Publication of business processes. Universal - “common religious” approach
Many companies have developed a large number of business process diagrams that have different authors and different origins. Some of them are presented in general only in the form of scanned documents, since native modeling tools became history (for example, BPWin), others were developed in vector or raster graphic editors. At the same time, it is necessary not only to make an inventory of the already formalized business processes of the company and publish the schemes on the company's portal, but also to keep further records. BPM-Publisher s from leading companies are focused only on supporting their own formats and thus even more “hooked”. A universal tool for publishing business processes, interoperable to various BPM-denominations.
Sometimes at a conference or seminar on “business process management”, which is BPM (Business Process Management), BPM problems are discussed for hours, then when it becomes obvious to everyone that the conversation is in different languages and “about different BPM” they ask : What is BPM? Further they give “book” terms - suitable for all occasions, which even more form “BPM - porridge” and “BPMS - system porridge”.
At the dawn of the “CASE era”, the abbreviation BPM was often interpreted as Business Process Modeling .
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The concept of “modeling” is very conditional: it can be argued that the set of hand-drawn related schemes is also a model. Therefore, in the simplest case, by “Modeling business processes” we will understand the graphical representation of the logic of business processes and call it “ graph PBMod ” (no Data Base). Actually, already in the Unified system of program documentation (ESPD) was GOST 19.701-90 “Schemes of algorithms of programs, data and systems” (ISO 5807: 1985), where the mention of “systems” generally indicated that this is a notation for Business Process Modeling. “Graph BPMod” is a sketch of business process diagrams - as a visual modeling of administrative, technological and other procedures in order to build a knowledge base on the organization’s business processes.
There is much to talk about "high": automatic analysis of models and building job descriptions for the model (which in the bulk is nothing more than self-indulgence), etc., but it’s the basic value that gives the company’s key business processes as a set schemes, and no matter how inside “BPM” or “not quite BPM” (in the representation of BPM-orthodox) - the systems are represented by these “squares and circles”: in raster or in the form of a visualized database. This is the description of business processes, because The final business user (not the business model) neither knows about the Data Base nor the repository. Here the main thing is an intuitive notation for various categories of users who should be able to, if not draw such a model, then at least understand it without much effort to study the notation. The main task to be solved is the formalization, first of all, of high-level key business processes (in relation to the organizational structure) in the form of a set of schemes and, thus, the fixation of "Business Architecture" of the "Enterprise Architecture". Moreover, in general, formalized "Business Architecture" and "Enterprise Architecture" may be present in companies where there is not a single automation tool other than the vector editor on which their schemes (their descriptions) are drawn.
As opposed to “graph BPMod”, we will consider executable BPM objects, for example, created in BPMN notation (although some systems have a different executable notation) —a rather new direction, where the term “business processes” rather means “business operations”, and in the context of "automation". Visual programming systems using an executable environment into which graphical models are loaded develop the principle: “programming without programming”, where the program in the simplest case can be created and changed without coding at all. This class of systems is called “BPM-BPMN”. Today, their weight - for any "color and taste." Enterprise: Oracle BPM (BEA AquaLogic BPM), IBM Business Process Manager (Lombardi), and others. Open Source: jBPM, Activiti (Alfresco), Intalio, etc., see 10+ Free Open Source BPM Platforms Popular: BizAgi, ELMA, Bonita - see a comparative review of BPM systems and many others. Such systems and BPMN notation are not the best choice for fixing high-level logic with fuzzy formalized rules, however BPMN is widely used as notation for fixing algorithms in software development, even if this algorithm is implemented in classical programming systems — without a fashionable designer.
Publishing a business process. In BPM-BPMN systems, publication refers to unloading a scheme prepared in the designer for execution in the “execution environment”. In “graph BPMod”, publication refers to the presentation of a graphical model in public access or visualization of a diagram on a server (another means of accessing an image). Let's call such a publication “BPPub” (Business Process Publisher). Above there is a large number of “BPM-BPMN” - and they, too, for “good” require “distribution to the public” of graphical algorithms: as in the coordination before implementation (to be), and as a reflection of the current operating scheme (as is).
There are business process diagrams developed in different instrumental environments:
- IDEF (BPwin);
- EPC \ VAD (ARIS);
- EPC \ VAD (Visio);
- BPMN (a huge choice of BPMS in terms of both designers and execution environments);
- block diagrams, flowcharts, various variations of known and unknown notations (handmade to scan).
Need to:
- visualize them within a single system (corporate system for publishing business processes);
- structure the scheme in the form of a hierarchical directory;
- maintain a passport for each business process, have means of highlighting (highlighting) and sorting by attributes (stored in the passport), calling related (through the attributes stored in the passport) documents, for example, an order to introduce the process or a regulation with a detailed textual description of the process .
The above “mixed” notations can quite “live” together in a single hierarchical tree: high-level sketches - in the form of VAD \ IDEF0, medium - EPC (from a group of processes to the environment of the function), and quite detailed “workers” (executed) - in BPMN and Uml In general, the approach is rather ancient (classical), which came with ARIS and its Modeling Agreements (variant).
What tool to choose for the publication of business processes of the company? Given this "heterogeneity." The "tricked" ARIS Business Publisher \ Oracle Business Process Publisher (OEM IDS Scheer) do not know how. CA ERwin Web Portal (especially “abandoned” Business Process) and Business Studio Portal \ Business Engineer Web-portal cannot do this either.
They pull models from "their" repositories and third-party formats do not support. Everybody has “his own religion”, and everyone demands that the alms be carried to his “BPM-temple”.
The first generation of Publisher allowed the creation of a static Web site from models. ARIS Web Publisher (business navigator) unloaded the executable shell in html & js, and graphic models in gif format. In principle, simple manipulations made it possible to manually catalog the models and add any models in raster formats and html descriptions to such “ARIS Publisher handmade”.
ARIS Web Publisher is shown on bpm.processoffice.ru . As you can see, the value is represented only by the process tree and the model visualization window (diagram). Established "Attributes", "Objects", etc. contain a lot of garbage and need to be replaced with a normal "passport process."
The idea of ARIS Web Publisher is implemented: HTML - publication by Business Studio HTML navigator Business engineer, QPR ProcessGuide.
Attention! The work program of Publisher with great potential for development (do not miss it) is given for free.
A “BPPub tool” on VBA Excel is proposed: Uni BPPub , externally similar to the ARIS Web Publisher interface. Similar can be built on html & java script or CMS (php + DB). But if it's easier on VBA, then why “make a garden”? I uploaded “.xls” to a network folder (read only), made a link from the corporate portal and is a ready simple and reliable publishing system without any application servers. The system can be developed not by a programmer at all, but only slightly familiar with VBA Excel, and there are usually quite a few such employees in a company: in spite of “universal enterprise automation” (ERP, etc.), all excel should be disabled and the enterprise’s work will rise. Today, many economists and engineers own VBA.
Link to "Uni BPPub". Two examples: simple and more complicated.
Simple example - a couple of bank processes
Example 2: Company + Project Management
Description and setup of BPPub.docx
Using this simple shell, you can easily organize the publication of processes in any common raster formats (jpg, gif, etc.), html, pdf, etc. In both examples, the processes were originally drawn in ARIS. Can you suggest something better?
When can there be an urgent need for universal BPPub tools instead of specific ones and, moreover, “for the mulon”?
There are models (schemes) of different BPMS of the same class. For example, there is a need to assemble and publish a collection of BPM-BPMN business operations flowcharts of BPMS class (executable notations), and not only with BPMS notation. In large companies, more than fifty information systems are used, half of which can be designed on executable notations: ERP on SAP \ 1C, integration bus (ESB) on IBM, " CRM Meat Grinder " are the same "meat grinders" for EDS , ITSM, Project management, see Project manager + BPM = optimal solution?
And how many other applications that also use executable BPM? Moreover, it is not always BPMN 2.0, for example, there are “extravagant BPM engines” under IDEF0-based notations (EGAR E4) and absolutely unique notations.
Sometimes you need to collect a collection of diagrams from the variegated BPMS of the PBMod class: from the popular monster-system ARIS \ EPC to the “UFO-toolkit”.
There are BPMS schemes of different classes (EPC in ARIS, and BPMN in IBM BPM, etc.), there are business process diagrams originally from BPMS (Visio), it was decided to leave expensive Publisher, it is planned to switch from one BPMS to another, The “other” may have its own Publisher or not at all (OptimaSoft: Prima, Modeler of Business Process, ISO, etc.).
When one gets tired of complicated Monster Publisher administration and development, or when there are no (not needed) specialists in “aris-mythology” or its specific tools such as aris-script, but it is necessary to link schemas (models) in a simple way , catalog, cards (passports of business processes) and the regulatory framework of the company, including instructions - describe in detail the process. Often, we need not instructions generated from the model, but real practical instructions on which to work. These instructions write different specialized business units, each in the zone of its small area in the overall business process.
Other examples of Publishers:
Business studio
Fox manager
Some links from Habr on business modeling:
How to simulate business processes in eEPC notation?
The role of KPI in operational process management.
Business processes, multiplied by efficiency. Part 2: BPM Overview with KPI Accounting.
1. What is BPM and where is the publication of business processes
Sometimes at a conference or seminar on “business process management”, which is BPM (Business Process Management), BPM problems are discussed for hours, then when it becomes obvious to everyone that the conversation is in different languages and “about different BPM” they ask : What is BPM? Further they give “book” terms - suitable for all occasions, which even more form “BPM - porridge” and “BPMS - system porridge”.
At the dawn of the “CASE era”, the abbreviation BPM was often interpreted as Business Process Modeling .
')
The concept of “modeling” is very conditional: it can be argued that the set of hand-drawn related schemes is also a model. Therefore, in the simplest case, by “Modeling business processes” we will understand the graphical representation of the logic of business processes and call it “ graph PBMod ” (no Data Base). Actually, already in the Unified system of program documentation (ESPD) was GOST 19.701-90 “Schemes of algorithms of programs, data and systems” (ISO 5807: 1985), where the mention of “systems” generally indicated that this is a notation for Business Process Modeling. “Graph BPMod” is a sketch of business process diagrams - as a visual modeling of administrative, technological and other procedures in order to build a knowledge base on the organization’s business processes.
There is much to talk about "high": automatic analysis of models and building job descriptions for the model (which in the bulk is nothing more than self-indulgence), etc., but it’s the basic value that gives the company’s key business processes as a set schemes, and no matter how inside “BPM” or “not quite BPM” (in the representation of BPM-orthodox) - the systems are represented by these “squares and circles”: in raster or in the form of a visualized database. This is the description of business processes, because The final business user (not the business model) neither knows about the Data Base nor the repository. Here the main thing is an intuitive notation for various categories of users who should be able to, if not draw such a model, then at least understand it without much effort to study the notation. The main task to be solved is the formalization, first of all, of high-level key business processes (in relation to the organizational structure) in the form of a set of schemes and, thus, the fixation of "Business Architecture" of the "Enterprise Architecture". Moreover, in general, formalized "Business Architecture" and "Enterprise Architecture" may be present in companies where there is not a single automation tool other than the vector editor on which their schemes (their descriptions) are drawn.
As opposed to “graph BPMod”, we will consider executable BPM objects, for example, created in BPMN notation (although some systems have a different executable notation) —a rather new direction, where the term “business processes” rather means “business operations”, and in the context of "automation". Visual programming systems using an executable environment into which graphical models are loaded develop the principle: “programming without programming”, where the program in the simplest case can be created and changed without coding at all. This class of systems is called “BPM-BPMN”. Today, their weight - for any "color and taste." Enterprise: Oracle BPM (BEA AquaLogic BPM), IBM Business Process Manager (Lombardi), and others. Open Source: jBPM, Activiti (Alfresco), Intalio, etc., see 10+ Free Open Source BPM Platforms Popular: BizAgi, ELMA, Bonita - see a comparative review of BPM systems and many others. Such systems and BPMN notation are not the best choice for fixing high-level logic with fuzzy formalized rules, however BPMN is widely used as notation for fixing algorithms in software development, even if this algorithm is implemented in classical programming systems — without a fashionable designer.
Publishing a business process. In BPM-BPMN systems, publication refers to unloading a scheme prepared in the designer for execution in the “execution environment”. In “graph BPMod”, publication refers to the presentation of a graphical model in public access or visualization of a diagram on a server (another means of accessing an image). Let's call such a publication “BPPub” (Business Process Publisher). Above there is a large number of “BPM-BPMN” - and they, too, for “good” require “distribution to the public” of graphical algorithms: as in the coordination before implementation (to be), and as a reflection of the current operating scheme (as is).
2. Task
There are business process diagrams developed in different instrumental environments:
- IDEF (BPwin);
- EPC \ VAD (ARIS);
- EPC \ VAD (Visio);
- BPMN (a huge choice of BPMS in terms of both designers and execution environments);
- block diagrams, flowcharts, various variations of known and unknown notations (handmade to scan).
Need to:
- visualize them within a single system (corporate system for publishing business processes);
- structure the scheme in the form of a hierarchical directory;
- maintain a passport for each business process, have means of highlighting (highlighting) and sorting by attributes (stored in the passport), calling related (through the attributes stored in the passport) documents, for example, an order to introduce the process or a regulation with a detailed textual description of the process .
The above “mixed” notations can quite “live” together in a single hierarchical tree: high-level sketches - in the form of VAD \ IDEF0, medium - EPC (from a group of processes to the environment of the function), and quite detailed “workers” (executed) - in BPMN and Uml In general, the approach is rather ancient (classical), which came with ARIS and its Modeling Agreements (variant).
What tool to choose for the publication of business processes of the company? Given this "heterogeneity." The "tricked" ARIS Business Publisher \ Oracle Business Process Publisher (OEM IDS Scheer) do not know how. CA ERwin Web Portal (especially “abandoned” Business Process) and Business Studio Portal \ Business Engineer Web-portal cannot do this either.
They pull models from "their" repositories and third-party formats do not support. Everybody has “his own religion”, and everyone demands that the alms be carried to his “BPM-temple”.
The first generation of Publisher allowed the creation of a static Web site from models. ARIS Web Publisher (business navigator) unloaded the executable shell in html & js, and graphic models in gif format. In principle, simple manipulations made it possible to manually catalog the models and add any models in raster formats and html descriptions to such “ARIS Publisher handmade”.
ARIS Web Publisher is shown on bpm.processoffice.ru . As you can see, the value is represented only by the process tree and the model visualization window (diagram). Established "Attributes", "Objects", etc. contain a lot of garbage and need to be replaced with a normal "passport process."
The idea of ARIS Web Publisher is implemented: HTML - publication by Business Studio HTML navigator Business engineer, QPR ProcessGuide.
The solution of the problem
Attention! The work program of Publisher with great potential for development (do not miss it) is given for free.
A “BPPub tool” on VBA Excel is proposed: Uni BPPub , externally similar to the ARIS Web Publisher interface. Similar can be built on html & java script or CMS (php + DB). But if it's easier on VBA, then why “make a garden”? I uploaded “.xls” to a network folder (read only), made a link from the corporate portal and is a ready simple and reliable publishing system without any application servers. The system can be developed not by a programmer at all, but only slightly familiar with VBA Excel, and there are usually quite a few such employees in a company: in spite of “universal enterprise automation” (ERP, etc.), all excel should be disabled and the enterprise’s work will rise. Today, many economists and engineers own VBA.
Link to "Uni BPPub". Two examples: simple and more complicated.
Simple example - a couple of bank processes
Example 2: Company + Project Management
Description and setup of BPPub.docx
Using this simple shell, you can easily organize the publication of processes in any common raster formats (jpg, gif, etc.), html, pdf, etc. In both examples, the processes were originally drawn in ARIS. Can you suggest something better?
3. When it is needed
When can there be an urgent need for universal BPPub tools instead of specific ones and, moreover, “for the mulon”?
There are models (schemes) of different BPMS of the same class. For example, there is a need to assemble and publish a collection of BPM-BPMN business operations flowcharts of BPMS class (executable notations), and not only with BPMS notation. In large companies, more than fifty information systems are used, half of which can be designed on executable notations: ERP on SAP \ 1C, integration bus (ESB) on IBM, " CRM Meat Grinder " are the same "meat grinders" for EDS , ITSM, Project management, see Project manager + BPM = optimal solution?
And how many other applications that also use executable BPM? Moreover, it is not always BPMN 2.0, for example, there are “extravagant BPM engines” under IDEF0-based notations (EGAR E4) and absolutely unique notations.
Sometimes you need to collect a collection of diagrams from the variegated BPMS of the PBMod class: from the popular monster-system ARIS \ EPC to the “UFO-toolkit”.
There are BPMS schemes of different classes (EPC in ARIS, and BPMN in IBM BPM, etc.), there are business process diagrams originally from BPMS (Visio), it was decided to leave expensive Publisher, it is planned to switch from one BPMS to another, The “other” may have its own Publisher or not at all (OptimaSoft: Prima, Modeler of Business Process, ISO, etc.).
When one gets tired of complicated Monster Publisher administration and development, or when there are no (not needed) specialists in “aris-mythology” or its specific tools such as aris-script, but it is necessary to link schemas (models) in a simple way , catalog, cards (passports of business processes) and the regulatory framework of the company, including instructions - describe in detail the process. Often, we need not instructions generated from the model, but real practical instructions on which to work. These instructions write different specialized business units, each in the zone of its small area in the overall business process.
Other examples of Publishers:
Business studio
Fox manager
Some links from Habr on business modeling:
How to simulate business processes in eEPC notation?
The role of KPI in operational process management.
Business processes, multiplied by efficiency. Part 2: BPM Overview with KPI Accounting.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/296948/
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