems of inputs / outputs. Determine the flows of products and services used and produced.
• - Informational (data subsystem). Describes the acquisition, dissemination and access to information (data).
• - Subsystem of management processes. Defines a logical sequence for the execution of functions through events and messages. We can say that the control subsystem is a set of messages of various kinds spaced apart in time.
• - Subsystem of the goals of the organization. Describes the hierarchy of goals achieved during the execution of a process.
• - Subsystem of means of production. Describes the life cycle of the main and aids production.
• - Subsystem of human resources. Describes the hiring, training, and promotion of the organization's personnel.
• - Subsystem of arrangement of organizational structures. Describes the territorial location of organizational units.

This division is to some extent conditional; the selected "subsystems" are not subsystems in the sense of system analysis, because interpenetrate and intersect. Rather, they represent a set of subjects of study, different views on the object under study. The principle of business process improvement is based on four approaches: Fast Decision Analysis (FAST) technique; process benchmarking; process redesign; process reengineering.

Currently, there are a number of methods and tools that are used in the implementation of transformations. A method for constructing hierarchical models aimed at describing and analyzing business processes as elements of economic systems. At the same time, it is extremely important to clearly formulate the problem statement and the goals of modeling; this determines the choice of adequate methods and tools.

To solve the problems of functional modeling, that is, the description of existing processes or processes that we strive to obtain ideally, the methodology of structural analysis and design, the SADT Structured Analysis and Design Technigue technology, is widely used.

The main idea of ​​the SADT methodology is the construction of a tree-like functional model of an enterprise. First, the functionality of the enterprise is described in general, without details. Such a description is called a context diagram. Interaction with the outside world is described in terms of input (data or objects consumed or modified by the function), output (the main output of the function, the final product), control (the policies and procedures that guide the function), and mechanisms (resources required). When creating a context diagram, the purpose of modeling, the scope (description of what will be considered as a component of the system, and what as an external influence) and point of view (the position from which the model will be built) are formulated. Usually, the point of view of the person or object responsible for the operation of the simulated system as a whole is chosen as the point of view.

Further, the general function is divided into large subfunctions. This process is called functional decomposition. Then each subfunction is decomposed into smaller ones - and so on until the required description is detailed. On fig. 2 shows a tree of functions, called the node tree of the functional model.

Each node in the diagram corresponds to a separate fragment of the diagram description. The model is a set of hierarchically arranged diagrams, each of which is a description of some function or work (activity).

The activities in the diagrams are shown as rectangles (functional blocks). Each job depicts a function or job and is referred to by a verb or a verb phrase denoting an action, such as "Making a product", "Customer service", etc. Arrows are marked with a noun and denote objects or information that links the works to each other and to outside world. Unlike models that represent the structure of an organization, work on a top-level diagram in a functional model is not a control of the work below. The lower level work is the same as the upper level work, but in more detail.

When developing a new information technology, it is advisable to focus on the processes implemented at a particular workplace.

A business process is a flow of information passing from one workplace to another. A task can contain several business processes.

External entity (Fig. 10a) - an object (for example, a supplier, client, etc.) with which this employee interacts;

Drive (Fig. 10b) - any data storage;

Stage of the business process (Fig. 10c) - a set of actions of an employee when performing a specific procedure (for example, issuing a document, generating a report, etc.) At the top of the block, the position of the employee is indicated, at the bottom is the content of specific actions that implement the procedure;

Data flow (Fig. 10d) - characterizes the connection (it is recommended to indicate the name of a specific document above the arrow).

Data analysis is as follows:

a. For each task, a list of data necessary for its solution is compiled, their classification is possible. Distinguish data: input (initial), normative and reference, effective (output, calculated);

b. The data structure is defined: title (name), type, properties;

c. Formation of information objects (IO);

d. Establishing links between information objects.

Each information object forms a set of logically related attributes. Table 1 shows an example of IO:

Table 1. IO "Journal of accounting of client organizations"

The composition of the details determines the structure of the IO. Each IO has a unique name.

An instance is a collection specific values details. IO has many instances. Each IO instance must be uniquely identified by a key, which consists of one or more attributes.

An information-logical model is a data model that reflects a subject area in the form of a set of information objects and structural links between them.

Figure 12 shows an example of an ILM

A folder is formed - a set of documents, a decomposition of the entire system is built. The folder is sent to an expert in the subject area (i.e., a person who is well versed in the modeled fragment of the enterprise's activity) for examination. At the level of the context diagram, this may be the manager of the enterprise, at the level of the first decomposition - the head of the department, etc., up to the ordinary performer. Before decomposing further, at the current level, it is necessary to add all the comments of the experts to the diagram. Thus, each of the experts complements the model in that part of it in which he is most competent. The result is a model that is fully adequate to the system, which allows you to visualize the existing shortcomings, redirect and improve business processes, analyze the cost of production, and also serve as the basis for creating an information system.

The analysis of business modeling programs allows us to conclude that for conducting business modeling processes, BPwin is a unique program that allows you to create process models and supports in one model, in addition to IDEF0, two more modeling standards (notations) - DFD and IDEF3. Each of these three notations allows you to consider different aspects of the enterprise:

• 1) IDEF0 diagrams are designed to describe business processes in an enterprise, they allow you to understand what objects or information serve as raw materials for processes, what results work produces, what are the control factors and what resources are needed for this;
• 2) IDEF0 notation makes it possible to identify formal shortcomings of business processes, which greatly facilitates the analysis of the enterprise's activities;
• 3) data flow diagrams (Data flow diagramming, DFD) are used to describe workflow and information processing.

Having considered the capabilities of each standard, IDEF3 can be preferred, it is more suitable for describing the logic of interaction of information flows, also called workflow diagramming - modeling notation that uses a graphical description of information flows, relationships between information processing processes and objects that are part of these processes.

When designing business processes for an enterprise, a functional model of the existing work organization AS-IS (As is) is built. Based on the AS-IS model, a consensus is reached between different business units on “who did what” and what each business unit adds to the process.

The AS-IS model allows you to figure out "what we are doing today" before jumping to "what we will be doing tomorrow." The introduction of an information system will inevitably lead to the restructuring of existing business processes of the enterprise. Analysis of the functional model allows you to understand where the most weak spots what will be the benefits of new business processes and how profound changes the existing business organization structure will be affected. Detailing business processes allows you to identify the shortcomings of the organization, even where the functionality at first glance seems obvious. A sign of inefficient activity can be useless, unmanaged and duplicate work, inefficient document flow ( desired document does not appear in the right place at the right time), lack of feedback on management (the work is not affected by its result) and input (objects or information are used irrationally), etc.

To answer the question, how should the enterprise work in the future? What is the gain (loss) of the reorganization? The shortcomings found in the AS-IS model can be corrected by creating the TO-BE (As it will be) model - a model of a new organization of business processes. The TO-BE model is needed to assess the consequences of implementing an information system and analyze alternative / best ways to do work and document how the enterprise will function in the future. As a rule, several TO-BE models are built, from which the best one is selected according to some criterion (Fig. 7). For example, each of the TO-BE models may correspond to a specific information system.

There are many criteria and it is not easy to determine the most important, in order to determine the effectiveness of business processes after the implementation of a corporate information system, a metric system is needed, i.e. quality should be quantified.

BPwin provides the analyst with two tools for model evaluation - Activity Based Costing (ABC) and User Defined Properties (UDP). ABC is a widely accepted methodology used by international corporations and government organizations to identify cost drivers in the organization.

Cost analysis is an accounting convention used to collect the costs associated with a job in order to determine the total cost of a process. The cost analysis is based on the work model, since quantification is not possible without a detailed understanding of the functionality of the enterprise.

Typically, ABC is used to understand the origin of costs and facilitate the selection of the desired work model for the reorganization of the enterprise (Business Process Re-engineering, BPR). With cost analysis, you can solve problems such as determining the true cost of manufacturing a product, determining the true cost of customer support, identifying the works that cost the most (those that need to be improved first), etc. in each of the AS-models. IS and TO-BE.

Thus, we conclude that cost analysis allows us to assess what will be the consequences of introducing an information system, whether it will really lead to an increase in productivity and economic effect, and to which one.

In addition, BPwin allows you to make fairly effective cost estimates, but does not claim to be highly accurate in such estimates. For accurate cost calculations, you can use the specialized cost analysis tool EasyABC. BPwin supports bi-directional export - import in EasyABC. The results of the cost analysis are visualized on a special report BPwin - ABC. ABC allows you to evaluate the cost and time characteristics of the system. If cost indicators are not enough, it is possible to introduce your own metrics - properties defined by the UDP user.

Within this thesis elements of the AllFusion line from Computer Associates will be considered.

Having studied the primary sources and analyzed them, as well as the tool itself - the BPwin program, we draw conclusions: any activity or structure of an enterprise can be designed and presented in a form that will optimize the work of the organization, check it for compliance with ISO9000 standards, design the structure, reduce costs, eliminate unnecessary operations , improve flexibility and efficiency. BPwin supports three modeling notations at once: IDEF0 US federal standard, IDEF3 and DFD and is a unique software tool in the field of designing automated information systems. Having analyzed all the processes, Figure 14 is presented at the end of the paragraph, showing all the processes such as requirements analysis and other software engineering workflows.

The “business modeling” workflow serves as the basis for the analysis and formation of requirements for AIS, and allows you to avoid errors. The “environment management” workflow provides initial information for the AT working group, which regulates formats, CASE tools, and work procedures.

The project management workflow is based on the requirements specification. Strategic and tactical planning, the formation of intermediate milestones (expected results) are closely linked to the requirements for the system.

The analysis and design workflow is carried out on the basis of the initial data provided by the AT. To some extent, these workflows run in parallel. When problems are found related to the requirements, there is a feedback from this workflow to the AT workflow.

The “testing” workflow is largely based on the requirements model and additional specifications that govern the testing process (test scenarios, etc.).

For the "implementation" workflow, there is no relationship to the requirements. Meanwhile, it is natural that the requirements should be analyzed and taken into account in all project workflows, even if this is not formally provided for by the process selected by the group. People make mistakes, and mistakes made in the early stages of a project grow like a snowball as you move from stage to stage. Therefore, it is useful for any team member interested in the success of the project to look at the requirements specification and make sure that the work that is assigned to him meets this or that requirement. This allows you to organize feedback that allows you to track down errors in specifications. Many projects have stalled precisely because the implementation team is separated from the requirements gathering and analysis team.

One of the key aspects of management is to provide visibility ("transparency") of the control object (organization or system) of a description convenient for perception and analysis. The control object can be represented as a network of processes that determine its mission, this is a process approach to management. Identification and description of the processes of the control object allows you to clearly understand, manage and improve these processes. An adequate description of the processes is possible with the help of a procedure called modeling. The term "modeling" should be understood as the process of creating an accurate, sufficient, concise, easy-to-perceive and analysis description of a system as a set of interacting components and relationships between them.

Stages of modeling business processes.

Stage 1. Diagnostics of the organization's management system.

Carrying out diagnostics of the existing management system of the organization is due to the need to solve the following tasks:

identification of problem areas in the interaction of officials and departments in solving problems;

allocation of the main and auxiliary activities with their subsequent decomposition into business processes;

formation of prerequisites for the creation of a transparent and orderly system of internal regulatory documents.

At this stage, interviews are conducted with the heads of departments, the organizational structure of the company is analyzed, a preliminary list of regulated documentation is compiled for subsequent development, and the format of process modeling is determined.

Stage 2. Modeling of existing business processes.

The main task of this stage is the creation of business process models that display the sequence of actions, the division of responsibility among the performers, the timing, and the results of the work. These models are a graphical representation of the implementation of business processes in the organization at the time of the implementation of this stage of the project.

The creation of functional models and diagrams occurs in the following sequence:

Gathering information can include any combination of the following activities: reading documents, observing existing operations, questioning a group of experts, interviewing one or more experts, using your own knowledge and a fictional description of the operation of the system, which can then be corrected.

Decomposition of the object of study. When decomposing an object, it is necessary, first of all, to pay attention to the input and output data of the entire system. The decomposition of the entire system begins with a list of the main data types and the main functions of the system. By doing this, the main functions of the system are mentally reviewed, considering all normal and abnormal situations, feedback and possible errors.

• 3. Modeling in SADT means creating A0 and A-0 diagrams. These two diagrams completely tell everything about the system under study with a minimum degree of detail. Before starting modeling, it is necessary to prepare for it, collect information, decompose the object of study (decomposition - diagram A0 highlights the most important functions and objects of the system), then generalize this decomposition (diagram A-0 treats the system as a black box, gives it a name and determines the most important inputs, controls, outputs and mechanisms):
• 3.1. Choice of purpose and point of view.
• 3.2. Compiling a list of data. In this case, it is better if there is more data than less. Data can be immediately grouped by type.
• 3.3. Making a list of features. The functions of the system are also better combined according to the type of data used. The functions are then combined into groups (from three to six). It is desirable that these groups have the same level of complexity, contain approximately the same scope of actions and functions in each of them have similar operations and goals.
• 3.4. Construction and generalization of the diagram A0 (A0 - A-0). Every SADT diagram has a parent diagram that contains its context. The context for A0 is A-0, which is a generalization of the entire model. This diagram has several purposes: it announces general function of the entire system, gives a set of basic types or data sets that the system uses or produces, indicates the relationship between the main types of data, making their distinction.
• 3.5. Decomposition of a limited object. The beginning of the decomposition process consists in choosing the block of the considered diagram and considering the object defined by this block and its arcs. At the same time, it should be taken into account that, first of all, one should consider such a block, the decomposition of which will reveal many aspects of the A0 diagram and will have a greater influence on future decompositions of other blocks of this system. When choosing the most meaningful block, it is necessary to take into account both dominance and functional complexity and understandability. The best block for the first decomposition will be the one that allows you to most deeply penetrate the essence of the system under consideration.
• 3.6. Iterative review process.
• 3.7. Completion of the simulation. The decomposition of the model or part of it is terminated if the model has reached a level of detail sufficient to achieve the goal. Block decomposition can be terminated if it turns out that the functions of the block are very similar to another part of the model that has already been decomposed. Thus, the sufficiency of detail, the change in the level of abstraction, the change in point of view, and the similar functionality are the main criteria for terminating the decomposition.
• 3.8. Documentation See: Kalyanov, GN CASE-technologies. Structural system analysis (automation and application) / G.N. Kalyanov. - M:, Lori, 2002. - S.76-80 ..

Analysis of the functional model allows you to understand where the weakest points are, what will be the advantages of new business processes and how profound changes will be made to the existing structure of the business organization. Detailing business processes allows you to identify the shortcomings of the organization, even where the functionality at first glance seems obvious. The result of the work on this stage of the project will be a set of business process models that describes the current state of the organization's activities (or a separate area of ​​its activities). The developed set of models is the basis for assessing the optimality and optimization of the relevant business processes. See: Vendrov, A.M. Modern methods and means of designing information systems / A.M. Vendrov. - M.: Finance and statistics, 2005. - P.176. .

Stage 3. Assessment of optimality and optimization of business processes.

This stage is key in the course of the entire project, since the optimality of the future activities of the organization depends on the quality of its implementation. When assessing optimality, the following parameters of the business process are analyzed: the validity and reliability of the initial data ("inputs"); completeness and timeliness of control actions, their presence; optimality of actions within the framework of the implementation of business process procedures; optimal timing of work; sufficiency of resources; quality, validity and reliability of the final results ("outputs") and their sufficiency for the implementation of subsequent business processes.

Conducting an optimality assessment for the listed parameters leads to the achievement of the following results:

• - identification of unjustified duplication of functions between employees (divisions) and "zones of irresponsibility".
• - identification of areas of non-optimality that reduce the efficiency of business processes.
• - identification of reserves to reduce the costs of business processes.

The result of the work of this stage is a report on the analysis of business processes according to the specified evaluation parameters, including proposals for improving the organization's business processes. This report is the basis for the development of optimal models of business processes ("as it should be").

Stage 4. Organization of the implementation of changes.

The main purpose of the implementation of this stage is to ensure that employees understand and use new models for the implementation of business processes in their daily activities. Thus, the resistance to change on the part of employees is reduced.

When introducing changes in the activities of the organization, the following set of works is implemented:

• - briefing of employees responsible for carrying out changes in order to clarify the goals and activities, the procedure and forms for introducing new models.
• - monitoring the pilot operation of new standards of the Company's functioning in order to identify deviations of the developed models of business processes from the real possibility of performing work.
• - adjustment of business process models based on the results of trial operation See: Terms of reference for the project of reorganization of enterprise business processes. Access mode: http://www.finexpert.ru/content.asp?mID=60&ID=128&mode=w .

Stage 5. Development of regulatory documents

Regulation of business processes - development and coordination of instructions for business processes in the composition, fixed at the stage of diagnostics of the management system. The creation of a set of regulatory documents is, of course, the main result of the entire project, but, despite this, it needs to be implemented.

Stage 6. Implementation of regulatory documents.

The main purpose of the implementation of this stage is to ensure that employees understand and use new models for the implementation of business processes in their daily activities. Thus, the reduction of resistance to changes on the part of employees of the enterprise is ensured.

The implementation of the work on the implementation of the developed regulatory documentation is the logical conclusion of the entire project of regulating the activities of those business processes that were identified as promising at the diagnostic stage.

A business process is a logical, sequential, interconnected set of activities that consumes the producer's resources, creates value, and delivers results to the consumer. Among the main reasons that encourage an organization to optimize business processes are the need to reduce costs or the duration of the production cycle, the requirements of consumers and the state, the implementation of quality management programs, company mergers, internal organizational contradictions, etc.

Business process modeling allows not only to determine how the company works as a whole, how it interacts with external organizations, customers and suppliers, but also how activities are organized at each workplace.

Business process modeling is effective remedy search for ways to optimize the company's activities, a means of predicting and minimizing the risks that arise at various stages of the reorganization of the enterprise. This method allows you to give a cost estimate to each individual process and all business processes of the organization in the aggregate.

The methodology (notation) for creating a model (description) of a business process is understood as a set of ways in which objects real world and the links between them are represented as a model.

A business model is a formalized (graphical, tabular, textual, symbolic) description of business processes that reflects the actual or intended activities of an enterprise.

In the simplest case, a business model can consist of a single diagram, but in practice this is hardly acceptable, since business processes are usually too complex and multidimensional. The model of such processes includes the following components:

• - Representation. Each view reflects a specific aspect of business processes. A view is an abstraction that reflects a particular point of view and hides details that are not relevant to that point of view.
• - Diagrams. Each view consists of a series of diagrams of various types that reflect the structural and dynamic aspects of business processes.
• - Objects and processes. Objects represent resources used in processes (financial, material, human, informational).

The most important concepts of any business process modeling method are the concepts of object and relationship. Each object of the model reflects some real object of the so-called subject area (organization). , people, documents, machines and equipment, software, etc. As a rule, within the same method, model objects that reflect different entities of the real world are also different. Links are intended to describe the relationship of objects with each other. Such relationships may include: sequence of execution over time, communication via information flow, use by another object, etc.

Each object and links are characterized by a number of parameters, or, as they say, attributes that reflect certain characteristics of a real object. The composition of the attributes depends on the type of the real object of the organization displayed using the model. Attributes can be such characteristics as object number, name, description, execution duration (for functions), cost, etc. In practice, when creating organization models, the description of the attributes of model objects is carried out using special tools for modeling business processes. This allows you to make a more complex “model” from the simplest “description” of a business process, on the basis of which certain calculations are made, analysis and evaluation of the process are carried out.

Because business process models are designed to a wide range users (business analysts, ordinary employees and company management), and their construction is often carried out by non-specialists in the field information technologies, the most widely used models are graphical type, in which, in accordance with a certain methodology, the business process is presented in the form of a visual graphic image-- a chart consisting mainly of boxes and arrows. Such a representation has a high, multidimensional information content, which is expressed in various properties (color, background, style, etc.) and attributes (weight, size, cost, time, etc.) of each object and connection. In recent years, developers of software tools for modeling business processes have paid great attention to the transformation of graphical models into models of other types, in particular, into executable ones, the purpose of which is to ensure the automation of a business process and the integration of the information systems involved in its execution. business reengineering financial

The goals of business process modeling are usually formulated as follows:

• - provide an understanding of the structure of the organization and the dynamics of the processes occurring in it;
• - provide an understanding of the current problems of the organization and the possibilities for their solution;
• — ensure that customers, users and developers share the same understanding of the goals and objectives of the organization;
• - create a base for the formation of requirements for software that automates the business processes of the organization.

The main area of ​​application of business models is business process reengineering. At the same time, it is supposed to build models of current and prospective activities, as well as a plan and program for the transition from the first state to the second. Any modern enterprise is a complex system, its activities include the execution of tens of thousands of mutually affecting functions and operations. A person is not able to understand how such a system functions in detail - this goes beyond the limits of his capabilities. Therefore, the main idea of ​​creating the so-called "AS_IS" (as is) and "AS_TO_BE" (as it should be) models is to understand what the enterprise in question does (will do) and how it functions (will function) to achieve its goals.

The purpose of future software systems is, first of all, to solve business problems through modern information technologies. Software requirements are formed on the basis of a business model, and system design criteria are primarily based on their fullest satisfaction. It should be noted that business process models are not just an intermediate result used by a consultant to develop any recommendations and conclusions. They are an independent result of great practical importance, which follows from the goals of their construction.

Thus, the following goals of business modeling can be distinguished:

• - Description of business processes in the standard "as is";
• - It is an effective means of identifying and eliminating "bottlenecks" of the enterprise;
• - A tool for anticipating and minimizing risks;
• - Description of the company's activities for subsequent automation.

Business modeling tasks:

• - Business reorganization
• - Business certification
• - Application of information systems for business management

The business process model should answer the questions:

• 1. What procedures (functions, work) must be performed to obtain the desired end result?
• 2. In what sequence are these procedures performed?
• 3. What control and management mechanisms exist within the considered business process?
• 4. Who performs the process procedures?
• 5. What input documents/information does each process procedure use?
• 6. What output documents/information does the process procedure generate?
• 7. What resources are needed to complete each procedure in the process?
• 8. What documentation/conditions govern the execution of the procedure?
• 9. What parameters characterize the implementation of procedures and the process as a whole?

Many business leaders are now initiating process modeling projects in organizations for various purposes. These goals can be divided into two groups. Achieving the goals of the first group should provide a solution to the specific problems of the organization and increase the efficiency of its activities. In this case, real, practically important results are expected from the business process description project. The second group of goals can be characterized as slogan goals. No one in the organization expects any effect from the project, it is developed to achieve political goals, or serves as a justification for the allocation of financial resources.

In the first group of goals, several directions should be singled out in which the project of describing business processes will develop. In practice, managers first of all set the task of understanding how the work is going and where efficiency decreases (financial losses occur). It is assumed that the resulting set of business process models will be used in the future for automation purposes. In addition, they want to get information about the existing workflow system from the models and make the necessary changes to it, etc. It is possible to identify several characteristic features formulation of the task statement by top-level managers at this stage:

• - vagueness of wording and lack of definitions (for example, processes);
• - lack of clear criteria for achieving the goals of the project;
• - lack of understanding of how the resulting set of business process models will be used in the future.

These features reflect the fact that managers, for the most part, do not represent the importance of describing business processes as one of the means of developing an organization's process management system. But the fact is that business process models themselves are not a management tool. However, they can serve as a basis for creating regulatory documentation, analyzing activities, and making some decisions.

Business process models:

• - introduce accuracy and methodology;
• - provide a single, consistent presentation;
• - integrate processes, IT systems, organizational structure, information and data;
• - allow you to see and analyze the relationship;
• - help to check the correctness, review and test processes;
• - provide an informative environment for evaluating what-if scenarios;
• - are the basis for the rapid implementation of process changes.

Therefore, the objectives of the business process modeling project must be defined. Depending on the goals set, various approaches (methodologies) can be used to describe the organization's business processes. The project implementation methodology should be developed (adapted) taking into account the goals set and the amount of resources allocated to this project.

Introduction

1. Modeling business processes

2. Classification of business processes

3. Business Process Modeling Standards

Conclusion

List of sources used

INTRODUCTION

The concept of "business process modeling" came into the life of most analysts simultaneously with the appearance on the market of complex software products designed for complex automation of enterprise management.

Such systems always imply a deep pre-project survey of the company's activities. The result of this survey is an expert opinion, in which recommendations are made in separate paragraphs to eliminate "bottlenecks" in the management of activities.

Based on this conclusion, immediately before the implementation of the automation system, the so-called reorganization of business processes is carried out, sometimes quite serious and painful for the company. This is, of course, a team that has developed over the years is always difficult to make “think in a new way”. Such comprehensive surveys of enterprises are always complex and differ significantly from case to case.

There are well-established methodologies and standards for solving such problems of modeling complex systems. These standards include the IDEF family of methodologies. With their help, you can effectively display and analyze the activity models of a wide range of complex systems in various sections. At the same time, the breadth and depth of the examination of processes in the system is determined by the developer himself, which allows not to overload the created model with unnecessary data.

Business process modeling allows you to analyze not only how the enterprise works as a whole, how it interacts with external organizations, customers and suppliers, but also how activities are organized at each individual workplace.

There are several approaches to the definition of the concept of "modeling business processes":

- this is a description of the business processes of the enterprise that allows the manager to know how ordinary employees work, and for ordinary employees - how their colleagues work and what end result all their activities are aimed at;

business process modeling- this is an effective means of finding opportunities to improve the activities of the enterprise;

modeling business processes- this is a tool that allows you to anticipate and minimize the risks that arise at various stages of the reorganization of the enterprise;

business process modeling is a method that allows you to give a cost estimate to each process, taken individually, and all business processes in an enterprise, taken in aggregate.

Modern enterprises are forced to constantly improve their activities. This requires the development of new technologies and business practices, improving the quality of the final results of activities and, of course, the introduction of new, better effective methods management and organization of enterprises.

Buisness process is a logical, consistent, interconnected set of activities that consumes the resources of the producer, creates value and gives the result to the consumer. Among the main reasons that encourage an organization to optimize business processes are the need to reduce costs or the duration of the production cycle, the requirements of consumers and the state, the implementation of quality management programs, company mergers, internal organizational contradictions, etc.

Business Process Modeling is an effective tool for finding ways to optimize the company's activities, a tool for predicting and minimizing risks that arise at various stages of an enterprise's reorganization. This method allows you to give a cost estimate to each individual process and all business processes of the organization in the aggregate.

Business process modeling decisions are usually made for the reasons shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Reasons for deciding on business process modeling

Business process modeling affects many aspects of a company's activities:

change in the organizational structure;

optimization of the functions of departments and employees;

redistribution of rights and duties of managers;

change in internal normative documents and operating technology.

The purpose of the simulation is the systematization of knowledge about the company and its business processes in a visual graphical form that is more convenient for analytical processing of the information received. The model should reflect the structure of the organization's business processes, the details of their implementation and the sequence of workflow.

Modeling of business processes of the organization includes two stages - structural and detailed.

Structural An organization's business process modeling can be done in IDEF0 notation using the BPwin toolkit, or in UML using the Rational Rose toolkit. Detailed modeling is done in UML.

At the stage of structural modeling, the model should reflect:

existing organizational structure;

documents and other entities used in the execution of simulated business processes and necessary for modeling workflow, with descriptions of their main meaning;

the structure of business processes, reflecting their hierarchy from more general groups to private business processes;

interaction diagrams for final business processes, reflecting the sequence of creation and movement of documents (data, materials, resources, etc.) between actors.

detailed business process modeling is performed in the same model and should reflect the required detail and should provide an unambiguous view of the activities of the organization.

A detailed business process model should include:

set of precedents reflecting possible options execution of business processes "as is";

action diagrams that describe in detail the sequence of business processes;

interaction diagrams reflecting workflow schemes.

Business operation- a set of actions, procedures that make up the content of one act of business activity.

A business operation usually begins with the production or purchase of a batch of goods according to a predetermined plan of actions and ends with the sale of goods and making a profit. Business transactions are also called transactions.

Business function is a task that the company solves for its own survival and to achieve its goals. The function answers the question what to do. Of course, within the framework of the company, many functions can be distinguished. So any business system should have such functions as financial management, production, sales.

Business model - it's what a company does and how it makes money (Tom Malone)

Business strategy there is a theory, the business model is a hypothesis (Nicholas Carr)

Business model is a representation of a set of related model elements that define the internal and external environment companies within a single system.

2. CLASSIFICATION OF BUSINESS PROCESSES

Allocate the following classification:

Depending on the place of business processes in organizational structure companies distinguish the following business processes:

horizontal processes - processes that reflect horizontal interaction;

individual horizontal processes - processes performed by individual employees (organizational units);

cross-functional horizontal processes - processes performed by many employees (organizational units);

vertical processes - processes that reflect the interaction of employees (organizational units) along the vertical;

integrated processes - processes that display the interaction of process participants vertically and horizontally.

Depending on the degree of their complexity, there are:

monoprocesses - monosyllabic processes;

nested processes - mono-processes that are part of a more complex process (macro-process);

related processes are mono-processes that are singled out and sequentially implemented according to a certain algorithm.

Depending on their purpose:

main business processes - horizontal business processes that ensure the implementation of real operational tasks related to the creation of a product and its implementation to a client; - these are processes, the operations of which are directly related to the product of the enterprise and thereby affect the creation of added value;

supporting business processes - horizontal business processes that ensure the execution of the main processes, they are not directly related to the goods and services produced, however, it is impossible to perform value-added operations without them;

management business processes - vertical business processes that provide management of the company's activities, core and supporting business processes. These are the processes of strategy formation, business planning and control.

Depending on their place in the hierarchy of organizational goals:

top-level business processes - processes aimed at the implementation of the company's strategic goals, the most significant for the company;

mid-level business processes - business processes aimed at the implementation of tactical goals;

business processes of the lower level business processes aimed at the implementation of operational goals.

Depending on the level of detail:

macro-processes - enlarged business processes with the level of detail necessary to describe the top-level business processes;

sub-processes - business processes with the level of detail necessary to describe middle-level business processes;

micro-processes - business processes that have the maximum level of detail, are used to describe lower-level business processes.

As part of the main components of the balanced scorecard:

financial business processes;

client business processes;

business - production processes;

business processes of development, learning and growth.

Functional Modeling Standard IDEF0

The IDEF0 standard is considered the classic method of the process approach to management. The main principle of the process approach is to structure the activities of the organization in accordance with its business processes, and not the organizational structure. It is the business processes that form the result that is significant for the consumer that are of value, and it is their improvement that will have to be dealt with in the future.

StandardIDEF0 is a set of rules and procedures designed to build a functional model of an object of any subject area.

ModelIDEF0 is a series of diagrams with accompanying documentation that breaks down a complex object into its component parts, which are shown as blocks. The details of each of the main blocks are shown as blocks in other diagrams. Each detailed diagram is a block decomposition from the diagram of the previous level. At each decomposition step, the diagram of the previous level is called the parent diagram for the more detailed diagram. The total number of levels in the model (including the context level) should not exceed 5-6. Practice shows that this is quite enough to build a complete functional model of a modern enterprise in any industry.

IDEF1 Information Modeling Standard

The IDEF1 standard was developed as a tool for analyzing and studying the relationships between information flows within the business of an enterprise. Application of the IDEF1 methodology as a tool for building a visual model of the information structure of an enterprise according to the “as it should be” principle. An example of building a model is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - An example of building an IDEF1 model

The main components of the information model are:

diagrams - structural images of the information model, representing, in accordance with a set of rules, the composition and logical relationships of the data used;

dictionary – the value of each element of the model is described by a text fragment.

The basic concept in the IDEF1 methodology is the concept of entity. Essence defined as a real or abstract object, set distinctive properties which, called attributes, is known. Each entity has a name and attributes.

The subsystem number serves to identify it. In the name field, the name of the subsystem is entered in the form of a sentence with the subject and corresponding definitions and additions.

The process is the transformation of input data streams into output ones in accordance with a certain algorithm. Physically, the process can be implemented in various ways: it can be a subdivision of an organization (department) that processes input documents and issues reports, a program, a hardware-implemented logical device, etc.

The process in the data flow diagram is depicted as shown in Figure 4.

The process number is used to identify it. In the name field, enter the name of the process as a sentence with an active unambiguous verb in indefinite form(calculate, calculate, check, determine, create, receive) followed by nouns in the accusative case, for example: "Enter taxpayer information", "Give out information about current expenses", "Check receipt of money".

The information in the physical implementation field indicates which part of the organization, program, or hardware device the process is performing.

A data storage device is an abstract device for storing information that can be placed in a storage device at any time and retrieved after some time, and the methods of insertion and extraction can be any.

A data storage device can be implemented physically in the form of a microfiche, a drawer in a filing cabinet, a table in RAM, a file on a magnetic medium, etc.

The data storage device is identified by the letter "D" and an arbitrary number. The name of the drive is chosen from the point of view of the greatest information content for the designer.

The data storage is generally a prototype of the future database, and the description of the data stored in it must correspond to the data model.

The data flow defines the information transmitted through some connection from the source to the receiver. The flow of data in the diagram is represented by a line ending with an arrow that shows the direction of the flow. Each data stream has a name that reflects its content.

The main goal of building a DFD hierarchy is to make the description of the system clear and understandable at every level of detail, and also to break it down into parts with precisely defined relationships between them.

CONCLUSION

In recent years, interest in Russia to the methodologies of the IDEF family has been steadily growing. At the same time, interest in standards such as IDEF3–5 is theoretical, while interest in IDEF0 is quite practically justified.

However, most managers still regard the practical application of modeling in IDEF standards more as a tribute to fashion than as an effective way to optimize the existing business management system. Most likely, this is due to a pronounced lack of information on the practical application of these methodologies and with the indispensable software bias of the vast majority of publications.

It is no secret that almost all projects for the survey and analysis of the financial and economic activities of enterprises in Russia now, one way or another, are connected with the construction automated systems management. Due to this, the IDEF standards in the understanding of the majority have become conditionally inseparable from the introduction of information technology, although with their help it is sometimes possible to effectively solve even small local problems, literally with a pencil and paper.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the main advantage of the idea of ​​analyzing the business processes of an enterprise by creating its model is its versatility. Firstly, business process modeling is the answer to almost all questions related to improving the activities of an enterprise and increasing its competitiveness. Secondly, the head or management of an enterprise that has implemented this methodology will have information that will allow them to independently improve their enterprise and predict its future.

1. Voinov I.V. Modeling of economic systems and processes. Experience in building ARIS models [Text]: monograph / I.V. Voinov - M.: SUGU, 2002. - 392 p.

2. Volkov O.N. Standards and methodologies for modeling business processes [Text]: textbook. allowance for universities / O.N. Volkov. - M.: ASV, 2000. - 145 p.

3. Grigoriev D.I. Modeling of business processes of an enterprise [Text]: textbook. allowance / D.I. Grigoriev. - M.: IRTs, 2006. - 214 p.

4. Kalyanov G.N. Modeling, analysis, reorganization and automation of business processes [Text]: textbook. allowance / G.N. Kalyanov. - M.: Finance and statistics, 2006. - 319 p.

5. Pinaev D.K. Business process modeling: available about the complex [Text]: Ref. allowance / D.K. Pinaev. - M.: RGAS, 2003. - 247 p.

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