To continue our BPM training, today let's dig deeper in BPMN 2.0 more specific: activities, what is an activity in BPMN and how we can use it.

According to BPMN 2.0: an activity represents “Work that company or organization perform using business processes”

An activity is a rounded corner rectangle and named according to the work that has to be done.

There are two main types of activities in BPMN definition:

• Atomic
• Compounded

An atomic activity is defined as a task and represents an individual action in a process that doesn’t need to be broken down any further

A compound activity is defined as a sub process and represents work in a process that can be broken down to a final level of process model detail, a sub process can be represented in an expanded view that shows its details or in collapse view that hides its details.

Collapsed Sub Process Sample

A special type of activity is a call activity which references reused globally defined task or subprocess, call activity is represented with a thick border

  

Beside these main types of activities, BPMN 2.0 defines different behaviors and properties of activities which are visually annotated with standardized symbols.

For example a repeatable activity, a user performed a task, an automated task, and a transnational subprocess.

Following the Intro to Business Process as a Service post, I have composed a few slides to demonstrate what are the uses of BPaaS and its benefits.

I have selected SAP Localization Hub Tax as an example of how eCommerce sites in the MENA region can benefit from it.

Enjoy ...

BPaaS example: SAP Localization Hub Tax from Maen Mola

BPaaS

I was introduced to this term recently where it actually grabbed my attention as i have great interest in BPM. i started researching this topic and i got amazed of the findings. the most meaningful definition for me was found on Gartner IT glossary:

BPaaS Definition 

Gartner defines business process as a service (BPaaS) as the delivery of business process outsourcing (BPO) services that are sourced from the cloud and constructed for multitenancy. Services are often automated, and where human process actors are required, there is no overtly dedicated labor pool per client. The pricing models are consumption-based or subscription-based commercial terms. As a cloud service, the BPaaS model is accessed via Internet-based technologies.

So if i want to describe it in simple few words it's a BPMS hosted on the cloud, as any cloud service it has number of advantages so here are some advantages of moving business process management to the cloud:

• Decreased costs from not buying and maintaining servers to manage and coordinate business process.
• Increased mobility, by accessing the solution from any geographical point. This allows businesses the opportunity to grow and expand much faster.
• Scalability by allowing companies to add new processes without much infrastructural cost
• Reliable security
• Pay-as-you-go pricing model as most of services running on cloud.

Facts & Figures

The statistic shows the size of the cloud Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) market from 2008 to 2020. In 2017, the Business Process as a Service market is predicted to be worth around 6 billion U.S. dollars worldwide.

Examples

HANA CLOUD PLATFORM BUSINESS SERVICES one of many BPaaS providers

The second innovation announcement is about the new Business Process-as-a-Service (BPaaS) capabilities of the SAP HANA Cloud Platform (HCP). HCP is the cloud platform for business that can serve the entire ecosystem engaged in rebuilding and re-imagining all the new digital experiences.   These high-value business services offer developers agility and acceleration of building their business applications.  At this time we are announcing two of these services in the BPaaS space: SAP Hybris as a Service and SAP Tax-Calculation-as-a Service.

1. New SAP Hybris as a Service on SAP HANA Cloud Platform allows you to quickly set up and deliver eCommerce capabilities and customer loyalty programs. These include hybrid Commerce, hybrids Marketing and others.
2. New SAP Tax-Calculation-as-a-Service – is a RESTful API tax calculation microservice that automatically computes taxes anywhere in the world without the need of lawyers or the need to understand international tax law.

Check my post on BPaaS Example

Image from FPT Tech

BPMN: Business Process Modeling Notation.

Ever since i have started my career in software development i noticed that there was a huge need for a common language that needs to exist between business owners and software providers. flowcharts, UML diagrams, Use cases they all been there but still look very techy for business users. when i was introduced to BPMN i felt like this is it, this is the notation that can fill the gap between us & business users.

BPMN is designed to facilitate communication and understanding of business processes. the way all components are arranges in a process form, it makes it very easy for everyone to map a workflow.

BPMN provides a way to quickly diagram business functions.

Use it to draw a process graphically

The visual model will be translated quickly and easily into software that will run the process.
With BPMN, business people can define what they want, simply but with a high degree of precision; and IT professionals can communicate with each other and with business people about the model in a clear, common framework.

BPMN works for any kind of management, operation and support process.

By developing a model with BPMN, you can collaboratively improve communications with decision makers about the nature and health of a process; you can collaboratively initiate improvements – and you can collaboratively move toward automating those improvements.

Continue reading

For the past 3 or 4 years i have been presenting many BPMN diagrams in front of different business users which i know that they have never heard of BPMN before... and guess what they used to understand what the diagram shows, that's the beauty of BPMN its simple and everybody can understand it.

That simplicity comes from the fact that BPMN consists of 3 Main Elements:

• Event
• Activity
• Gateway

we can also add a fourth element which is the line that connects these elements known as Sequence Flow.
From the above elements we can have number of Sub-elements or what they are called: The Descriptive Conformance Sub-class, i will mention the most commonly used ones next.

Continue reading

Event Types in BPMN 2.0

• Start Event:As the name implies, the Start Event indicates where a particular Process will start.
• Intermediate Events: occur between a Start Event and an End Event. They will affect the flow of the Process, but will not start or (directly) terminate the Process.
• End Event:As the name implies, the End Event indicates where a Process will end.

Continue reading

Activities in BPMN 2.0

An Activity is work that is performed within a Business Process. An Activity can be atomic (a Task) or non-atomic (compound like sub-process). The types of Activities that are a part of a Process are: 

1. Task, 
2. Sub-Process, 
3. and Call Activity, which allows the inclusion of re-usable Tasks and Processes in the diagram. 

Activities represent points in a Process flow where work is performed. They are the executable elements of a BPMN Process.  

Continue reading

Activities in BPMN 2.0

An Activity is work that is performed within a Business Process. An Activity can be atomic (a Task) or non-atomic (compound like sub-process). The types of Activities that are a part of a Process are: 

1. Task, 
2. Sub-Process, 
3. and Call Activity, which allows the inclusion of re-usable Tasks and Processes in the diagram. 

Activities represent points in a Process flow where work is performed. They are the executable elements of a BPMN Process.  

Start again

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Today i had the chance to read an article by Talend that summarizes simple yet efficient strategies to a successful BPM implementations that i think its worth to share, and here is my review:
Business Process Management implementation has many immediate and long-term benefits, a poor start can jeopardize the overall success of the mission. The following steps and guidelines will help ensure the success of your organization's BPM implementation while minimizing the possibility of any potential setbacks.

1. Model How You Actually Work: When deploying BPM in your organization you must establish a starting point or what is known as AS-IS process/diagram of how people are currently working. moreover in order to determine which process to improve it is important to observe the realities of their environment.
   

Think Big, Start Small:

• It is best to start with a smaller, more easily manageable project that will produce measurable results while keeping the larger focus in mind.
• The first implementation should be one in which real improvement actually makes a difference to the organization.
• No one will be impressed if the first application of BPM results in "improvements" like better handling of useless or truly unimportant tasks.
  

Involve All Project Stakeholders: Who Should own the BPM Project? who are your major stakeholders?

• It is important that any BPM deployment integrates seamlessly into your organization's existing IT infrastructure, therefore IT gurus in your organization are one of the stakeholder roles.
• Business Users or Functional owners are the people who actually know how the process works.
• Lastly the end users who will eventually use the deployed application.

Choose the Tool Based on Needs

Choose a Champion to Lead the Way

Establish Milestones

Provide Deliverables Promptly

Encourage Collaboration

Measure Results Step-by-step

Use Professional Services When Necessary

For further reading you can download the article from Talend.com

This is a short interesting video for those who want to know What is BPM - Business Process Management?

Enjoy this Introductory video about BPM