Page 497 - Using MIS

Q3 How Is Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) Used to Model Processes? 465

Start

End

Activity (+ indicates subprocess de
ned)

Decision or Gateway

Data

Control flow

Figure 12-6 Data flow
Business Process Management Other processes add new equipment Annotation
Notation (BPMN) Symbols and record the arrival of repaired equipment

follow the rest of the process in Figure 12-7. Allocate inventory means that if the items are avail-
able, they are allocated to the customer so that they will not be sold to someone else.
Diamonds represent decisions and usually contain a question that can be answered with yes or
no. Process arrows labeled Yes and No exit two of the points of the diamond. Three of the activities in
the as-is diagram contain a square with a plus ( + ) sign. This notation means that the activity is con-
sidered to be a subprocess of this process and that it is defined in greater detail in another diagram.
One of these three subprocesses, the Check Customer Credit subprocess, is shown in Figure
12-8. Note the role named Customer Credit IS in this subprocess. In fact, this role is performed en-
tirely by an information system, although we cannot determine that fact from this diagram. Again,
each role is fulfilled by some set of resources, either people or information systems or both.
Once the as-is model has been documented, that model can then be analyzed for problems
or for improvement opportunities. For example, the process shown in Figure 12-7 has a serious
problem. Before you continue, examine these figures and see if you can determine what they are.
The problem involves allocations. The Operations Manager role allocates inventory to the
orders as they are processed, and the Credit Manager role allocates credit to the customer of
orders in process. These allocations are correct as long as the order is accepted. However, if the
order is rejected, these allocations are not freed. Thus, inventory is allocated that will not be or-
dered, and credit is extended for orders that will not be processed.
One fix (several are possible) is to define an independent process for Reject Order (in Figure
12-7 that would mean placing a box with a + in the Reject Order activity) and then designing the
Reject Order subprocess to free allocations. Creating such a diagram is part of Exercise 12-3 in
Using Your Knowledge (page 497).
Sometimes, BPMN diagrams are used to define process alternatives for discussion and evalua-
tion. Another use is to document processes for employee training, and yet another use is to provide
process requirements documentation for systems and application development. As a business
professional, you may be asked to interpret and approve BPMN diagrams for any of these purposes.