Aleksei NikitinLead expert| Higher School of EconomicsSaint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
We are going to model all project management processes in the company (they are many and complex) using the visual modeling tool (eg Sparx). The main goal - to systemize the procedures, regulations, templates, finding directions to improve processes. The secondary goal is to select areas for automation. Do you have such experience? Will visual modeling help to systemize and improve the processes of project and portfolio management? Saving Changes...
Naveed RanaGM| ISB Global Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Aleksei,
The modeling is very helpful to identify the process improvement areas.
It will be helpful to model the process first, you may pick any one area and start as a pilot. In this pilot phase you will need to cover the complete aspects of the process. (Swim lane views in the modelers are helpful to highlight the cross functional engagements).
Your analysis of the pilot process at the analysis phase will be strong to identify the following:
1- flow of the process, 2- resources engaged in the process, 3- time required to complete a task, 4- transformation (impact of each stage) within a process is defined.
Simulating what-if scenario will help improvise the processes. Once the process improvement is achieved, you can publish the process.
Surely with the help of the modeler you can achieve benefits in project management as these are frameworks of processes.
...
2 replies by Aleksei Nikitin
Jul 16, 2018 11:51 AM
Aleksei Nikitin
...
Thanks
Jul 19, 2018 6:52 AM
Aleksei Nikitin
...
Naveed, thanks again. But do You have the experience of creating such a model in big organization? Is it worth it?
Saving Changes...
Aleksei NikitinLead expert| Higher School of EconomicsSaint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
Jul 16, 2018 11:31 AM
Replying to Naveed Rana
...
Aleksei,
The modeling is very helpful to identify the process improvement areas.
It will be helpful to model the process first, you may pick any one area and start as a pilot. In this pilot phase you will need to cover the complete aspects of the process. (Swim lane views in the modelers are helpful to highlight the cross functional engagements).
Your analysis of the pilot process at the analysis phase will be strong to identify the following:
1- flow of the process, 2- resources engaged in the process, 3- time required to complete a task, 4- transformation (impact of each stage) within a process is defined.
Simulating what-if scenario will help improvise the processes. Once the process improvement is achieved, you can publish the process.
Surely with the help of the modeler you can achieve benefits in project management as these are frameworks of processes.
Thanks Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
I have used Sparx product and now I am using ARIS. The tool does not matter for the point of view of functions/process/procedures. You can use MS Word with sucess without problem (I did that).
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1 reply by Aleksei Nikitin
Jul 19, 2018 6:49 AM
Aleksei Nikitin
...
Sergio, thanks a lot for Your reply.
ARIS is the good alternative. I don't think Word is an option here, as we have hundreds of interconnecting processes and subprocesses, as well as artifacts and different outcomes.
But leaving aside the tool, I want to be sure that the huge work of modelling and approving (and moreover keeping the models up to date) will not be a waste. Unfortunately I haven't ever seen the organiztion with the detailed visual model of project management processes. Only packs of text rules documents, which are pretty unsystemized and hard to understood.
We are in the early stages of modelling our own internal project management approval processes. At the moment we are just using MS Power Point and MS Visio, but we'll move to another platform once the proof of concept is completed and approved. This is being done to replace a 200 plus page directive which is difficult for most to follow. Saving Changes...
RAJESH K LProject Manager, PMP| Bharat Electronics, Bengaluru, IndiaBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Agree with Sergio Saving Changes...
Tamer Zeyad SadiqAssistant Cost Manager| Turner & TownsendRiyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
Agreed with Naveed Saving Changes...
Aleksei NikitinLead expert| Higher School of EconomicsSaint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
Jul 16, 2018 2:38 PM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
...
I have used Sparx product and now I am using ARIS. The tool does not matter for the point of view of functions/process/procedures. You can use MS Word with sucess without problem (I did that).
Sergio, thanks a lot for Your reply.
ARIS is the good alternative. I don't think Word is an option here, as we have hundreds of interconnecting processes and subprocesses, as well as artifacts and different outcomes.
But leaving aside the tool, I want to be sure that the huge work of modelling and approving (and moreover keeping the models up to date) will not be a waste. Unfortunately I haven't ever seen the organiztion with the detailed visual model of project management processes. Only packs of text rules documents, which are pretty unsystemized and hard to understood.
...
1 reply by Sergio Luis Conte
Jul 19, 2018 7:03 AM
Sergio Luis Conte
...
You are welcome. Before Sparx we use for years MS Word and Visio. In fact, just few time ago we migrated all we have to other tools. I will say what helped me from years: 1-understand the difference between process and procedure. Procedure is the script you run into each "box" or the process and it might be described in textual. To describe it we use columns to put what/when/who/how the procedure is run. 2-we use an "achitectural" approach based on decomposition trying to maintain low coupling and high cohesion. 3-we use a hyperlanguage approach. Hyperlanguage is the equivalence to HTML "mode" to see things into a website BUT you have to desing the architecture in advance. For example, how much "clicks" a person must perform to find what they need to find.
Saving Changes...
Aleksei NikitinLead expert| Higher School of EconomicsSaint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
Jul 16, 2018 11:31 AM
Replying to Naveed Rana
...
Aleksei,
The modeling is very helpful to identify the process improvement areas.
It will be helpful to model the process first, you may pick any one area and start as a pilot. In this pilot phase you will need to cover the complete aspects of the process. (Swim lane views in the modelers are helpful to highlight the cross functional engagements).
Your analysis of the pilot process at the analysis phase will be strong to identify the following:
1- flow of the process, 2- resources engaged in the process, 3- time required to complete a task, 4- transformation (impact of each stage) within a process is defined.
Simulating what-if scenario will help improvise the processes. Once the process improvement is achieved, you can publish the process.
Surely with the help of the modeler you can achieve benefits in project management as these are frameworks of processes.
Naveed, thanks again. But do You have the experience of creating such a model in big organization? Is it worth it?
...
1 reply by Naveed Rana
Jul 19, 2018 7:47 AM
Naveed Rana
...
I have suggested in my previous comment the approach that may be help you to carry out the modelling.
I have experience of modelling the processes of a large enterprise. We used IBM WebSphere Modeler tool (basic level). The tool was helpful to run what-if scenarios (through simulation as well)..
Our main purpose was the Business Process Re-engineering to identify the future projects and opportunities for the organization. And incorporate those improved processes within the enterprise applications of the organization.So it was not the tool only but a part of the project..
However we did not go for the publisher as there were various enterprise level applications to perform the automation.
In your scenario you seem to have more focus on the automation. Once you define the resources and transitions of the state of the artifacts (e.g. one guy fills in a form, other guy either approves or rejects, then these approvals ad rejections require different handling of the form) within the processes you can go for the automated workflow using the publisher.
I would suggest you to give it a try as a pilot run (small scale) to check the feasibility in your organization. Once you do the pilot run you have the liberty to choose based on the facts.
Please do not let the tool drive you , see if you want the tool or not?
If I say all the financial statements can be done in Excel, would you still use ERP or not?
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Jul 19, 2018 6:49 AM
Replying to Aleksei Nikitin
...
Sergio, thanks a lot for Your reply.
ARIS is the good alternative. I don't think Word is an option here, as we have hundreds of interconnecting processes and subprocesses, as well as artifacts and different outcomes.
But leaving aside the tool, I want to be sure that the huge work of modelling and approving (and moreover keeping the models up to date) will not be a waste. Unfortunately I haven't ever seen the organiztion with the detailed visual model of project management processes. Only packs of text rules documents, which are pretty unsystemized and hard to understood.
You are welcome. Before Sparx we use for years MS Word and Visio. In fact, just few time ago we migrated all we have to other tools. I will say what helped me from years: 1-understand the difference between process and procedure. Procedure is the script you run into each "box" or the process and it might be described in textual. To describe it we use columns to put what/when/who/how the procedure is run. 2-we use an "achitectural" approach based on decomposition trying to maintain low coupling and high cohesion. 3-we use a hyperlanguage approach. Hyperlanguage is the equivalence to HTML "mode" to see things into a website BUT you have to desing the architecture in advance. For example, how much "clicks" a person must perform to find what they need to find. Saving Changes...
Naveed RanaGM| ISB Global Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Jul 19, 2018 6:52 AM
Replying to Aleksei Nikitin
...
Naveed, thanks again. But do You have the experience of creating such a model in big organization? Is it worth it?
I have suggested in my previous comment the approach that may be help you to carry out the modelling.
I have experience of modelling the processes of a large enterprise. We used IBM WebSphere Modeler tool (basic level). The tool was helpful to run what-if scenarios (through simulation as well)..
Our main purpose was the Business Process Re-engineering to identify the future projects and opportunities for the organization. And incorporate those improved processes within the enterprise applications of the organization.So it was not the tool only but a part of the project..
However we did not go for the publisher as there were various enterprise level applications to perform the automation.
In your scenario you seem to have more focus on the automation. Once you define the resources and transitions of the state of the artifacts (e.g. one guy fills in a form, other guy either approves or rejects, then these approvals ad rejections require different handling of the form) within the processes you can go for the automated workflow using the publisher.
I would suggest you to give it a try as a pilot run (small scale) to check the feasibility in your organization. Once you do the pilot run you have the liberty to choose based on the facts.
Please do not let the tool drive you , see if you want the tool or not?
If I say all the financial statements can be done in Excel, would you still use ERP or not? Saving Changes...
