The company that I am working for has decided to adopt BPMN (Business Process Modelling Notation) for modelling their business processes. This is all very new to me as I am use to describing processes using plain english accompanied with simple flow charts which I find the business community can understand quite easily. BPMN uses a set of rules and notations for representing events, processes, tasks and data objects. Although the end result looks professional and impressive I wonder if the business community who have had no education in business process modelling will look at it and not fully understand the information and hence overlook things. These process maps will ultimately be signed off by the business users.
Does anyone have any experience with BPMN who could tell me the benefits they found with this approach and also what are the weaknesses? Also, is there an alternative to BPMN? Just curious.
Thanks. Saving Changes...
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Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Helen, in my over 20 years mapping business processes and discovering breakthrough improvement opportunities I have found that simple is better. Syntax creates complexity and reduces usability. You might find my books on HELIX, the methodology I have developed and refined since in 1979 to offer a proven alternative. I would be happy to send you a book with my compliments... just email me your address. [email protected] Saving Changes...
Hi Mike, I am interested in learning your HELIX approach as, I am also looking for alternatives to facilitative workshops and Visio diagrams as a result. I am tackling a QC LIMS project that involves many different user communities that have varying levels of documentation defining their current state business process. Getting to a starting point where they all have visibility into their respective business processes is my goal. Then we can move forward to vendor/product assessment, User Requirements, RFP's etc. Many thanks in advance, Joel Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Joel, if you email me your email address and postal address I will send you out a book and email you the slides I use in my week long workshop on PI. [email protected] Cheers Saving Changes...
Hi Helen, (a much delayed reply from me)
Just wanted to say that i am using BPMN. It is a latest standard specification from BMPG (now merged with OMG). It has been developed using most of the best practices from various business process modeling tools.
At this moment, though there are better representations than BPMN, my personal choice would be BPMN as it is much more than just representation. It can be used for process execution as well.
However, if you would like a process design tool, just for depiction purposes, use can use many tools/representations.
