S-BPM Illustrated: A Storybook about Business Process Modeling and Execution

Front matter

S-BPM Illustrated

Albert Fleischmann Stefan Raf Robert Singer

S-BPM Illustrated

Preface

This book shows how subject-oriented business process management (S-BPM) and its tools can be used in order to solve communication and synchronization problems of humans and/or machines in an organization.

This is a hands-on book. All the activities which are necessary to implement a business process are shown step by step. We start with analyzing the problem, continue with modeling and validating the corresponding process, and finish off by embedding the process into the organization. The final result is a workflow which executes the process without requiring any programming. In the first step a very simple process is implemented. This process is extended and improved in “adaption projects’, because additional problems have to be solved. This reflects reality where processes must always be changed and adapted to new requirements.

If you want to execute all the steps by yourself you can download the tool suite from the www.i2pm.net website. If you want to get more background information about S-BPM you can find it in the book “Subject-Oriented Business Process Management” which is available as a Springer Open Book. You can download it from Springers website’ for free.

‘There are many people in the background who helped in the production of this book. In particular, the authors wish to thank Metasonic AG for allowing use of their BPM suite, Udo Kannengiesser for proofreading the manuscript (all remaining errors are the authors), and last but not least Ralf Gerstner of Springer Verlag for his support and cooperation.

Graz, March 2013 Albert Fleischmann Stefan Raf Robert Singer

Contents

77 77 77 77 80 83 92

Contents

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Introduction

Subject-oriented Business Process Management (S-BPM) is different from current BPM approaches. In this chapter we want to explain what processes and Business Process Management are about and on which hidden paradigms current BPM approaches are based. Then we show how S-BPM is different to most of these approaches.

11 Business Processes and Business Process Management

In modern days, no successful company without processes exists. Large companies may even have hundreds of different processes. These processes can be remarkably simple with only one or two participants or highly complex with a dozen or even hundreds of participants. Processes use the company’s resources to produce a desired output that is of value for the company or its stakeholders (i. e., customers). This output, for instance, can bea service or a product (technical or otherwise). It is very important for companies to keep their processes as effective and efficient as possible; this is ensured through the use of Business Process Management (BPM). BPM uses many different methods and tools to identify, control, and improve a company’s processes.

A process is a structure consisting of logically connected tasks, operators, material expenses, and information. This includes a chronological, geographical, and quantitative definition. A process has a defined launch event (input) and result (output) with the goal of producing something of value for customers. The sum of all processes is the process organization.’

Processes must be continuously adapted to changing business environments. This should be done ina structured and well-defined way. This activity is called business process management which is, according to Fischermanns” and Roger T. Burlton’, a process in itself. This process has to be managed and controlled, to ensure continuous improvement of the organization’s performance (and therefore success). In Business Process Management the following activity bundles have to be executed: == Analyze a process = Model a process = Validate a process == Optimize a process = Embed a process into the organizational structure = Embed existing IT-Solutions into a process = Run and monitor instances of a process

! Dr, G. Fischermanns: Praxishandbuch Prozessmanagement, 6. Auflage, Gießen: Verlag Dr. Götz Schmidt 2006, p.12

? Dr. G. Fischermanns: Praxishandbuch Prozessmanagement, 6. Auflage, Gießen: Verlag Dr. Götz Schmidt 2006, p.26f.

° Roger T. Burlton: Business Process Management, Profiting from Processes, USA: Sams Publishing 2001

A. Fleischmann et al., S-BPM Illustrated, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-36904-9_1, © The Author(s) 2013