Process of Process Modeling

Question 1

How to conduct process modeling?

Answer 1

1. State objectives and scope
2. Concept and tool selection
3. Process elicitation
4. Create process model
5. Validate and analyze the process model
6. Analyze the process

Question 2

1. Objectives and scope

Answer 2

1. What is the objective of the process modeling effort?
2. What is the scope?
3. Which aspects are of special interest?
4. Who is the future user of the model?
5. Which views should be supported?

Question 3

What is a perspective?

Answer 3

• A subset of information contained in a model.
• A perpspective highlights part of a model which are interesting for answering given questions.

Question 4

Common Perspectives

Answer 4

• Functional
• Behavioral
• Organizational
• Informational

Question 5

2. Concept and tool selection

Answer 5

1. Gather information about your environemnt
2. Evaluate available (and tool-supported) process model formalisms
3. Gather information about existing tools
4. Select promising candidates
5. Choose a tool.

Question 6

3. Process elicicitation

Answer 6

Preparation Phase: the process engineer sets up an initial process model based on available process documentation and past experiences

Iterative modeling Phase: The process engineer consults process (domain) experts to:

• Review the process model and get feedback
• Remove inconsistencies
• Collect missing information

The process engineer updates the process model, integrates views, points out inconsistencies and identifies gaps.

Question 7

Process elicitation techniques

Answer 7

• Knowledge acquisition techniques
  
  • Interviews
  • Observation
  • protocol analysis
  • Structuring techniques
• Analysis of process documents
• Analysis of process artifacts

Question 8

Interviews

Answer 8

The process engineer interviews process experts to elicit their view of the process. Both the process owner and process participants (agents) are considered to be process experts:

• What is done?
• When is it done?
• Things used and produced
• Who does it?
• How is it supported?
• Which constraints do exist?

Question 9

Observation

Answer 9

The process engineer observes the process expert when actually performing a process

• Avoids biases introduced through interviews, but results might not be representative
• Very time consuming (thus costly) and intrusive
• A useful instance in practice: Attend group meetings

Collect additional information, verify findings of other elicitation techniques.

Question 10

Protocol Analysis

Answer 10

• The process expert is provided with forms
• Keeps track of all activities, decisions, and of events that occurred during the process.
• These forms are later analyzed to gain information about the process that has been followed.
• Can produce vast amounts of data, manual analysis can be very time consuming
• Usually less intrusive than direct observation

Can be used for complex processes with many process agents.

Question 11

Structuring techniques

Answer 11

• The process expert is asked to structure process related concepts in certain ways (e.g. card sorting)
• The results are analyzed

Assemble segments of a process model, i.e., information gathered from different sources or information about different entities into a coherent model:

• Solve conflicts
• Link views

Question 12

Analysis of (external) process documents

Answer 12

The process engineer analyses process ralted documents, e.g. standards, organization charts, project plans.

The information unists found are linked to the process model schema, and an initial process model is built.

Can be done in advance and ‘off-line’, i.e. the process experts need not to be consulted.

The resulting process model is usually fragmentary, and can differ strongly from the actual process.

Good starting point for any process modeling activity.

Question 13

Analysis of process artifacts

Answer 13

The process engineer analyses artifacts produced during process performance. major groups of artifacts are:

• Deliverables (including drafts)
• Information kept to manage the process (e.g. memos, minutes of meetings, timesheets, budget calculations)

Usually not sufficient to produce a comprehensive process model.

Supplementary to the analysis of process documents verify certain aspects or parts of a process.

Question 14

5. Process model verification and analysis

Answer 14

Statistc Process Model Analysis:

• Completeness
• Correctness
• Consistency
• Redundancies

Dynamic Process Model Analysis:

• Focuses on possible behaviors
• Process simulations can be used in addition

Question 15

6. Process analysis

Answer 15

High Risk Patterns

• High concentration of responsibilities in one position
• Dependencies across too many hierarchy levels
• Too many tasks in parallel
• An excessive number of feedback loops.