BPMN 2.0 Now An ISO/IEC Standard (ISO/IEC 19510:2013)

If you are not aware, the OMG Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0 is now an official ISO/IEC standard (ISO/IEC 19510:2013) for modelling business process. It is definitely another milestone for the BPMN 2.0 and BPMN itself since its first release by BPMI in 2004. Read more on the history of BPMN.

Business Process - Enterprise Architecture View vs BPM View

When discussing business process, there is always the confusion on what constitutes a business process. This is not about the boundary of your process model. It is about whether the term "business process" is inclusive of human resource, finance, tools or even time. This article provides the key difference between process of Enterprise Architecture (EA) / Business Architecture (BA) and process based on Business Process Management (BPM).

Adopting BPM for Continuous Process Improvement - Part 2

Moving from the process improvement methods and the challenges in previous article, this article explores two of the building blocks for business process management (BPM) - organizational transformation and BPM technologies - particularly how BPM technologies support the effort in continuous process improvement. Again, as building blocks they are interdependent and work in synergy, not in isolation.

Adopting BPM for Continuous Process Improvement - Part 1

Business process improvement (BPI) aims at improving the effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability of the day-to-day business operation. BPI initiatives that focus on individual business function ignoring the end-to-end business process may end up having detrimental effect on the overall business performance. In addition, it is not uncommon to see BPI projects running in isolation to other business and technology transformation efforts. Such BPI initiatives could achieve short term improvement but a challenge to maintain and sustain continuous process improvement in the organization. The adoption of business process management (BPM), a collection of methods, policies, metrics, roles and technologies, is critical both as an operational and technology strategies to meet the dynamic environments business is in today. These methods, policies, metrics, roles and technologies can be grouped into four key categories of building blocks for adopting BPM – organisational transformation, process improvement, performance measurement, and BPM technologies. As building blocks, they are interdependent and work in synergy. This article explore one of these building blocks, the process improvement methods and the challenges.

Notations for Business Process (Part 2) - Flowchart, FFBD and IDEFØ

Having looked at RAD, EPC and BPMN process diagrams in previous article, let look at other graphical representations for business processes which are around for quite some times. They are definitely the ancestors of process flow diagrams but still well and popular.

Notations for Business Process (Part 1) - RAD, EPC and BPMN

In several discussions I have had about process modelling methods, the methods being discussed are the types of notation or graphical notation used to represent business processes. The notations are always a topic of contention among business process modellers and practitioners. This is the first article of a series attempting to show with simple examples some of the commonly used business process modelling notations.

Process Patterns (Part 4) - Multi Instances & Deferred Choice Patterns

This is Part 4 of a series of articles introducing the common process patterns depicted using BPMN 2.0 elements. It is the last part covering common patterns on multi instances process patterns and deferred choice pattern. The less common process patterns are not covered in the series.

Process Patterns (Part 3) - Structural Patterns

This is Part 3 of a series of articles introducing the common process patterns depicted using BPMN 2.0 elements. From the basic patterns in Part 1, advanced branching and synchronization patterns in Part 2, the article looks at the structural process patterns.

Process Patterns (Part 2) - Advanced Branching and Synchronization Patterns

This is Part 2 of a series of articles introducing the common process patterns depicted using BPMN 2.0 elements. From the basic patterns in Part 1, the article looks at the advanced branching and synchronization process patterns.

Process Patterns (Part 1) - Basic Patterns

This is Part 1 of a series of articles introducing the common process patterns depicted using BPMN 2.0 elements. The series will covers the various workflow patterns based on the Workflow Patterns research paper by Aalst, Hofstede, Kiepuszewski and Barros. The first part looks at the five basic process patterns.

BPMN 2.0 Models (Part 2) - Choreography Model and Conversation Model

Apart from the Collaborative Process model that is commonly used in business process modelling, BPMN 2.0 also introduces other types of models - Choreography diagram and Conversation diagram. This paper discusses the different types of models and how they can be used to compliment each other.

If you are not sure about the terms process, process definition, process model or workflow, suggest reading the article "Process, Process Model, Process Instance and Workflow?" first before continuing with this article.

Part 1 - Process Models and Process Collaboration Model
Part 2 - More BPMN Collaboration Models - Choreography Model and Conversation Model

BPMN 2.0 Models (Part 1) - Process Models and Process Collaboration Model

Apart from the Collaborative Process model that is commonly used in business process modelling, BPMN 2.0 also introduces other types of models - Choreography model and Conversation model. This paper discusses the different types of models and how they can be used to compliment each other.

If you are not sure about the terms process, process definition, process model or workflow, suggest reading the article "Process, Process Model, Process Instance and Workflow?" first before continuing with this article.

Part 1 - Process Models and Process Collaboration Model
Part 2 - More Collaboration Models - Choreography Model and Conversation Model

Process, Process Model, Process Instance and Workflow?

Humour:
"All processes must be executable," says the IT guy. "Aren't all processes working? Is there any process that doesn't work," the puzzled business manager asked.

Most of us would have no problem to grasp the concept of a "business process". However when used in conjunction with terms like "process model", "process instance" or even the word "process" itself, the conversation often get very muddy. Without giving any context, these terms are at times confusing especially where conversation is held between practitioners from different knowledge domains (perspectives). This paper illustrates the meaning of the terms when used in different perspectives and how they relate to each other.

Business Process Architecture - From Value Chain to Process

Business process architecture not only describes the functional decompositions of an enterprise value chains but also enables an understanding of value streams showing chains of cross functional end-to-end business processes and their value proposition to the enterprise’s strategies. The business process bpmarchitecture is critical in all business process modelling works whether the work is for process documentation or process automation. This paper describes the variety of business process frameworks available for adoption as an organisation’s business process architecture and using it as an instrument to provide an over-arching control on the process modelling works and more importantly linking the loose processes to the organisational strategies.

Using Extension Artefacts in BPMN Process Model

This paper explores the usage of extension artefacts in BPMN 2.0 process modelling. Extension artefacts are additional elements that can be used on a BPMN process model.

BPMN Process Model - Descriptive, Analytic (Operational) to Executable

It is often said that BPMN 2.0 is becoming too complicated comparing to 1.0 and 1.2, especially for business users and process modelers in general. The comprehensive notation set in BPMN 2.0, in fact, is one of its key benefits in comparison to its predecessors – the ability of the business process models to be executed on the process engines. Taking the appropriate method, BPMN 2.0 serves both as a practitioner’s notation for process design and modelling and process execution on process engine. The purpose of this paper is to explore the three levels method – descriptive, analytic and executable – in the process modelling to suit the business users, the business process practitioners and lastly the process engineers running the process model on a process engine.