Business process modelling using diagrammatic and tabular techniques

Purpose – The paper discusses the problem of business process modelling, various techniques which are used to carry out business process modelling and aims to analyse the use of different techniques to find a better solution.Design/methodology/approach – Business process modelling techniques could be divided into two groups, the diagrammatic and tabular techniques. As a representative of diagrammatic techniques, a flowchart is chosen and discussed in detail. A process model could also be developed using the activity table as a representative of tabular techniques. A comparative analysis of the two techniques is consequently carried out. The pros and cons of both techniques were analysed on the two case‐studies – the problems of Sales_Claim and Credit_Card are used as examples to test both techniques.Findings – Based on the comparative analysis, several useful remarks are given as a result of this work. First, both techniques are simple and useful for business processes modelling. Drawing a flowchart is ea...

[1]  K. H. Park,et al.  Virtual enterprise – organisation, evolution and control , 2001 .

[2]  A. John Pendlebury,et al.  Business Process Reengineering: Breakpoint Strategies for Market Dominance , 1993 .

[3]  Mark Borman,et al.  Taking a strategic view of BPR to develop a multidisciplinary framework , 1999, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[4]  Walter W.C. Chung,et al.  A framework to develop an enterprise information portal for contract manufacturing , 2002 .

[5]  Keith Phalp,et al.  The CAP framework for business process modelling , 1998, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[6]  Claude R. Baudoin,et al.  Realizing the object-oriented lifecycle , 1996 .

[7]  William J. Kettinger,et al.  Business Process Change: A Study of Methodologies, Techniques, and Tools , 1997, MIS Q..

[8]  C. Armistead,et al.  Managing Business Processes BPR and Beyond , 1996 .

[9]  Majed Al-Mashari,et al.  Revisiting BPR: a holistic review of practice and development , 2000, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[10]  Leslie P. Willcocks,et al.  IT-enabled business process reengineering: organizational and human resource dimensions , 1995, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[11]  Thomas H. Davenport,et al.  Process Innovation: Reengineering Work Through Information Technology , 1992 .

[12]  Eitan Zemel,et al.  Managing Business Process Flows , 1999 .

[13]  M. Hammer,et al.  REENGINEERING THE CORPORATION: A MANIFESTO FOR BUSINESS REVOLUTION , 1995 .

[14]  Bing Yu,et al.  Software tools supporting business process analysis and modelling , 1997, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[15]  Zahir Irani,et al.  Business process reengineering: a survey of international experience , 2001, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[16]  Edward Yourdon,et al.  Structured design : fundamentals of a discip!ine of computer proqram and system desiqn , 1979 .

[17]  Ruth Sara Aguilar-Savén,et al.  Business process modelling: Review and framework , 2004 .

[18]  David E. Avison,et al.  Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools , 1988 .

[19]  Jan Olhager,et al.  Integration of Product, Process and Functional Orientations: Principles and a Case Study , 2002, APMS.

[20]  J. S. Busby,et al.  The value and limitations of using process models to describe the manufacturing organization , 1993 .

[21]  Michael Hammer,et al.  Reengineering Work: Don’t Automate, Obliterate , 1990 .

[22]  John M. Wilson,et al.  Business Processes: Modelling and Analysis for Re-engineering and Improvement , 1995 .

[23]  R. Lakin,et al.  BPR enabling software for the financial services industry , 1996 .

[24]  Richard T. Dué,et al.  OBJECT-ORIENTED TECHNOLOGY: The Economics of a New Paradigm , 1993 .

[25]  Chung Yee Lee,et al.  Business process management: survey and methodology , 1995 .

[26]  Ivar Jacobson,et al.  The Unified Modeling Language User Guide , 1998, J. Database Manag..

[27]  Gordon B. Davis,et al.  Strategies for Information Requirements Determination , 1982, IBM Syst. J..

[28]  Gregory H. Watson,et al.  Business systems engineering : managing breakthrough changes for productivity and profit , 1994 .

[29]  Nimal Jayaratna,et al.  Understanding and Evaluating Methodologies: NIMSAD, a Systematic Framework , 1994 .

[30]  Mohamed Zairi,et al.  BPR implementation process: an analysis of key success and failure factors , 1999, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[31]  Jim Arlow,et al.  Uml and the Unified Process: Practical Object-Oriented Analysis and Design , 2005 .

[32]  P. Layzell,et al.  Software assistance for business re-engineering , 1994 .

[33]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  Re‐engineering manufacturing processes through simulation modelling , 2000 .