WILLIAM G. SMITH & ASSOCIATES INFORMATION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SEMINARS AND CONSULTING "CLEANING UP THE WORLD'S DATA MESSES"

FUNCTIONAL/PROCESS MODELING TECHNIQUES

Any enterprise which desires to improve the way it works, to work smarter, not harder, to out-compete its competitors must confront the question "How must we change what we do today?". This question leads to the question "Exactly what do we do today??" In most enterprises, the only viewable representation of the enterprise is the organizational chart, and it is not, nor was ever intended to be a description of "what we do around here". A functional model is the management tool for grasping the entirety of "what we do", eliminating redundant or superfluous work, anticipating what the enterprise will need to do in the future, and defining/designing changes of "what we do". This type of model is very simply a basic tool for managing any enterprise, and more importantly, for managing change in any enterprise.

This skill-building seminar teaches different techniques for constructing, maintaining, and utilizing such a model. These techniques can be used on a large scale (eg., the entire enterprise), or on a more limited subset of the enterprise. Alternative techniques, for different levels of detail or modeling objectives, are presented along with the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. Variations of form and contents of process models constructed for different purposes are also described. A step-by-step method for attacking specific business process problems is presented.

Workshops ensure that students acquire useful functional/process modeling skills.

TOPICAL OUTLINE

• IRM Concepts
  • IRM Approach vs. Traditional "Dis-integrated Systems" Approach
  • Data and Process Orthogonality
  • IRM-land vs. Dis-integrated System-land
    • Information Resource Categories and Management Objectives
    • The IRM View
    • IRM Critical Success Factors
• Introduction to Modeling
  • Model Types and Inter-relationships
  • Global Modeling Context
• Modeling a Large Domain: Functional Business Model
  • Purpose, Form and Content of Functional Model
  • Functional Modeling Definitions
  • How to Use a Functional Model
  • Functional Decomposition
  • Ten Functional Modeler's Tips
  • Typical Functional Modeling Flow
    • 1. Establish Domain of Interest for Model
    • 2. Identify and Describe 1st Cut Functions
      • Example Set of Functions
      • Example Function Description
      • Example Amplified Function Definition
    • 3. Reviewing and Leveling Functions
      • Leveling Criteria
    • 4. Identify and Define Processes for Functions
      • Decomposition Technique
      • Example Amplified Process Definition
    • 5. Identify and Define Activities for Processes
      • Capturing Information Requirements for Activities
      • Example Amplified Activity Definition
      • The What/How Boundary
    • Example Functional Decomposition
    • Functional Modeler's Tips and Questions
    • Repository to Support Functional Modeling
• Modeling a Focused Domain: Business Process Improvement
  • Re-engineering processes
  • Information and Material Float - Time and Cost Consumers
  • Time Compression - Doing it Faster
  • Improvement Categories and Typical Objectives
  • Re-engineering Whys and Means
  • Process Re-engineering Steps
    • 1. Identify Target Process(es)
    • 2. Clearly Define Improvement Objective(s)/Goal(s)
    • 3. Define Specific Problem(s)
    • 4. Model/Diagram Current Process(es)
      • Useful Techniques/Diagrams
        • Data Flow Diagram
        • Flowchart
        • PERT Task-on-Arrow Chart
      • Diagram Comparison
      • Decomposition Technique
      • BPR Modeler's Tips and Conventions
      • BPR Task Definition Pro Forma
    • 5. Attribute Problem(s) to Process(es)
    • 6. Hypothesize Caus(s) for Problem(s)
    • 7. Abstract Means to Mitigate or Eliminate Cause
    • 8. Model/Diagram New/Changed Process(es)
    • 9. Test New/Changed Process(es) in Realistic Context
    • 10. Define All New/Changed Enablers for New/Changed Process(es)
    • 11. Build/Acquire Enablers
    • 12. Immplement New/Changed Process(es)
  • Repository to Support BPR Process Modeling
• Conceptual Data Modeling Overview
  • Purpose, Form and Content of Conceptual Data Model
  • Conceptual Data Modeling Definitions
  • Conceptual Data Modeling Steps
  • Example Entity/Relationship Diagram
  • Example Entity Definition
  • Example Relationship Definition
• Conceptual Transaction Modeling Overview
  • Purpose, Form and Content of Conceptual Transaction Model
  • Transaction Modeling Definitions
  • The CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete) Principle
  • Conceptual Transaction Modeling Steps
  • General Transaction Modeling Technique
  • Abstracting C,U,D Transactions from the Conceptual Data Model
  • Abstracting R Transactions from the Process Model
  • Conceptual Transaction Definition Pro Forma
  • Example Conceptual Transaction Definition
• Workshops
  • Functional Modeling
  • Amplified Function Definition
  • Activity Level Decomposition
  • Detailed Process Decomposition and Diagramming

DURATION: 5 days

TARGET AUDIENCES: (recommended maximum number of attendees- 25)

• CIO, IS/IRM Management
• Process Analysts/Modelers
• Conceptual, Logical and Physical Data Modelers
• Business persons who will participate in process modeling/improvement projects

PREREQUISITES: none