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Business Process Modeling
Business process modeling is the creating of diagrams to map out business processes, as experienced by the users of a system. Business process models are used in analysis of business operations and in business requirements gathering.
Many business operations are too complex to comprehend in their entirety. Business process modeling reduces this complexity by filtering out nonessential details and allowing users to focus on only that which is relevant at the business level that the business process model is addressing. For example, the business process for launching a marketing campaign contains high-level steps that can be broken down into greater levels of detail and more specific tasks. One of these more detailed tasks could be reviewing a National Change of Address list before sending out a direct mailing. While this step is important to complete, it may not be necessary to keep in mind when considering the high-level flow of activities in the business process for launching a marketing campaign, and might simply be referred to as part of a step called Validate Addresses in a model of the high-level flow.
A basic business process model depicts who does what over time, for the purpose of analyzing a meaningful unit of work in a company. Business process models are useful for organizing work, understanding problems, communicating between team members, preparing documentation, and promoting understanding of business requirements.
A business process model depicts the flow of work typically followed by users or systems to complete a sequence of tasks. Models can map business processes at multiple levels. The models presented in Siebel Cross-Industry Business Process Reference show four levels of detail:
- The solution map shows the entire set of business processes for a single enterprise domain or multiple enterprise domains. An enterprise domain is a grouping of business processes from the perspective of an entire enterprise, such as the cross-industry set of business processes covering Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Employee Management, and Partner Management. The Solution Map also shows the functional domains within the enterprise domains. A functional domain applies to a typical business unit within a company, such as the Sales organization. Figure 3 shows a solution map.
- The process relationship diagram shows one functional domain, such as Sales, and the process domains with the groupings of related business processes within those process domains. A process domain, such as Sales Execution, groups business processes logically by activity. For example, the Sales Execution process domain includes business processes for Account Management, Lead Management, and Opportunity management. Figure 3 shows process domains within a solution map. Figure 16 shows a sample process relationship diagram.
- The business process diagram shows a series of steps completed in the flow of a business process that accomplish a major business objective. Figure 1 shows a sample business process diagram.
- The subprocess diagram shows a greater level of detail for the high-level tasks represented in a business process diagram. Figure 2 shows a sample subprocess diagram.
For more information about the diagram levels that appear in Siebel Cross-Industry Business Process Reference, see Hierarchy of Business Process Diagram Levels.
The Solution Map
A solution map provides high-level business process models categorized by the business objectives of the organization. A solution map includes the process domains in which tasks are executed to meet these objectives. For example, a solution map for the enterprise domains of CRM, Employee Management, and Partner Management shows process domains including Marketing, Sales, and Service. In turn, the Marketing process domain shows functional domains that include Campaign Management, Event Management, and Needs Analysis.
A business analyst or manager can review the solution map to make sure that the way a task such as campaign management is performed supports the organization's high-level business objective for marketing activities.
The Process Relationship Diagram
The next level of process model, the process relationship diagram, represents more detailed business processes in support of the organization's business objective for marketing activities, such as the business process model called Plan Campaign.
The Business Process Diagram
The third level of detail, the business process diagram, shows the actual sequence of steps involved in a task referred to in a process relationship diagram. In the example of the Plan Campaign task, there is a business process diagram called Plan Campaign.
The Subprocess Diagram
To continue with the example of planning a campaign, you can apply even more detailed business process models, such as those that move through the processes of determining available inventory or defining the audience of the campaign. These processes are represented with subprocess diagrams.
Business Process Diagrams Model Steps in Sequence
A typical Siebel business process model contains a sequence of steps, some of which can be performed by individuals or groups within your company, and some of which can be performed by the Siebel application.
For example, when a marketing executive completes her part of the business process modeled in the diagram called Create Marketing Plans and Budgets, she starts by creating a high-level marketing plan. For more information, see Figure 1.
The Create Marketing Plans and Budgets step in the business process is represented in detail in a subprocess diagram called Create High-level Marketing Plan. For more information, see Figure 2. Within the sequence of steps in the Create High-level Marketing Plan subprocess, the marketing executive's first step is to align marketing and corporate goals. In this step, she uses the Siebel application.
Figure 1 shows a sample Siebel business process model, Create Marketing Plans and Budgets, as mentioned in the preceding example. In the sequence of tasks shown, each task falls into a specific row. Each row, called a swimlane, contains tasks performed by specific individuals or groups that typically have different roles or functions in an organization. The tasks performed are business process steps, and the type of task performed in each step is represented by a symbol. The steps are completed in a specific sequence, moving from left to right across the diagram.
In this example, the roles of marketing executive, marketing manager, the sales team, and the partner relationship manager interact through a sequence of tasks in the process of creating marketing plans and budgets. If you are planning an implementation of Siebel Marketing, you can compare this Create Marketing Plans and Budgets business process and others provided in Siebel Cross-Industry Business Process Reference to the way your company currently conducts its marketing operations to determine possible changes to your existing business processes.
Figure 2 shows a portion of a sample Siebel subprocess model: Create High-Level Marketing Plan, as mentioned in the preceding example. This level of diagram shows greater detail within a task represented in a business process model.
The symbols used in Siebel business process models are a simplified set drawn from the flowchart symbols published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). For detailed descriptions of all the symbols used, see Business Process Component Descriptions.
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Siebel Business Process Implementation Guide Published: 18 April 2003 |
