The Business Process Modeling Notation - Research Paper Example

?Three Part Assignment Three Part Assignment Part One Question one The Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is an illustrating business processes method that is often presented in the form of diagrams that are similar to the flowchart. The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) initiated and developed the BPMN program. Notably, currently the Object Management Group (OMG) is maintaining it. The BPMN program provides a standard that facilitates the easy to read as a way of defining and analyzing public and private processes in the business entities (Brocke and Rosemann, 2010). That notation provided by the program is often readily understandable among the management personnel, developers, and analysts. The main initial aim was to reduce the communication gaps that usually exist among various organizational departments or within enterprises. Moreover, it helps to ensure that Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents are designed for the execution by diverse business processes and such processes must remain visualized within the common notations. The diagrams that are developed through the BPMN programs are often assembled from sets of core elements; hence, making it easy for non-technical and technical observers to evaluate and understand the process involved in any given management process. These underlying core or primary elements are often categorized into three main groups known as the flow object, swimlanes, and connecting objects. The flow objects are geometric figures including rectangles, circles, and diamonds that usually denote specific event and activities (Brocke and Rosemann, 2010). These elements in the flow objects are often interconnected with connecting objects that usually appear as dashes, solid, or dotted lines that sometimes include arrows that show process direction. On the hand, swimlanes are geometric signs that resemble lane lines that are found in the Olympic swimming pool bottom. They are often denoted as straight lines that usually run lengthwise in the rectangle marked or known as pool. The main function of the swimlanes is to organize the diverse flow of objects into categories of similar functionality (Brocke and Rosemann, 2010). Regardless of diverse properties of the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), it main function aims at simplifying the understanding of numerous and varied business processes. Question 2 Challenges Numerous businesses often face series of challenges especially when undergoing any form of organizational change since the business process improvement for businesses is sometimes inefficient. Nearly all the management process change often experiences a push back that might emerge through forms and criteria including prioritizing the work (Halpin, Selmin, Soffer, and Proper, 2011). The prioritizing the work often emerges when there are multiple opportunities thereby making it difficult for the management to identify the most vital opportunity to undertake. Additionally, the business may experience the avoiding scope creep as a challenge during an organizational process change. This often occurs when the change team veers away from the main or initial focus of the change being initiated. The management may also experience the getting engaged challenge. This often occurs when BPI has sponsored processes that in actual sense does not exist (Halpin, Selmin, Soffer, and Proper, 2011). There are numerous challenges that are often experienced by organizations when they are initiating or rolling changes in the organization or in an organizational process; therefore, the change team must determine and analyze the possible challenges towards effective change initiation and implementation. How Information Systems Support Business Process The circulation of information is quite vital for the operation and management of business processes. The computer based type of management information system often aims at reducing cost and increasing organizational information processing capabilities (Halpin, Selmin, Soffer, and Proper, 2011). The information systems often allow effective management and support operations of the main organs within the organization. The online operations usually increase the use of machines, interactive analysis, dialogue, planning, and organizational decision-making. Part Two Compare Business Process Methodologies Business methods or business processes are related to a collection of well-structured activities or tasks that are geared at producing specific products or services for particular customer or customer. In other words, they are activities that are aimed at achieving specific goals. Most of these activities are often structured and are visualized in flowcharts that give sequence of these activities as they interleave desired decision points. Alternatively, they often define specific process matrix that gives relevant data related to the described process or processes. There are usually three main types of business processes including management processes, operational processes, and supporting processes. The management processes often govern the operation and functions of the system. The typical management processes include strategic management and corporate governance. On the other hand, the operational processes are those processes that are considered as the core business of the systems and they usually lead or create the fundamental value stream. The typical operational processes include advertising and marketing, purchase, sales, and manufacturing. Finally, there are supporting processes are activities that usually support the core business processes. Some of the supporting activities include recruitment, accounting, technical support, and call centers among others. It should be noted any business process often commence with mission and objective and ends with the achievement of these goals and objectives. Any process-oriented organization often breaks down the structural department barriers towards evading functional silos. Understanding any process improvement methodology often serves as primary framework of understanding the ongoing, cylindrical nature of any process. Different methodology is defined within the set activities to be undertaken by a process. Part Three Strategy According to Michael Porter formulation, there are three types of strategies that are described according a category scheme that business often apply to maintain and achieve their competitive advantages (Eldring, 2009). The three Porter’s strategies include generic strategies that are defined within two dimensions including strategic strength and strategic scope. According to Porter, the strategic scope is the demand side of the dimension and it often looks at the composition and size of the market being targeted. The other dimension is the strategic strength that often forms the supply side of the dimension and it concentrates on core competency or the strength of the firm (Eldring, 2009). It should be noted that Porter defined these two competencies since he felt that they were the most important competencies in terms of product costs or efficiency and product differentiation. The United States has started working on its last phase of its strategy to ensure that most of its flights are operated within the profitable markets and 99 percent of its flights touch the hubs of carrier or the eastern shuttle routes (Eldring, 2009). The scope of this strategy follows the strategic scope that fulfils the demand side of the dimension since it concentrates on the composition and size of the market being targeted. Moreover, some part of the United States airline strategy follows the other dimension that is defined by the strategic strength that forms the supply side of the dimension and concentrates on core competency or the strength of the airline (Eldring, 2009). References Brocke, J. ., & Rosemann, M. (2010). Handbook on business process management: Introduction, methods and information systems. Berlin: Springer. Eldring, J. (2009). Porter's (1980) generic strategies, performance and risk: An empirical investigation with German data. Hamburg: Diplomica-Verl. Halpin, T. N., Selmin, K., J. Soffer, P., & Proper, E. (2011). Enterprise, Business-process and Information Systems Modeling: 12th International Conference, Bpmds 2011, and 16th International Conference, Emmsad 2011, Held at Caise 2011, London, Uk, June 20-21, 2011. Proceedin. Springer Verlag. Top of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More