Business process modeling. Online business process modeling: an effective solution in CRM

Tutorial

Process optimization has a difficult fate. In the mid-2000s, it was even forbidden to mention this word, as it was compromised by the implication of useless activity. Until now, people try to use synonyms like reengineering, improvement, performance, etc. However, improving efficiency is one of the goals of business process management activities. The basis for optimization is the result of analysis of data about the environment and content of the process. If it is not possible to collect statistical data (for example, when designing a new process), they are generated by power supply simulators.
In one of the previous posts on Habré, I talked about the online business process simulation modeling service bpsimulator.com. Today we will try to use it to solve specific task to improve operational efficiency, for example, the bank’s retail lending process.

Optimization goal

One of the mistakes is to start optimization for the sake of optimization, but we are like that, we have an introductory one: next to the bank branch, a point of sale of a competing bank has opened, offering a similar product. The technology and product cannot be changed; it is necessary to reduce the time from the moment of application to the issuance of a loan to create a competitive advantage.

Business process data collection

First, you need to collect data on the necessary functions, their sequence and performers:
List of functions
1. “Completing a loan application” is performed by the “Operator” in 15-30 minutes
2. “Data verification” is performed by “Verifier” in 5-15 minutes
3. “Risk Identification” performs “Scoring (automatically)” in 1 minute
4. “Security Security Check” is performed by a “Security Security Officer” in 10-15 minutes
5 “Decision making” is performed by the “Credit Manager” in 5-10 minutes, approval rate (Approval Rate) AR=0.1
6. “Informing the client” is performed by the “Call Center Operator” in 5 minutes
7. "Failure Notification" completes "SMS Gateway (Automatic)" in 30 seconds
8. “Loan processing” is performed by the “Operator” in 10-20 minutes
9. “Depositing funds” performs “ABS (automatically)” in 1 minute
Composition of organizational structures
1. Operations officer: 2 employees in 10 additional offices
2. Verifier: 6 employees in the branch
3. Security officer: 10 employees per branch
4. Credit manager: 5 employees in the branch
5. CC operator: 2 CC employees
External factors
1. An average of 32 visitors visit the department per day, evenly throughout the working day

Visitors do not move evenly, the operator has a dozen more tasks on other processes, tasks are distributed to the verifier only once a day, AR depends on the product, the second operator is going on maternity leave, etc. This is extremely important for the next step, but today we will learn with a simple example.

Visual modeling of a business process

We go to the service, launch the application and select the Russian language and create a new model. By right-clicking on the name, change it to “1.0.0 Retail lending in the bank OJSC AKB “XXX”.

This will seem reasonable later when colleagues see your monitor screen.

The only thing that is currently in the workspace is the control panel with sections: Model, Design, Simulation and View. In the Design section, click “Add generator” - this is a task generator, in our case it is a generator of bank visitors who want to apply for a loan. Nearby is also the “Add function” button; we will need 9 of them. Let’s place these objects on the model sequentially from top to bottom with the mouse.
Each object has an “entrance” - top part and “exit” - bottom. To connect objects, click on the “+” in the “output” area of the higher-level object and then on the “+” of the lower-level object (or any other). This will create a connection with an arrow from the output of one object to the input of another.

When you double click on an object, its properties window will open. There you need to change the default values to the data that we collected about the process.

To change the position of the performer, you need to double-click on the line with the resource (marked with number 3 in the figure). The Resource Manager window will open. The name of the position must be changed and click on the “Save resource” checkbox, then the name will change in all functions where it is involved this specialist. For the “Loan Processing” function, you need to select the “Operator” we have already created in the drop-down list, and delete the extra line. At the end of the simulation, the “Resource Management” window looks like this (I deleted one unused automatically created position):

The “Decision Making” function must have two outputs, one for the “Informing” function, and the second for “Refusal Notification”. Thus, at the output of this function, a rule for distributing the progress of the process is formed, a logical “OR” (either a positive decision on the loan will be made and the client must be invited to the office -10%, or it will be enough to inform the client about a negative decision -90%). The function properties should look like this:

Let’s call the generator “Customer Application”; in the “Working Hours” section, by double-clicking on the line “09:00-18:00” you can edit the number of clients during the working day.
This is where the modeling stage usually ends; our model looks like this:

Model will be tested for correctness, but does not pass the adequacy test. Our branch middle office employees service requests from 9 more branches, and this must be modeled to obtain adequate results.

You can, of course, merge all the tellers into one abstract department, but then if three visitors come to the office with two tellers, the latter will stand in line for service, and in the abstract additional office he will be “received” by a free specialist from another city. But if you divide the number of branch employees by the number of branches, it will be ridiculous and not adequate.
It is also possible to duplicate the generators and operator functions on the model 9 more times; it will be clear, but cumbersome.

Let’s add another task generator with the name “Filling out an application in another subsidiary” and the number of tasks 32 * 9 = 288 during the working day. The output of the generator will be fed to the input of the “Data Verification” function. Between informing the client and applying for a loan, it is necessary to install a filter so that applications from the second generator do not go to one branch. Let’s place the “Control Point” object from the “Design” section between them and in its properties you need to click “Allow” for the generator with the name “Customer Application” - only those requests that this operator filled out will go further. The final model looks like:

Now you can launch.

Business process simulation

On the toolbar in the “Simulation” section, click “Start” - the simulation will begin, the numbers on the model objects will reflect the state of the process on a time scale: 1 second of real time is equal to 1 minute of process time. The simulation will stop after a day of process time, i.e. in 24 minutes of real. This is a long time, so you can press the next button “Accelerate” - then it will take only 24 seconds to calculate the day. At the end of the simulation, we will have collected all the data on the state of the process, tasks, functions and employee workload during the entire period of the simulation.

Business process analysis

In the “View” section of the toolbar there is a button to open the “Statistics” window, in which graphs of the process state are located in tabs. Since our goal is to reduce the time it takes to complete tasks, we look at the “Tasks” tab:

The average operating time is about an hour. We will need to somehow reduce this value. The first thing that comes to mind is to increase the number of employees in the busiest areas. On the “Person” tab. resources“ it is clear that verifiers are working to the limit of their strength.

In the “View” section of the toolbar there is a “Resources” button to open the “Resource Manager” window, let’s increase the number of verifiers from 6 to 8 people (don’t forget to click the save resource checkbox)

The operating time for working on tasks has remained virtually unchanged, but verifiers now have too much free time. This means that you need to dig in a different direction, for example, at the execution time of a critical function. The “Data Verification” function has a maximum execution time of 15 minutes, three times longer than the minimum 5 minutes. What if we can reduce the maximum verification time to 10 minutes? To test the hypothesis, let’s return the number of verifiers to -6, and set the execution time of the “Data Verification” function to 6-10 minutes. Let's start the simulation.

Operating time decreased by 15 minutes, i.e. by 25%, and on some runs this result reaches 50%, which is the fact that it makes sense to carry out further optimization at the level of a specific function.

Conclusion

As you can see, to start using and obtaining practical results from simulation modeling, easily accessible data, a simple tool and non-professional qualifications are enough. Everyone will be able to solve their own problems of optimizing business processes, testing hypotheses for making changes, and normalizing the number of personnel. If you are interested in what the rest of the function settings fields are needed for and in what cases they need to be used, you can look at

The material was prepared by specialists of the company "Abis Soft"

How to make a choice

Before you start choosing software, you need to answer three main questions:

1. What do you need to describe?

2. To what extent do you need to describe?

3. How will execution be monitored?

When answering the first question, you should determine which areas of the control system you are going to describe, whether it is necessary comprehensive description the entire system.

The answer to the second question should give an idea of whether the management system will be described for an individual business, a division, or for the entire organization as a whole.

The third question will determine the restrictions that may be imposed on the software product so that its integration with the executive system can be carried out in the future.

Having answers to these questions, you can significantly narrow the range of possible software products.

Possibility of multi-user work,
Methods for presenting results
Interface and ergonomics,
Availability of documentation and technical support,
Hardware and software requirements,
Price.

Without claiming to be the ultimate truth, the authors of the review offer some options for evaluating the products reviewed.

1. If the company has already developed a strategy and needs to control it, then from the foreign products discussed in the article, for this the best way suitable solution Hyperion Performance Scorecard, represented Oracle.

2. If the main emphasis is on the business processes taking place in the company, then the company’s product is optimal IBM - IBM WebSphere Business Modeler.

(It is necessary to clarify that the choice of software from manufacturers such as IBM, Oracle, SAP, determined by choice ERP- systems of the corresponding manufacturer. Their business modeling software is subsystems of complex products.)

3. Of the Russian products, it is most advisable to use INTALEV: Corporate navigator, if you need to make a description of the entire company (holding) as a whole, and not just a separate business unit (division or branch).

Information was obtained from representatives of manufacturers in the Russian Federation or from official websites of manufacturers.

ARIS Business Performance Edition.

Implemented by the system IBM Rational ClearCase

1. ARIS Express http://www.ariscommunity.com/aris-express - a tool for modeling business processes, quite easy to install and use, so that it can be used by both novice users and university students.This product belongs to the ARIS (ARchitecture of Integrated Information Systems) family of modeling tools from IDS Scheer (now part of Software AG), widely represented on Russian market, localized several years ago and even provided with Russian-language technical support. The ARIS (ARchitecture of Integrated Information Systems) family of products produced by IDS Scheer includes not only tools for modeling business processes and publishing models, but also integrated tools for developing a balanced scorecard system, assessing and optimizing the cost of business processes, their simulation modeling, tools that simplify the implementation of ERP systems, the design of distributed applications and IT infrastructure, as well as tools for monitoring the execution of business processes. Leading analytical companies Gartner Group and Forrester Research classify IDS Scheer as one of the leaders in the global market for business process modeling and analysis tools.

2. Bizagi Process Modeler http://www.bizagi.com/- free software for creating process diagrams and documentation in BPMN standard notation.

3. Business Studio http://www.businessstudio.ru/- a business modeling system from a domestic manufacturer, allowing companies to speed up and simplify the development of their management system and the implementation of a quality management system. There is a free version. Main tasks to be solved:
- Formalization of the strategy and control of its achievement
- Design and optimization of business processes
- Design of organizational structure and staffing
- Formation and distribution of regulatory documentation among employees
- Implementation of a quality management system in accordance with ISO standards
- Formation of Technical Specifications and support for the implementation of information systems

4. AllFusion Process Modeler http://www.ca.com/ru/default.aspx- Allows you to describe, analyze and model a data model - a builder of meta-data models. It occupies one of the leading positions in its market segment.
Includes three standard methodologies: IDEF0 (functional modeling), DFD (data flow modeling) and IDEF3 (work flow modeling).

5. IBM WebSphere Business Modeler http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/us/en/modeler.. - complex remedy with a convenient user interface, designed to simulate and organize collaboration between both production and IT personnel.
-Fast and seamless integration of modeling, workflow and simulation functions.
-Simulation based on data from the warehouse, change reports and real-time performance evaluation tools.
-Monitoring of work processes via the Internet using a standard browser.

6. Review of programs for modeling business processes ELMA http://www.elma-bpm.ru/- Russian development. The business process management system is based on a simple idea: you are building a model of your company’s business processes using visual diagrams (BPMN notation), upload these descriptions into computer system ELMA, and the program allows you to track the execution of processes in real practice work of the enterprise. There is a free version.
In addition to managing sequential tasks that are beneficial to automate, there is a project management module. Existing system control (including through the KPI management module) and reports creates optimal conditions for working in a team, including remotely (especially valuable for branches).
Electronic document management is connected to all modules of the system and provides storage and classification of documents. This saves significant time and reduces the concept of an “irreplaceable worker” to a minimum.
Accounting for clients and access rights has been resolved in the CRM module: an integration function with call centers has appeared. For the average user, ELMA can be useful as an alternative to internal corporate mail and a task management tool.

7. Fox Manager Business Processes

Business process management systems came to Russia from the West, where this class of programs is called BPMS (Business Process Management System) or BPM systems. The main goal of these systems is to provide software support for the concept of process management of an organization.

The operation of a business process management system is based on a simple idea: at the stage of system implementation, the organization's business processes are modeled using visual diagrams.

Then these diagrams are loaded into a computer system and become executable, that is, the program allows you to track and control the execution of business processes in the actual practice of the enterprise.

This approach allows us to bring the actual implementation of business processes in an organization as close as possible to their ideal model, which was originally developed.

ELMA application BPM implements the BPM concept, which allows you to build flexible adaptive information systems that can quickly change along with changes in the company's business processes. Using the ELMA BPM application, you can bring order to an organization’s business processes and make their implementation clear and formal.

The ELMA BPM application has a huge number of capabilities, but all system functions can easily be divided into four groups according to stages life cycle(Deming cycle) of the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) process.

Design (modeling) of business processes

Working with business processes in the ELMA BPM application begins with their modeling. Business process modeling is carried out in the ELMA Designer program, included in the ELMA system. ELMA Designer has a simple and intuitive graphical interface.

An important point is that the design of business processes can be performed by a business analyst without the participation of a programmer. The ELMA program describes the process in diagramming language (bpm), which is familiar to an analyst and understandable to the top management of an organization.

The business process diagram identifies the participants in the process, the set of their actions and their sequence. The diagram itself (graphical model) of a business process is built by dragging the necessary blocks of operations from the palette with the mouse, then the operations are connected by transitions.

The functioning of the ELMA BPM application is based on the generally accepted notation for describing business processes BPMN. As of today, the latest version of the BPMN notation is number 2.0. ELMA specialists translated the notation into Russian.

After the graphical model of the business process is built, the data with which work is carried out within the business process is determined, and the operations of the business process are configured. For example, in the case of user tasks, it is determined what data the performer works with, what data he must provide to complete the task, and what actions he must perform.

Modeling a business process in ELMA Designer ends with its publication, after which the business process is compiled and becomes available for launch in the ELMA BPM web application.

Business Process Modeling
Data moves within a business process

Execution of business processes

Once the business process model is published, it becomes available for execution. The system can simultaneously run any number of instances of the same business process - they will all be executed independently, using basically the same model.

ELMA automatically sets tasks

Minimum required set of data on the task card of the ELMA BPM platform

The execution of a business process is carried out in accordance with its graphical model - starting from the start event, following the chain of transitions, to the final event. In this case, the application will automatically generate lists of tasks that employees must perform. Tasks are assigned to users only at the moment when the progress of the business process has reached the corresponding step.

Tasks received by users as part of the execution of business processes are formatted in the ELMA web application in the form of separate pages (task card), which contain all the information necessary for the performer to make a decision and complete the task.

The performer may be required to enter some data - in this case, the task card will contain the corresponding fields, the filling of which may be mandatory if necessary. That is, the user always performs all the work assigned to him in one place - on the task card; here he receives all the resources necessary for this.

Also, after completing his order, the user should not think about who should perform what actions within the framework of this business process - the ELMA BPM application takes care of these issues.

All tasks that do not require the work of real employees of the organization are performed automatically by the ELMA BPM application almost instantly: determining the progress of a business process (including according to some conditions), sending messages, executing scripts, etc.

Control and monitoring of business processes

For each instance of a running process, a process instance card is created. The process instance card contains comprehensive information about it: current parameter values, user comments and questions, current tasks being performed, their performers and statuses, etc.

From the process instance card, a user with the appropriate rights can control the progress of its execution. For example, you can make changes to the execution parameters of a business process or stop its execution altogether.

The ELMA BPM application provides convenient tools for monitoring the progress of processes and monitoring the execution of tasks within these business processes. System users have several tools at their disposal.

The “My Processes” page contains a list of all process instances that relate to the current system user: business processes in which the user is the initiator, responsible or executor. To find the required process instance, you can use the convenient filter on the “My Processes” page. Having found the required process instance in the list, you can go to its card.

The “Process Monitor” page is used to analyze work by process: this section displays the types of processes in which the user is the owner, curator or informant. The current user may not be a direct participant in the processes presented on the page, but he can view information about the execution of these processes.

From the Process Monitor page, you can go to the card of any of the displayed processes to get detailed information about the process.

Another convenient means of monitoring the execution of processes is to view its map. The process map in the ELMA BPM application web interface looks the same as the graphical model of this process in ELMA Designer, but since it displays an already running process, the map contains additional notes. Thus, already completed operations are outlined in a blue frame, completed transitions are outlined in thick lines, and the currently running operation is outlined in a thick green frame.

Thus, you can find out not only which tasks in the process are performed in this moment, but also the previous move according to which the process was executed. You can view the process map at any time from the process instance card.

However, the manager will not need to manually monitor the progress of processes. So, if the tasks are overdue by the executor, his manager will receive appropriate notifications calling for intervention in the progress of the process.

In addition, managers will be able to monitor tasks related to the processes of their subordinates standard means monitoring performance discipline.

It is always clear at what stage the business process is

For any action in the business process management system, you can enter a time schedule

The business process monitor shows the situation “In general”

Business Process Optimization

While working with a business process, employees of an organization may accumulate a large number of rational proposals and ideas for improving the business process, especially immediately after its implementation. These proposals can really be useful and, with proper refinement of the business process, can improve the efficiency of the organization.

Business processes change along with the company

Tasks received by users as part of the execution of business processes are formatted in the web interface information system ELMA BPM in the form of separate pages (task card), which contain all the information necessary for the performer to make a decision and complete the task.

For example, a manager decided that the “Creating an estimate” operation would be better performed by the Commercial Director rather than the Sales Manager (this may be due to the peculiarities of the organization’s work). The ELMA BPM application allows you to change a process in a running system (neither a programmer nor a system stop is needed for this) and apply the changes immediately. After the process is executed taking into account the changes made, you can immediately evaluate the effectiveness of the adjustments made.

The system structure includes the following functional areas:

business process management
Electronic archive
KPI indicator system

Modeling

Business processes are modeled in the system web interface in a business process card. To do this, the user is offered a set of simple block diagrams:

The resulting graphical diagram of the business process with all the performers and related procedures is displayed in the process card:

Each point (stage) of the business process is assigned a specific set of attributes (details), including the name, indication of performers, document type:

The next step in building the logic of a business process is setting up its details:

Metrics can be collected manually and through business processes.
When the process starts, the responsible user receives the corresponding task:

Changes to existing processes can be made on the fly. It is enough to simply delete or add new blocks to the graphical process model.

Typical processes can be configured for regular execution automatically:

Control and Analytics Dashboards

The manager is provided with consolidated reporting on all company performance indicators:

Process analysis using metrics

A summary of all types of business processes of the company, indicating the number of running instances and their statuses, planned and actual time indicators, is presented in the process execution report:

Also, reporting on process statuses can be displayed graphically. The status of operations (tasks) in the process is marked using color:

The influence of KPIs of employees and departments on general results The company can be seen in the example of such an element as calculated indicators.

Calculated indicators are total values consisting of a number of key indicators using a special formula. For example, to calculate the value of “Finance”, the indicators “Sales Volume” and “Marginal Profit” are added:

The terms of this formula can be flexibly adjusted for each calculated indicator.
The relationship between the calculated indicator and the KPI is shown graphically in the Manager's Dashboard.

The presentation model can be customized for a specific user.

General impression of the system

The “Process Management” solution based on 1C: Enterprise 8 provides an extensive set of tools for building company business processes. There is also graphics editor, and tools for monitoring/improving business processes, and custom panels for visually displaying indicators.

KPI here is not just an optional “add-on”, but an element of controlling the company’s process model.

All this is implemented with the scrupulousness inherent in the 1C line products. For example, the construction of each stage of the process chain requires entering a large amount of related data.

ELMA BPM Suite

ELMA is a BPM class system and at the same time a platform for developing modules and solutions aimed at various aspects of business. The ELMA-based KPI module is used to visually display employee performance indicators, which are considered in relation to the company’s strategic goals.

A complete business solution that combines BPM functionality, process metrics, strategy management tools and staff motivation tools is offered in the ELMA BPM Suite.
Let's look at what functionality the developer provides as part of this package.