Model & Analyze Business Processes
   
Model and Analyze Business Processes  
   
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Business process analysis is any activity that helps you understand how a business unit fulfills its mission. Since every process requires resources, a common analysis approach is to focus on a single resource such as time, information usage, cost, or such. The analysis requires specific techniques that let you easily evaluate how effectively the business process utilizes the chosen resource and how to make it better.
     
Business process analysis
  shows everyone how what they do impacts other departments
  enables quick fixes that work the first time
  focuses on interaction between departments
  makes the impact of proposed changes visible to all involved parties
  generates ownership of the business processes
  establishes a baseline of how things work today
  creates a picture of how things should work in the future
 
         
 
 

When should you analyze business processes?
   
Business process analysis is a critical component of business process reengineering or any other approach that changes how a process works. Business process analysis ensures that all business problems are addressed and reduces the risk of eliminating the benefits of existing processes. These techniques are extremely useful anytime a process is not working the way it should. Use them to quickly identify, evaluate and implement short-term solutions that work right the first time.  
 
 

Who should analyze business processes?
   
Business analysts, system analysts and managers are primarily responsible for analyzing business processes. People who work in the individual processes have to be involved to make it successful.  
       
 
 

Core Training for Business Systems Analysts
   1-20 : How to Model, Analyze, and Improve Business Processes
 

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   2-20 : How to Jump-Start Requirements Gathering with User Stories
 

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   4-10 : Business Analysis and Requirements Gathering Blitz
 

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analysis skills
         
 
       
 
Analyze Business Problems
Gather Prioritized Requirements
Model Business Data
Design Business Architecture
Develop Quick Fixes
Engineer Business Processes
Evaluate Potential Solutions
Engineer Test Data
Execute Tests
Plan Testing Activities
 
 

Requirements Solutions Group offers training as well as web-based and on-site consulting services to support a wide range of activities within the system development life cycle all targeted exclusively to the Business Analyst, Requirements Engineer and the Subject Matter Expert.

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Myers' Rigorous Physical Diagram

A rigorous physical diagram is a drawing of how various units within an organization exchange information.

The diagram shows data and physical material movements.

It uses only two symbols - the circle and the arrow.
You can use it to establish the impact that a proposed change will have on the various units.

To Draw a Rigorous Physical Model:

  • Define all the persons or places which are part of the situation.
  • Draw a circle for each of these.
  • Use arrows to show the physical material or information exchanged by these units.
  • Label all circles and arrows.
  • Get customer agreement before proceeding!
 

Timing Analysis

Many system problems are the result of timing anomalies or clashes. Identifying timing constraints is an important step in process analysis.  
   
   

Timing analysis can establish timing desires and constraints.

Timing constraints are usually imposed from outside your system area.

The results of timing analysis should help you recognize timing related problems and express performance requirements that any solution has to meet.

Timing Analysis Consists of Determining and Documenting:

  • What is the minimum and maximum duration of each process?
  • When does the input it needs arrive at the earliest and latest?
  • When is the output available at the earliest and the latest?