Modeling business processes using the example of an enterprise. We draw up regulations (using the example of office work business processes)

Introduction

Analysis of enterprise activities and modeling of main business processes

1 General characteristics of SemSot LLC

2 Organizational structure of SemSot LLC

3 Organizational structure analysis

4 Description and modeling of business processes of SemSot LLC

Automation of the business process “Distribution of goods to retail outlets”

1 Information system 1C: Enterprise

2 Configuration “Trade Management”

3 Description of the new business process model

Conclusion

List of sources used

Appendix A. Business Process Activity Diagrams

Appendix B. Source code of the document “Setting Minimum Balances”

Appendix B. Source code for the “Order for a Week” report

Introduction

Increased competition in retail trade due to the crisis is forcing even small retail enterprises to pay close attention to standardization and automation of business processes and product accounting in general. By observing the work of the staff in the store, by the display of goods, by the atmosphere prevailing in the store, it is often possible to determine whether the work of the store is standardized or not. Of course, the presence and adherence to standards for product distribution business processes will increase the efficiency of a retail store. Of course, not everything can be standardized, but processes that occur with a certain frequency need to be standardized. Having standards will prevent staff from making decisions based on their personal intuition or opinion.

The relevance of this study is determined by the fact that modern enterprises are forced to constantly improve their activities. This requires the development of new technologies and methods of doing business and, of course, the introduction of new, more effective methods of managing and organizing the activities of enterprises.

Having a model of the operation of an enterprise, all its business processes focused on a specific goal, we can open up the possibility of improving it. Analysis of an enterprise as a model is a convenient way to answer the question of what is necessary and sufficient to achieve a specific goal.

The purpose of the bachelor's thesis is to systematize knowledge about the company and its business processes, identify shortcomings in existing activities, select and implement an automation strategy.

The work requires performing the following tasks:

Strategic analysis of the company's activities;

description of the company's organizational structure;

building models of existing business processes;

identification of promising areas of automation;

justification for choosing a design solution;

description of the automation strategy.

Bachelor's thesis consists of an introduction, two sections, a conclusion, a list of sources used and three appendices.

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Analysis of enterprise activities and modeling of main business processes

This section is devoted to the analysis and basic approaches to modeling business processes using the Rational Rose CASE tool. The product's operation is based on the universal modeling language UML (Universal Modeling Language). UML is a general-purpose visual modeling language that is designed for specifying, visualizing, designing, and documenting systems, including business processes.

You can understand how a business works by obtaining and analyzing information about what business processes are carried out in the company and who is responsible for them. It follows from this that it is necessary to structure the company’s activities in the form of business processes and analyze the existing organizational structure from the point of view of the distribution of responsibility of managers for business processes, as well as the participation of departments in these business processes.

A business process is a specifically ordered set of works, specified in time and space, indicating the beginning and end and a precise definition of “inputs” and “outputs” (in the form of products and services required by the client).

The “inputs” and “outputs” of a process may interact with both a specific customer and some other process in the external environment of the company, but not with another internal process.

The “input” of a business process is the resource required to complete the business process.

The “output” of a business process is the result obtained (product or service) after completing the business process.

A graphical diagram of the business process is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Components of a business process

Resources (performers) are information, finances, materials, personnel, equipment, environment, software necessary to carry out a business process.

The purpose of each business process is to offer the client a product or service, that is, a product that satisfies him in terms of cost, quality and level of service.

A model is a materially or mentally represented object, which during the research process replaces the original object in such a way that its direct study provides new knowledge about the original object.

A business process model is a simplified representation of a real object in the form of a graphic, tabular, text, symbolic description of a business process or an interrelated set of them.

Business process models are used by enterprises for various purposes, which determines the type of model developed. A graphical model of a business process in the form of a visual, generally understandable diagram can serve to train new employees in their job responsibilities, coordinate actions between the structural units of the company, select or develop information system components, and so on. Description using models of this type of existing and target business processes is used to optimize and improve the company’s activities by eliminating bottlenecks, duplication of functions, and other things. Simulation models of business processes allow you to evaluate their effectiveness and see how the process will be performed with input data that has not yet been encountered in the real work of the enterprise. Executable business process models can be run on special software to automate the process directly from the model.

The term "modeling" has two main meanings. Firstly, modeling is understood as the process of constructing a model as a certain representation (image) of the original, reflecting its most important features and properties. If the model has already been built, then modeling is the process of research (analysis) of the functioning of the system, or rather, its model. The basic purpose of business process modeling is to describe the actual course of a company's business processes. In this case, it is necessary to determine what is the result of the process, by whom and what actions are performed, what is their order, what is the movement of documents during the process, as well as how reliable the process is (probability of unsuccessful execution) and how it can be expanded (modified) in the future .

Modeling a business process begins with building an existing model of work organization, which makes it possible to identify its bottlenecks and shortcomings.

Modeling business processes in a company can be aimed at solving a large number of different problems:

accurately determine the result of a business process and evaluate its significance for the business;

define a set of actions that make up a business process. A clear definition of the set of tasks and activities that need to be performed is extremely important for a detailed understanding of the process;

determine the order of actions. Actions within one business process can be performed either sequentially or in parallel. Obviously, parallel execution, if allowed, can reduce the overall execution time of a process and, therefore, increase its efficiency;

make a division of areas of responsibility: determine and then track which employee or division of the company is responsible for performing a particular action or process as a whole;

determine the resources consumed by the business process. By knowing exactly who is using what resources and for what activities, resource efficiency can be improved through planning and optimization;

understand the essence of interactions between employees and company departments participating in the process and evaluate and then improve the effectiveness of communication between them;

see the movement of documents during the process. Business processes produce and consume various documents (in paper or electronic form). It is important to understand where documents or information flows come from and where they go, and determine whether their movement is optimal and whether they are all really necessary;

identify potential bottlenecks and opportunities for process improvement, which will be used later to optimize it;

implement quality standards, such as ISO 9000, more effectively and successfully achieve certification;

use business process models to guide new employees;

effectively automate business processes as a whole or their individual steps, including automation of interaction with the external environment - clients, suppliers, partners;

Having understood the totality of the company’s business processes, understand and describe the activities of the enterprise as a whole.

In turn, the main task when modeling a company’s business processes is to describe the existing processes in it in order to build their “as is” models. To do this, it is necessary to collect all available information about the process, which, as a rule, is fully owned only by company employees directly involved in the process. Thus, we come to the need for a detailed survey (interviewing) of all employees involved in the business process. It should be emphasized that one cannot limit oneself to the process information provided by the department head and managers. Usually, only a conversation with an employee who directly carries out actions within the framework of the business process being described gives an adequate idea of ​​how the process functions in reality.

The purpose of building an “as is” model is to identify unnecessary and ineffective work, duplicated, unmanaged and under-resourced work. Elimination of such bottlenecks leads to the construction of a “as will be” model, reflecting the new organization of business processes.

There are three types of business processes:

a) managers are business processes that manage the functioning of the system. For example, strategic management;

b) operational (core) - these are business processes that constitute the main business of the company and create the main income stream. Examples of operational business processes are procurement, production, marketing and sales;

c) supporting (providing) - these are business processes that serve the main business. For example, accounting, personnel selection, technical support, administration.

Sometimes it is difficult to determine the source of internal contradictions, some inconsistency in functions, or the optimal sequence of work in the business processes of an enterprise. In this aspect, the constructed model will allow not only to identify the problem, but to clearly show the causes of the problems that arise. It should also be emphasized that a business process model of an enterprise is a system with a structure and elements highlighted in it, taken separately from the external environment or a higher-level system. This kind of information obtained makes it possible to do a fundamental analysis, that is, to identify contradictions with a higher-level system (for an enterprise this could be a branch of the national economy, or a territorial district, etc.). This kind of analysis makes it possible to predict the prospects of the enterprise’s activities, including the likelihood of its crisis.

Today, the computer technology market offers several special programs that allow you to survey an enterprise and build a model. The choice of methodology and tools with which business process modeling is carried out is not fundamental. There are standardized, time-tested methodologies and tools with which you can survey an enterprise and build its model. Their main advantage is the prostate and accessibility to mastery.

Business process analysis work includes:

Collection of information about business processes, interviews with managers and experts, analysis of documents;

The purpose of modeling is to systematize knowledge about the company and its business processes in a visual graphic form, more convenient for analytical processing of the information received. The model should reflect the structure of the organization's business processes, the details of their implementation and the sequence of document flow.

Modeling an organization's business processes includes two stages: structural and detailed.

Structural modeling of an organization's business processes can be performed in IDEF0 notation using the BPwin toolkit or in UML using the Rational Rose toolkit. Detailed modeling is performed in UML.

At the stage of structural modeling, the model should reflect:

Existing organizational structure;

documents and other entities used in the execution of modeled business processes and necessary for document flow modeling, with descriptions of their basic meaning;

interaction diagrams for final business processes, reflecting the sequence of creation and movement of documents (data, materials, resources) between actors.

As you know, the correct formulation of the problem gives 50% of the solution. The problem formulation process involves developing a model of the enterprise. The enterprise model is based on a description of the organizational structure and main business processes of the enterprise.

First, you need to make a general description of the enterprise to familiarize yourself with its activities.

1.1 General characteristics of SemSot LLC

SemSot LLC is a regional retail chain covering the entire Far Eastern region. The company specializes in the sale of personal communications equipment and accessories, portable digital equipment, as well as connection to the services of any cellular operator operating in the region. The company "SemSot" LLC is a chain of stores, has a small warehouse for storing products and also has a service center for warranty service.

The dynamics of SemSot LLC is presented in Table 1.

Table 1 - Development of SemSot LLC

Today, SemSot LLC stores sell in Primorsky, Khabarovsk Territories, Sakhalin, Irkutsk Regions, the Republic of Buryatia, Trans-Baikal Territory, and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

The main principle of work organization is centralized management with the main office in Vladivostok. Currently, SemSot LLC is developing extensively, while simultaneously reducing costs and increasing the profitability of each store.

The main goal of the company is to make a profit by expanding the market for goods and services. Currently, SemSot offers the following products and services:

Mobile communications equipment, photographic equipment, game consoles and accessories;

DECT phones, personal audio equipment;

connection to national and local mobile operators;

accepting payments for mobile communications (no commission);

sale of express payment cards, IP telephony, Internet access.

Consumers of SemSot salons include all segments of the population. The company's stores sell phones for both VIP clients and middle-income customers.

Swot analysis (strengths - strength, weaknesses - weakness, opportunities - opportunities, threats - threats) is a common type of analysis in marketing. Allows you to organize disparate ideas about the company, its competitive environment, and also obtain a diagram of the interaction of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Let's look at them in Table 2.

Table 2 - Swot analysis of SemSot LLC

It should be noted that the SemSot company has a high level of service, from the uniform of employees to the design of the salons.

From all of the above, we can conclude that the company “SemSot” LLC has a strong position in the market of goods and services, as well as great potential in reserve for expanding its activities in the future.

Now let’s look at the organizational structure of SemSot LLC and analyze it.

1.2 Organizational structure of SemSot LLC

To correctly model business processes, you need to start with the organizational structure of the enterprise. The lack of a clear organizational structure has the following disadvantages:

Many duplicated functions;

unclear personnel responsibilities;

excessive personnel costs;

lack of staff motivation and poor productivity.

For an organization to operate effectively, it is important to clearly define functional responsibilities and authorities, as well as their relationships. There are three methods for defining responsibilities and authority and transferring them within an organization.

Each employee of the company must understand what is expected of him, what powers he has, and what his relationships with other employees should be. This is achieved using an organization diagram, supplemented by appropriate reference books (instructions), and the distribution of responsibilities.

When constructing such diagrams, the following must be taken into account: the diagram gives only the general contours of the organization's structure; it should be easy to understand and contain a minimum amount of detail; There are no standard organizational structures; each company has its own characteristics. The scheme should reflect the actual structure of the company and not be a kind of theoretical standard. If the diagram is difficult to construct, then the reason may be that over time its structure has become ineffective, cumbersome, and the lines of relationships have become distorted.

Let us consider below the organizational structure of SemSot LLC. Let's start with the very top level - the general director of SemSot LLC. Subordinate to him are:

Assistant to the General Director;

Deputy Director for Administrative and Economic Affairs;

Deputy General Director for Security;

Commercial Director;

financial director;

Chief Accountant;

service center director.

Figure 2 - Subordinates of the CEO

The goal of any entrepreneur is to make a profit by carrying out his activities, in this case, the sale of goods and services. Therefore, sales of goods or services are a key point in the organization’s activities and should be managed by a qualified specialist with extensive experience in this field.

Tasks that relate to sales are solved by the commercial director. This manager is the second person after the general director in terms of importance in the company. He has to interact with almost all departments of the company, since organizing sales requires a large amount of information.

The diagram of the commercial director’s subordinates is presented in Figure 3.

Figure 3 - Subordinates of the commercial director

The commercial director of SemSot LLC is subordinate to the following specialists and structural managers:

Assistant Commercial Director;

Head of Consumer Lending Department;

The head of logistic department;

head of retail;

System Administrator;

head of the legal department;

head of the educational department.

The head of the logistics department interacts with retail and warehouse. It is from these divisions that the logistics department receives the necessary information, which is used to create various reports, plan orders and sales.

The retail manager plans, organizes and coordinates the activities of the retail network, monitors the efficiency of retail outlets, the work of senior salespeople, conducts market analysis, and participates in projects to expand the retail network. This manager is practically the final link in organizing sales at retail outlets (Figure 4).

Figure 4 - Diagram of the retail manager’s subordinates

A system administrator is a manager in the IT department. The structure of the IT department is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5 - System administrator's subordinates

The IT department interacts with all departments, or rather, other departments interact with it, since software and technical support are the main key to success in trading activities.

The control and audit department primarily interacts with the accounting department, which provides information on the availability of inventory. This information is then used to create reports and conduct audits (Figure 6).

Figure 6 - Subordinates of the head of the control and audit department

The operator department monitors mutual settlements with clients, issues invoices, maintains and improves the system of settlements with clients, telecom operators, agents and business partners (Figure 7).

Figure 7 - Structure of the operator department

Personnel are the most important elements in an organization. Hiring of employees is carried out by the HR department. The company's performance depends on the right personnel, especially when it comes to sales. The HR department selects employees and also maintains personnel records. The structure of the HR department is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8 - Personnel service

Any employee, as well as the owners and management of the company are users of accounting. The main management task of accounting (in other words, the task assigned to the accounting department) is the collection and processing of complete and reliable information about the company’s activities (Figure 9). Accounting regularly prepares various types of reports, which are used by almost all departments of the company.

Figure 9 - Accounting structure

The company is also obliged to provide warranty service for goods that were purchased by the client in the SemSot LLC chain of stores. The director of the service center manages and supervises the work of employees of the service center itself and its administration. The diagram is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10 - Subordinate directors of the service center

Above, all existing divisions of the company SemSot LLC were reviewed and their brief characteristics and structures were given. Now, having a complete understanding of the company's organizational structure, you can analyze this structure and identify its shortcomings.

1.3 Organizational structure analysis

The organizational structure of management at Semsot LLC is linear-functional and represents a hierarchy of management, a clear division of labor, and the use of qualified specialists in each position. It is based on the principle of unity of distribution of orders, according to which only a higher authority has the right to give orders. Compliance with this principle should ensure unity of management.

This organizational structure was formed as a result of the construction of the management apparatus from mutually subordinate bodies in the form of a hierarchical ladder, that is, each subordinate has one leader, and the leader has several subordinates. Elements of the structure are carriers of certain management powers. Authority is a set of officially granted rights and responsibilities for independent decision making.

This structure does not have divisions for tactical and strategic planning. In addition, top management is overloaded with solutions to current problems. Also, using this structure, SemSot LLC cannot quickly respond to changes in the external environment.

The organizational structure of the analyzed enterprise, as already mentioned, is linear-functional, and therefore the positive features of this type of structure are:

Unity of management and responsibility, that is, performers are subordinate to only one immediate superior, and he, in turn, is responsible for the work of his subordinates;

clearly linear subordination of all positions and management levels, which ensures consistency of actions;

ease of management, since there is only one communication channel;

personal responsibility of the manager for the final result of the activities of his department.

The shortcomings of the organizational management structure in SemSot LLC are determined by the general shortcomings inherent in all structures with a linear-functional structure:

Weak susceptibility to changes in the external environment, especially under the influence of scientific, technical and technological progress;

ossification of the system of relations between the links and employees of the management apparatus, who are obliged to strictly follow the rules and procedures;

slow transfer and processing of information due to many coordinations (both vertical and horizontal);

slowing down the process of making management decisions.

Another disadvantage of the organizational management structure is that the enterprise does not conduct research and forecasts of market development, adapting the internal capabilities of the enterprise to changing environmental conditions. The enterprise also does not carry out an analysis of the internal environment of the enterprise - a study of the organizational structure of the enterprise from the point of view of its viability and competitiveness, an analysis of human resources and other resources of the enterprise, that is, an assessment of the enterprise itself today and in the future, and the identification of reserves.

At the present stage of development of economic relations, SemSot LLC is faced with the problem of sales promotion in conditions of fierce competition. In this regard, it is necessary to introduce a marketing department into the enterprise and realize the need to stimulate product promotion.

The marketing policy of the enterprise SemSot LLC is to manage four main elements: product, price, distribution channels and incentive methods, but employees do not pay due attention to these elements.

Due to the lack of a marketing department as such, costs associated with sales are not properly controlled. For the same reason, product promotion programs are not developed, and the cost effectiveness of motivating partners to improve product distribution is not considered. The lack of advertising and the unstable image of the company negatively affects sales volumes and market share of products.

The company's structural divisions work separately and sometimes completely without taking into account the demand for products. Poor communication with the company's target audience.

Also, the enterprise does not pay due attention from the human resources department when selecting new personnel, and there is also no proper motivation, including material. In this regard, there is an outflow of personnel at retail outlets, which cannot but affect trade in general. The main reasons for staff leaving are as follows:

Dissatisfaction with wages;

dissatisfaction with working conditions and organization;

1.4 Description and modeling of business processes of SemSot LLC

A business process model is its formalized (graphical, tabular, text, symbolic) description that reflects the actual or proposed activity of an enterprise. In theory and practice, there are various approaches to constructing and displaying business process models, the main ones being functional and object-oriented. In the functional approach, the main structure-forming element is a function (business function, action, operation), and the system is represented as a hierarchy of interrelated functions. With an object-oriented approach, the system is divided into a set of objects that correspond to real-world objects and interact with each other by sending messages.

In this work, the UML language is used for modeling using the Rational Rose CASE tool, and, therefore, an object-oriented approach.

Before you start modeling business processes, it is necessary to define the concept of “Activity Diagram”, which will be attached to each description of a business process, that is, it will be a visual model “as is”.

Activity diagrams are a representation of algorithms for certain actions (activities) performed in the system. These diagrams allow you to model the complex life cycle of an object, with transitions from one state (activity) to another. A specific object (division) is responsible for certain activities; for this purpose, a special design is used, called a track

Swimlanes are part of an activity diagram area that displays only those activities for which a specific object is responsible. There is a visual analogy with swim lanes in a pool, if you look at the corresponding diagram.

All action states on an activity diagram are divided into separate groups, which are separated from each other by vertical lines. Two adjacent lines form a track, and a group of states between these lines is carried out by a separate unit (department, group, department, branch) of the organization. For example, the names may be used: warehouse, accounting, security department or general director, labor department specialist, and so on. An example of an activity diagram is shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 - Example of an activity diagram with tracks

business process modeling

Unit names are clearly indicated at the top of the track. Only transitions can cross the track line, which, in this case, indicate the exit or entrance of the control flow to the corresponding unit. The order of the tracks does not carry any semantic information and is determined by considerations of convenience.

Now, having basic information on the diagrams used that will be used to model business processes, we can begin to describe them and visualize the sequence of processes

Commercial activity in trade is based on purchasing work: entrepreneurs use their own funds to purchase goods, which are then converted into cash with some increment (profit).

Commercial work in trade begins with the purchase of goods for the purpose of their subsequent sale.

The main task of purchasing work is the profitable acquisition of goods in order to satisfy consumer demand. Purchasing work is one of the most responsible functions of trading enterprises. Properly organized wholesale purchases can reduce the likelihood of commercial risk associated with the lack of sales of goods.

Let us describe in more detail the business process of purchasing goods.

1.4.1 Business process “Order and purchase of goods”

This business process is the main one for the company. Procurement planning is carried out by the logistics department.

The basis for procurement planning are the following documents:

Report on warehouse balances at the beginning of the planning period;

sales norms;

safety stock standards;

requests from retail outlets.

The procurement of goods is the responsibility of the logistics department. The purchase of goods is an integral part of the commercial activities of an enterprise, including:

Studying and forecasting consumer demand;

identification and study of sources of goods;

organizing business relations with suppliers of goods, including the development and conclusion of supply contracts;

organization of accounting and control over the progress of fulfillment of contractual obligations.

The first stage of purchasing goods is monitoring the relevant warehouse balances, which is carried out by a specialist from the logistics department.

As a result of the analysis, the need to purchase a particular product item is identified.

When identifying a need to replenish warehouse stocks, the logistician calculates the size of the order and sets the desired time frame for the goods to arrive at the warehouse. Based on the decision made, an order is drawn up.

The logistician sends an order to the supplier in order to identify the supplier’s current ability to satisfy the enterprise’s need for relevant goods.

The supplier sends a letter to SemSot LLC, confirming the order or informing that it is unable to satisfy the company’s request.

If the supplier confirms the order, the procurement specialist moves to the next stage of the business process. An order is also considered confirmed if the supplier notifies that it cannot fully satisfy the Company’s current need for the requested goods or is not ready to deliver it within the stated time frame and the current situation will not lead to a significant increase in the risk of stopping sales.

After confirmation of the order, the purchasing manager enters into a supply agreement with the supplier.

The agreement with the supplier provides for partial prepayment: the accountant transfers funds in the amount of the prepayment to the supplier’s bank account.

After receiving the advance payment, the supplier makes the shipment within the agreed period, which he informs the purchasing manager about.

After receiving notification of the arrival of the goods, the forwarder picks up the goods and escorts them to the warehouse. The specialist responsible for receiving goods at the warehouse - the senior biller - checks the quantity and name of the goods received with the data specified in the invoice.

If a complete correspondence is revealed between the results of the recalculation and the data specified in the shipping documents, the warehouse specialist, namely the storekeeper, ensures that the goods are placed in the designated storage location. The senior biller transfers the documents to the warehouse accounting specialist for posting the goods.

In the event of a discrepancy between the results of the recalculation and the data specified in the shipping documents, the warehouse employee notifies the head of the warehouse complex.

The warehouse manager, together with the logistician and purchasing manager, makes a decision regarding the identified discrepancy.

The biller, according to the submitted shipping documents, enters information about the receipt of goods at the enterprise warehouse in the 1C: Enterprise information system.

After entering information about the receipt of goods into the warehouse into the database, the biller transfers the shipping documents to the accounting department.

The accountant transfers funds in the amount of the final payment to the supplier's bank account. The basis for payment is a copy of the invoice signed by the purchasing manager and the head of the logistics department.

For this business process, as for all other business processes described below, an activity diagram was constructed using the Rational Rose tool. The activity diagram is shown in Figure A.1.

Analyzing this process, the following drawback can be identified: there is no monitoring and control of the location of inventory items, and, therefore, there is no control over delays in the delivery of goods. On the one hand, the company has been working for a long time with the same suppliers who have proven themselves in the market, which guarantees timely and regular deliveries. But on the other hand, by tracking delivery delays, it would be possible to reduce lost profits by working out operational solutions in case of such situations.

As proposals to prevent the diversion of working capital, it was proposed to develop tools for monitoring, control and prompt response to facts of delays in deliveries for which advance payments have already been made, which in turn would make it possible to tighten control over compliance with delivery deadlines when making advance payments to suppliers.

After the goods are purchased and recorded in the warehouse, it is necessary to correctly, or rather rationally, distribute them among retail outlets in order to extract maximum profit from sales. Next, we will consider this business process.

1.4.2 Business process “Distribution of goods to retail outlets”

This process is the main business process, since the company’s profit depends on the correct and rational distribution of goods among retail outlets. Distribution of goods to retail outlets is the responsibility of the logistician.

A certain batch of goods arrives at the main warehouse, which is placed on the balance with receipt invoices.

To begin with, the logistician generates reports in the 1C program on balances, sales and orders for certain positions and warehouses.

Using these reports, the specialist determines how much and what goods to move to a particular store. The logistician views data on sales, balances and orders for each item in each warehouse, which are contained in three different reports. After this, he determines the volume of goods to be moved. Data on planned movements, which can number several hundred rows, are recorded in a spreadsheet.

After this procedure, the biller, based on the resulting table, needs to generate invoices for movement with information indicating to the storekeeper where, what and in what quantity the goods need to be shipped.

The storekeeper, using printed invoices, puts the goods into separate bags - parcels and seals them.

The activity diagram for the business process “Distribution of goods to retail outlets” is shown in Figure A.2.

After analyzing this business process, the following conclusions can be drawn. As described above, in order to distribute goods, a logistician must view three different reports, which is very hard work and requires a certain amount of care. To improve the quality of logistics, it would be much more convenient if the logistician during distribution could see data on sales, orders and available balances for each item at each outlet. To increase the speed of distribution, it would be necessary that the routine process of generating multiple invoices be kept to a minimum.

After the goods are distributed and sent to retail outlets, sales are carried out. The business process “Selling a product” is intuitive for everyone, and there is no need to describe it using an activity diagram, since there will be only two “activities” (states): when the product is at the point of sale, that is, not yet sold, and when the product already sold. The “success” of this process depends more on the sellers themselves, since completing a sale takes literally a few minutes using the 1C program.

But, in addition to retail trade, SemSot LLC also carries out sales via the Internet, which is a more complex business process in contrast to retail. Let's take a closer look at this process.

1.4.3 Business process “Sale of goods via the Internet”

As mentioned earlier, the SemSot company has an official website on the Internet, where you can get information on any product presented in the company’s network of stores, as well as place an order at any time of the day.

The online store is open seven days a week. The entire range of products offered for sale through this online store is presented in the product catalog. The client selects the product he likes and places an order through the web form on the page. When ordering, please indicate your passport details and contact phone number.

Online orders are accepted 24 hours a day. The order is received by the operator department, where a department specialist checks the availability of goods in the warehouse. If the product is in stock at the warehouse, the operator confirms the order with the client and informs about the terms of payment and delivery.

After confirmation of the order, a specialist from the operator department reserves the goods in the warehouse.

The biller formalizes the movement of goods and arranges delivery through the order service 050. Delivery cost is 300 rubles. If the order is made before 18:00, delivery is carried out on the same day. If the order is made after 18:00 - delivery the next day.

A warranty card and a cash receipt are supplied with the product. Payment for the order is made by the client only in cash in rubles, directly to the courier, after the client checks the order.

If the client is not satisfied for any reason with the goods delivered to him, then he has the right to refuse the purchase, but payment for delivery is required.

If the client is satisfied with the product, then he pays for the product and delivery, and also signs the cash register receipt.

The accounting department carries out the sale of goods based on a copy of the cash receipt.

The activity diagram is shown in Figure A.3.

Having described this business process, it is difficult to draw any conclusions about possible automation, since it was not possible to “go through” this process. It is only necessary to note that the process of ordering goods on the website is automated - the client fills out a simple form on the website. It is important that the site is constantly supported by developers to ensure system speed and, accordingly, sales efficiency.

Any product that was purchased in the SemSot LLC store, no matter how, in a store or online, has a warranty period during which the company is obliged to service the product if a fault is detected in it (manufacturing defect), except in cases where the fault is caused by improper handling of the product by the customer. Let's consider the process of product warranty service.

1.4.4 Business process “Acceptance of goods for warranty service”

Warranty customer service is the responsibility of the service center, namely the acceptance of faulty products of the SemSot company, which are under warranty service. According to Article 5 of the Law of the Russian Federation dated 02/07/1992 N 2300-1 (as amended on 07/18/2011) “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, the warranty period of the product is calculated from the date of transfer of the product to the consumer, unless otherwise provided by the contract.

Acceptance of a product for warranty service occurs on the condition that the customer provides all components of the product that were included when purchasing it and a warranty card. In accordance with the terms of the warranty card, the warranty card is considered invalid if it does not contain the seller's seal.

If the warranty card does not contain a store seal, the consumer must confirm with other documents the fact that the goods were transferred to him, for example, a sales or cash receipt.

When receiving the goods, a service center employee, a reception and delivery specialist, accepts the client’s application and generates a motion document to accept the goods under warranty, indicating all the necessary data: client’s full name, contact information, product data, and so on. The client's requirement (complaint to the seller) must be indicated:

Carry out repairs;

terminate the purchase and sale agreement (that is, return funds in the amount of the full cost of the goods);

exchange goods.

After automatically completing the capitalization operations, the goods are sent to the service center of the product manufacturer.

The dispatch of goods to the manufacturer's service center is carried out by accounting and movement specialists. They also form the parcels and pack them in bags, which are picked up by the forwarder.

The forwarder delivers the goods to the manufacturer’s service center, where an examination is carried out: it is determined whose fault this or that malfunction occurred: the fault of the manufacturer or the fault of the user.

If the malfunction is associated with improper handling of the product: moisture ingress is detected, mechanical damage is present, or traces of unauthorized repairs are present, then the product is not subject to warranty service and is returned to the customer with the appropriate conclusion.

If the product has a manufacturing defect, then, depending on the client’s application, the manufacturer’s service center carries out repairs (if possible), or the product is sent back to the SemSot SC, where they return the money to the client in the amount for which purchased the product or are exchanging the product.

For all actions performed related to repairs and examination, the service center provides an examination conclusion.

The consumer is informed by contact phone when the goods are returned to the SemSot SC and the result of the examination becomes known.

Based on the results of the examination, the service center lawyer is obliged to respond to the client’s claim in the form of a letter sent to the address specified upon reception. The letter indicates a positive or negative response to the claim, with justification for the refusal.

Each time writing a new letter is labor-intensive and time-consuming, since the letters are all standard. Therefore, the lawyer keeps letter templates where you only need to fill in the client and product information. The template is selected depending on the result of the service. But this process also takes a lot of time.

So, the following options for business process development are possible:

A repaired or serviceable product was received (no defects were detected);

repair was refused due to violation of the rules of operation of the product;

The product cannot be repaired due to an irreparable manufacturing defect and the customer is refunded the full cost of the product or receives an exchange.

In the first two cases, the phone is returned to the client. When issuing the goods to the client, the receiving and issuing specialist generates a transfer document for issuing the goods to the client from the service department. The client receives the result of the examination and, in turn, is obliged to return the replacement phone received for use during the warranty service.

In the latter case, if a positive response was given to the claim for termination of the purchase or exchange agreement, then the return of funds and exchange of goods is carried out by the store of the SemSot LLC network. This movement of goods is processed by accounting and movement specialists.

The activity diagram for the business process “Reception of goods for warranty service” is shown in Figure A.4.

As mentioned above, the only drawback at the moment is the promptness of responses to complaints. The lawyer spends quite a lot of time searching for the required template and further entering client and product data, which must be checked against data from the 1C database.

Automation of this process would allow us to respond to all current complaints as quickly as possible. Efficiency in this matter plays an important role, since warranty service activities are regulated by the law on the protection of consumer rights, which stipulates specific deadlines for each claim.

In addition to sales and warranty service of goods in an enterprise, it is important to keep records of existing property, as well as maintain accounting records to control profits and losses.

Therefore, an important stage in preparing for the successful preparation of an annual accounting report for the year is a timely and high-quality inventory of fixed assets, inventory, other property, cash and other financial assets and financial liabilities of the organization.

A complete inventory allows you to check compliance with the rules and conditions for storing goods, cash and fixed assets, maintaining warehouse facilities, and the actual compliance of inventory balances with accounting data.

1.4.5 Business process “Inventory”

Inventory is a mandatory business process for a trading enterprise. To obtain a more accurate result, it is advisable to schedule it when there is the smallest inventory in stores and warehouses.

All property of the organization, regardless of its location, and all types of financial obligations are subject to inventory. The procedure (number of inventories in the reporting year, dates of their conduct, list of property and liabilities checked during each of them, etc.) of the inventory is determined by the head of the organization, except for cases when the inventory is mandatory.

The inventory is carried out by specialists from the control and audit department. The head of the department forms a commission to conduct an inventory. With the help of accounting, reports are generated on the availability of inventory items.

The commission, in the presence of financially responsible persons, verifies the actual availability of inventory items by mandatory recalculation and inspection of each item. Relevant reports are drawn up for unusable or damaged materials and finished products identified during inventory. If material assets are identified that are not reflected in accounting, the commission must include them in the inventory list.

Upon completion of the inventory, specialists from the control and audit department generate reports and a decision plan based on the results of the inventory. If units are identified at the wrong addresses where they should be, then relocation orders are formed. If deficiencies are identified, then corresponding acts are formed.

The activity diagram for the “Inventory” business process is shown in Figure A.5.

Analyzing this business process, it is difficult to say whether it currently requires additional automation. Since it was not possible to completely go through the business inventory process, there is not enough information to make certain conclusions.

At this point, we can only talk about improvement from an organizational point of view.

The next business process is “Staff Training”. Staff training is an important point in any organization, otherwise, soon, managers may notice the uselessness of the work of their employees. In fact, all companies start with recruitment. Properly selected personnel bring profit to the company.

1.4.6 Business process “Staff training”

Every year, heads of structural units submit an application for training to a manager. The manager analyzes the submitted applications and makes a conclusion about the need to train staff on the topics proposed by the managers. Based on approved applications, managers determine the criteria for selecting personnel for upcoming training. The HR department, based on the provided criteria, selects personnel who need to improve their qualifications. The head of the company sends an application to the training department for training.

The head of the training department agrees with the managers on the training program, the date and duration of this process.

The duration and content of training for one group is determined by the training program on a specific topic. At the end of each type of training, a document is issued - a certificate of completion of internal training signed by the head of the HR service. The issuance of this certificate increases the prestige of internal training and its attractiveness for employees.

Also, after the training, the managers of the training department draw up a report on the work done and the results obtained. After the report is signed by the head of the department, the document is submitted to the HR department for further processing. HR specialists prepare a report and enter the data into personnel records.

The activity diagram for this business process is shown in Figure A.6.

Analyzing the business process of personnel training, we can only say that training at SemSot LLC is a purely internal process, without the involvement of third-party organizations.

On the one hand, internal training saves the organization money; on the other hand, it is important that training managers working in the training department are competent in the areas and areas of required training and can truly improve the level of knowledge and qualifications of the organization's employees.

Whether this aspect is a disadvantage - each manager decides for himself, analyzing the results of training and the further work of his employees.

The work does not describe all the business processes of SemSot LLC, but only the most basic ones, which can also be clearly described using the Rational Rose Case tool.

By describing the main business processes passing through several functional units, one can discover many organizational and information gaps between them, which provides many directions for improving the organization's activities.

In almost any business process there are always some shortcomings. The only question is whether it is worth changing established corporate relationships if the business process itself does not affect the key success factors of the company, and the shortcoming is unlikely to be easily eliminated.

As a result of modeling, by constructing activity diagrams and analyzing the main business processes, this work identified some shortcomings and possible aspects of automation, which would improve efficiency and reduce costs, especially time ones. As an automated process, I chose the “Distribution of goods to retail outlets” business process, which is the most expensive in the company today, both in terms of labor and time.

As mentioned above, the company SemSot LLC uses the 1C:Enterprise information system to carry out its activities. Therefore, automation of the business process “Distribution of goods to retail outlets” involves updating the existing “Trade Management” configuration in the 1C: Enterprise information system. The improvements made will reduce the labor and time costs of the logistician, and will also allow for more efficient distribution of goods.

Automation involves adding two new documents that will help distribute goods much faster. We will consider the proposed option for automating this process in more detail in the next section of the bachelor's thesis.

2.
Automation of the business process “Distribution of goods to retail outlets”

Information technologies are strategic elements and the main means of creating value in many industries that make up the new economy with elements of the information society.

In the conditions of a modern enterprise management system, regardless of the field of activity, without the use of information technology it is impossible to quickly, that is, at high speed, manage the main functions of management: planning, management, control, motivation.

It should be noted that any business process begins with planning. Planning the activities of an enterprise is based on drawing up a financial plan, during which wholesale (retail) turnover, profit, production volume, product price, etc. are determined. The determination of these indicators in the planning process is associated with routine calculation functions, therefore the use of computer technology should be aimed, first of all, at simplifying calculations in the planning process. But, any calculation in the planning process is made on the basis of input data (initial indicators). Obtaining these indicators, without using an information system (hereinafter referred to as IS), is also a routine, labor-intensive function. When using IS, you can obtain all the required initial indicators needed for planning through queries on certain parameters.

Thus, the use of IS in the planning process makes it possible to eliminate routine functions through their automation. It is necessary to take into account that specific management decisions are still made by a person, a manager. The decision-making process cannot be automated, but the routine functions of searching for the necessary information, as well as obtaining effective, calculated indicators, need and can be automated.

Based on the results of the analysis of the main business processes in the previous section, we can say that many of the processes have their own shortcomings that can and should be automated.

For automation, I chose the “Distribution of goods to retail outlets” business process. As mentioned in the previous section, the company SemSot LLC uses the 1C: Enterprise information system to keep records of its commercial activities, including a logistician who distributes goods to retail outlets.

Before describing the essence of automation, let’s consider in more detail what the 1C: Enterprise information system is.

2.1 Information system 1C: Enterprise

The 1C: Enterprise information system allows you to significantly automate the economic and organizational activities of enterprises of various profiles. 1C programs have a specific functional purpose. They are focused on the implementation of a regulated set of accounting tasks with fixed solution algorithms.

The subsection lists tasks that will be further developed and included in 1C programs. It is explained how the results of solving the revised problems will be used.

When implementing the development, it will be possible to eliminate the following shortcomings:

delay of necessary information;

low efficiency;

high complexity of information processing;

imperfection of the processes of processing, storing, protecting the integrity and secrecy of information and the processes of issuing calculation results to the end user.

Often, standard solutions supplied by 1C require modifications to suit the specifics of enterprise accounting. Modifications are understood as changes made to software modules of products.

Currently, in most organizations of various profiles there is a need for specialists who are professionally proficient in a variety of modern information technologies. At the same time, the most common requirements and wishes from employers are skills in working with the 1C: Enterprise information system.

If we look at the range of specialists working with 1C: Enterprise, we will see that it is quite wide - managers, accountants, programmers, developers, heads of departments, etc. All these people can be divided into two conditional categories - developers and users.

The main function of this event is to achieve maximum user convenience with accounting or management accounting. Refinement of 1C is an opportunity to create the most effective assistant system in running a business. Optimizing the functionality of the 1C program and refining its program code will reduce possible errors in accounting. Thus, the company has at its disposal a unique system that allows it to move away from standard, not always optimal, operating principles. The main drawback of the 1C update is the inability to update the system in a standard way after making changes to the code.

The great advantage of 1C programs is that the standard configurations used can be modified to suit the specifics of accounting and business processes of any company, if they differ from the universal solution offered by 1C. The modification increases the possibilities for organizing efficient operation of the enterprise and providing employees with maximum convenience when working with the program. The settings have almost unlimited possibilities, which allows you to implement various business processes, as well as automate some functions based on standard configurations or from scratch. Additional modification of 1C can be used to change and adjust:

documents and their printed forms;

reports to managers, configured for convenient analysis of data in different sections according to the indicators necessary for control;

mechanisms for calculating the need for raw materials and materials for generating applications to suppliers;

exchanging documents and data with counterparties using an electronic digital signature, performing encryption directly from 1C;

stream input of multiple documents of the same type automatically without involving users, using scanning assistance, text recognition and data import into 1C;

systems for monitoring and managing accounts receivable, as well as other functions and parameters of any type of accounting.

It is worth noting that changes can be made to various configurations of 1C programs, completely regardless of the complexity of the product.

As a rule, all 1C specialists have many years of experience in performing modifications to software products at enterprises of various activities and sizes. Companies that carry out these settings have a certificate of international quality standard. In addition, all analysts and programmers who carry out technical tasks for finalizing systems must have 1C certificates.

Automation of the business process I have chosen, “Distribution of goods to retail outlets,” involves precisely finalizing the existing configuration of the 1C: Enterprise information system at the enterprise.

Automation will be carried out by finalizing the “Trade Management” configuration. Let's look at what this configuration is next.

2 Configuration “Trade Management”

The “Trade Management” configuration is a widespread application solution that allows you to comprehensively automate the tasks of operational and management accounting, analysis and planning of trade operations. The solution is designed to automate accounting in organizations engaged in wholesale and retail trade, and allows for operational accounting and management of not only trade, but also warehouse and financial operations.

The application solution automates the following areas of trading activity:

Sales management (including wholesale, retail and commission trade);

supply chain management;

sales and purchasing planning;

inventory management;

management of customer orders;

analysis of the enterprise's turnover;

price analysis and pricing policy management;

monitoring and analysis of the effectiveness of trading activities.

“Trade Management” supports the preparation of almost all primary trade accounting documents, including cash flow documents. With the help of documents, operational information is taken into account when carrying out business transactions. Based on this information, management functions are implemented.

The configuration is designed to account for any type of trading operations. Thanks to its flexibility and customizability, the configuration implements accounting functions from maintaining directories and entering primary documents to receiving various analytical reports. The configuration allows you to maintain management accounting for the trading enterprise as a whole.

Now, finally, we can begin to describe the essence of automation, as well as its implementation.

The automated business process “Distribution of goods to retail outlets” belongs to the group of basic business processes, since sales, and therefore the company’s profit, depend on the correct and rational distribution of goods among retail outlets. This process requires careful analysis and a responsible approach.

Distribution of goods to retail outlets is the responsibility of the logistician.

As described earlier, a logistician generates reports in the 1C program on balances, sales and orders for certain positions and warehouses. Using these reports, the specialist determines how much and what goods to move to a particular store. The logistician views data on sales, balances and orders for each item in each warehouse, which are contained in three different reports. After this, he determines the volume of goods to be moved. Data on planned movements, which can number several hundred lines, are recorded on paper or in a spreadsheet.

This entire process can take several hours.

After this procedure, the biller needs to generate movement invoices with information indicating to the warehouseman where, what and in what quantity the goods need to be shipped.

If, for example, 500 units of goods are moved to 30 warehouses, we get 30 invoices of 10-15 lines each. The biller also needs to spend about an hour to generate this number of invoices. Thus, the process of distributing an incoming batch of goods may take 1-2 days.

I decided that the three reports described above (on sales, balances and orders) are inconvenient to use (in this business process) and viewing them takes a lot of time, as does the further formation of a distribution plan based on these reports. Therefore, a document is needed that would combine the data presented in the reports for each position. It is also necessary that automatic invoices for the movement of goods be generated based on this document.

Let's consider what the “new” business process of “Distribution of goods to retail outlets” will look like.

2.3 Description of the new business process model

First, the logistician, using the document “Setting Minimum Balances,” determines the parameters of the outlet: minimum balances and shelf capacity for each product item. Minimum balances are filled in by clicking on the “Fill in minimum balances” button, having first filled out the form. The document number is automatically generated in the “Number” field. In the “Organization” field, the user selects the “SemSot” organization accordingly. The “Start Date” and “End Date” fields indicate the period for which the minimum balances are calculated. The “On Shelf” field indicates the quantity of goods that can be placed on the shelves at the point of sale. The “From” and “Where” fields indicate storage locations (warehouses). The number of periods is programmatically set to 15 days. On the right, in the list of items, check the box above the desired item.

Minimum balances are calculated programmatically based on the rate of product sales for the previous period. The calculation results are recorded in the “Minimum Balances” information register by clicking on the “Write minimum balances” button. The structure of the document “Setting Minimum Balances” is presented in Figure 12.

Figure 12 - Structure of the document “Setting Minimum Balances”

The structure of the information register “Minimum Balances” is presented in Figure 13.

Figure 13 - Structure of the “Minimum Balances” register

Figure 14 and Figure 15, respectively, show the empty and completed forms of the “Setting Minimum Balances” document. The code for this document is presented in Appendix B.

Figure 14 - Blank form of the document “Setting Minimum Balances”

Figure 15 - Completed document form “Setting Minimum Balances”

For the analysis, data from the “Minimum Balances” register and information about previously generated but not yet posted “Internal Order” documents are used. The result of the “OrderForWeek” report is the automatic creation of the “Internal Order” document.

The “Internal Order” document is intended to document the need for goods in warehouses and departments of the enterprise. In accordance with this, orders from warehouses and from departments are distinguished. The use of the internal orders subsystem can be disabled by unchecking the “Use internal orders” flag in the accounting settings settings. In this case, this document cannot be entered. The following types of internal orders are distinguished:

Order to warehouse. This type of order reflects the need for goods in any warehouse of the enterprise, for example, in the event of a lack of goods in the store, or when the quantity of goods becomes less than the minimum stock level. The execution of the order is carried out using the document “Movement of goods”.

order to the department. This type of order reflects the need of a department (shop) for materials or semi-finished products necessary for the production of products, works, and services. Execution of an order of this type is carried out by the document “Requirement-invoice”. If the order type is set to “To department”, the “Containers” tab is missing.

For an internal order, item items can be reserved either from the current balance at any of the warehouses (wholesale or retail) that are part of the company, or placed in orders to suppliers, production orders or internal orders. In the column "

The article is intended for managers and top managers of enterprises who are serious about building an enterprise management system and intend to independently or with the involvement of third-party specialists to design and implement an enterprise management system based on a process approach. Practical aspects of design are considered, examples and recommendations are given.

Considering that the enterprises and organizations, the example of which is discussed in the article, continue to operate successfully in the market, specific names, titles and other details of the work are hidden or replaced with ones close to the meaning and objectives of the article. However, the authors would like to thank their staff for their assistance in preparing the material.

I would like to start the article with the fact that the authors in no way claim that their work is perceived as a complete textbook on this topic. These pages reflect some of the authors' experience in the practical implementation of the application of the process approach to the operation of management systems for client enterprises.

Who needs it

And not only to whom - but also when, and for what. Designing a control system is a serious and large-scale task that requires a significant investment of enterprise resources and does not always bring an effect corresponding to the costs. Therefore, before starting this work, it is worth at least asking yourself about its feasibility. Thus, it is quite obvious that an individual entrepreneur, who is a boss and a subordinate in one person, does not need to formalize his activities as long as they concern only him alone. Managers of small enterprises also quite successfully make do with verbal orders, formalizing only the most necessary relationships with subordinates, such as hiring and firing, or those required for “external” reporting. The reason is clear: the executor of each order is always visible, the progress of work is clear and obvious, there are no complex technological chains and personnel dependencies on each other. Large enterprises (hundreds of employees) no longer allow the manager to monitor all the details of the ongoing work - and the larger the enterprise, the more what is happening there becomes a secret for the director. It is necessary to divide large teams into departments, appoint managers at various levels, and distribute responsibility for individual parts of the overall work. In other words, build a management system.

So, the first criterion is clear - size. An enterprise that needs a formalized management system has at least 50 people on staff. However, not every enterprise designs a control system or modernizes it - being satisfied with the existing system. Let's try to determine in what situations it is worth engaging in such activities.

● Newly created enterprise. For example, a new plant is being built. A very favorable situation for creating an ideal management structure from the very beginning, from scratch. Such a system will be free from any traditions and habits - good or bad - and will initially be focused on the expectations of the owner of the enterprise under construction.

● A grown enterprise. Somehow, imperceptibly, your enterprise moves from a small business to a medium-sized one to a large one... An increase in the range of products and services, an increase in the number of personnel inevitably lead to changes in the management system, delegation of authority, distribution of areas of responsibility... The former team of like-minded people is clearly divided into bosses and subordinates. Where there was previously cooperation, internal competition appears. As a result, a new management system is being formed, and it depends only on the manager whether it will be effective or not. Designing a management system based on best practices will help avoid the main growing pain - a management crisis.

● The need to improve competitiveness and efficiency. It doesn’t matter whether the enterprise is a natural monopolist or operates in a highly competitive market - sooner or later the need arises to reduce the cost of products or services, increase the quality of service, and reduce the time to bring new products to the market. If reducing production costs today can still be achieved by selecting optimal suppliers, purchasing modern equipment, and improving technology, then tomorrow these opportunities will be exhausted, and internal resources will have to be found. Achieving other competitive advantages is possible only by optimizing the enterprise management system.

● The need for certification according to international standards. Regardless of the reasons that caused this need, its implementation is impossible without changing and formalizing the management system.

● Intention to implement an automated management system. The fact is that purchasing and installing automated control systems does not always lead to positive results. Specialists in the implementation of such systems, regardless of their product orientation, agree on one thing: “it is impossible to automate a mess.” The most advanced management system will not work without a clear distribution of responsibilities between the employees working in it. And even if there is a clear management system, it is worth considering, before investing considerable resources in the acquisition and implementation of automated control systems, whether the existing system contains any defects that should not be fixed in rigid computer logic.

● The desire to increase the value of the business. In some cases, business processes may be one of the company's main assets. An example is companies operating in the services market. For a potential investor, the presence of strict operating regulations significantly reduces the risk of losing their investments, even in the event of mass layoffs.

Of course, there may be other reasons—or a set of reasons—that make control system design necessary. The main thing is that when making a decision you should not forget the simple truth: “If it works, don’t fix it!” (During the writing of the article, the authors had some disagreements in the interpretation of this saying. They settled on this clarification: what works perfectly today can become a problem tomorrow. And of course, a far-sighted leader is simply obliged to provide for the appropriate “repairs”).

Some examples from life

Let's look at several enterprises for which business process modeling has become a conscious necessity. The examples are taken from real life, the corresponding press releases can be viewed on the Internet, but in this article the authors tried to create a generalized illustrative image. Therefore, if any example seemed to you to relate to a specific company, this is pure coincidence.

An IT company is a typical medium-sized enterprise. Main activities:

● Sales of business automation tools - from the sale of accounting and office programs to full-scale automated control systems

● Implementation of business automation tools

● System integration

● Services for training and certification of the Customer’s specialists

● Production and sale of our own software.

A typical example when quantity turns into quality. As the company's authority grew and the number of clients increased, the range of goods and services offered expanded. The specialization of employees increased - and their number grew. Departments aimed at solving various problems and auxiliary units began to appear, and many employees began to participate in each project. Of course, management could no longer control all operational issues; a need arose to organize effective interaction between employees and departments with each other.

Another example. Large holding. Previously, under Soviet rule, such enterprises were called city-forming enterprises - because, in addition to the extraction and processing of minerals, the enterprise was engaged in social and everyday tasks, had on its balance sheet kindergartens, hospitals, camp sites, canteens... as well as repair, energy, transport and other support services . Perestroika led not only to a change of owners of the plant, around which the whole city was built, but also to the need for radical changes in the structure of the enterprise. For example, the repair services of workshops were combined into one large separate production, and dozens of uniform canteens gained greater independence, adapted to specific conditions and began to make a profit. It is clear that such a holding needs to be managed differently than before. Designing a control system in this case is not a whim - but a vital necessity.

Another example. Natural monopolist. All Russia supplier - again from Soviet times. The objectives of the enterprise are set at the government level. One of the tasks, in particular, was the implementation of a quality management system. In the process of analyzing the problem, the need was identified to move from a functional business model to a model built on the basis of business processes, which, in turn, necessitated the design of a new management system.

Various examples, different goals and approaches to solving problems. But all enterprises have one thing in common - the need to design and implement an enterprise management system based on business processes.

Where to begin?

The traditional approach involves describing a certain “as it was” state, searching for bottlenecks and making amendments to the system, which can then be qualified as a “corrected “what was””. A simple and effective technique for not completely advanced cases. However, the lack of focus on “what is needed” is a serious drawback of this approach, especially when the owner’s current goal is far removed from what the enterprise is doing. The development and formalization of a strategy allows you to achieve the right direction. An example of a strategy formalized using a strategy map is Figure 1.

Picture 1.

Map construction begins with clarifying the owner's goals. What does he expect from his enterprise? In the example given, the goal is simple and clear - increasing the value of the business over the long term and increasing profits in the short term. Other goals are also possible - increasing investment attractiveness, for example. The main condition is the achievability of the goal, its clear and precise definition (for example: “I want to be able to sell this business for 10 million in three years”). As a rule, goal setting is carried out in a dialogue between the owner and business analysts and top managers of the company, whose task is to bring not very clear wishes to specific figures and facts that it is desirable to achieve in a certain period of time. At these same meetings, ways to achieve the main goal are outlined. In our example, the highest goal - increasing brand value - can be divided into two subgoals - high company brand value And company product brands– this is what analysts decided when studying the activities of the enterprise. The lower levels show how these values ​​can be increased. The resulting map clearly highlights the main directions in which action should be taken to achieve the main goal specified by the owner.

And now you can act according to the above template. A strategy map shows what subgoals need to be achieved to achieve the highest goal. Having this reference point, the chain “as it was” – “as it will be” takes on meaning and aims the design of the management system at solving the strategic problem. Each element of the existing management system may or may not have an impact on achieving any of the goals of the strategic map. It is clear that reengineering is required only for elements that are important for achieving the strategic goal.

What elements are analyzed? First of all, the range of goods and services offered by the company. A register is compiled - a complete package of these proposals - and analyzed. Is everything we produce profitable, useful and contributes to the achievement of our main goals? Should we expand our range? Is it necessary to reduce it in terms of unprofitable goods or services? Is it possible to make unprofitable goods or services profitable (and profitable ones – super-profitable?). A promising package of products and services is being compiled, for which business process modeling will be carried out. For product analysis, you can, for example, use the Boston Consulting Group matrix (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

As applied to the topic of the article, business process design is most relevant for “stars” (including potential ones) and “cash cows”.

It is not always necessary to conduct an “as is” analysis of business processes. Competent business analysts (or experienced managers) are usually able to offer business processes in the “as it should” version. However, there are situations when no one is able to say “how it should be” - for example, a completely new type of business or an enterprise with a large number of complex interactions between departments that needs to improve the efficiency of its work. It is possible to optimize its operation only through a scrupulous analysis of existing business processes. At the same time, it is very likely that the analysis will show that intuitively built connections and interactions are optimal, and increased efficiency should be sought in other places. Nevertheless, building a current business process diagram will be useful for the enterprise - since it provides opportunities to formalize activities, and also prepares the ground for work in the event of any changes in the business.

Features of designing a management system for a new, newly created enterprise include the lack of analysis of “how it was.” The management system is initially designed to achieve the strategic goals of the enterprise.

Team of participants

“Personnel decide everything!” This slogan is more relevant than anywhere else in the process of improving the management system. To solve this problem, it is impossible to simply hire professional performers who will do everything for you. The interested participation of key company employees is an indispensable condition for solving this problem. On the other hand, inviting outside professionals, although desirable, is not necessary - if their employees take on all the necessary functions. Let's try to describe these functions and recruit a formal team of performers, as well as indicate the importance of professional skills for everyone.

Strategist. He is also the Project Manager. The task of this person in the project is to translate the owner’s expectations into a strategy for achieving them, coordinate the actions of other participants, and resolve conflicts in cases where a complete vision of the situation is required. The strategist, if military associations are applied, must present a picture of the battle as a whole - that is, defensive actions must be carried out. In some sectors they are offensive, in others the cavalry at a certain moment must jump out of an ambush to ensure a breakthrough, the tanks must take advantage of these breakthroughs to break through to the rear and defeat the enemy... He does not care what formation the tanks will move in - this is a local tactical task. He doesn’t care what kind of transport will be used to transport ammunition - they just need to be delivered in the right quantity. At the same time, if the supply department and the tank brigade commander cannot agree on the quantity and timing of the delivery of shells, the strategist, knowing the general logic of the system, must resolve the conflict between the services, guided by his opinion about the necessary balance. One of the most realistic candidates for performing this function is the general director (however, it also happens that the general director is a “wedding general” or is too busy and can entrust the function of strategist to a deputy or an external consultant). Depending on experience, workload, and the availability of special knowledge, both deputies and external consultants (for example, a manager or project coordinator on the part of the contractor) may be involved in helping him. However, the final decisions still remain with this one person, or sometimes with the owner of the enterprise.

Business analysts. Experienced consultants in terms of strategy and business processes with skills in their design, analysis and optimization. It is preferable to invite professionals who have received special education and have experience in real and successful projects to perform these functions. However, using existing general recommendations and their own common sense, top managers of an enterprise are able to perform these functions at least at an average level. After all, in fact, the financial director, chief engineer, development deputy and other managers are required by duty to be able to analyze the strategic and tactical aspects of their activities. A professional business analyst is distinguished from them only by his experience working at other enterprises, the ability to go beyond conventional ideas and knowledge of recommendations that are known to bring positive results. Examples of such recommendations include: parallelizing the process where possible, using automation, minimizing the number of business processes performed by different departments.

Lower level business process designers. In order to understand who these people are, let’s consider the task from the point of view of the task at hand. For a small enterprise, as a rule, 7-8 top-level business processes are identified (for example, production, sales, supply, personnel reproduction, etc.). Each of them is divided into 7-8 smaller sub-processes - more detailed (for example, “product production” may include the production of parts, assembly of products, quality control) - that is, in the end we have about fifty business processes. In large companies, as a rule, further division is necessary - into one or two more levels. (Figure 3)

Figure 3. An example of dividing business processes of a medium-sized enterprise. For larger ones, just add one or two floors down...

Example - the only HR manager of a medium-sized company carries out his function within the framework of a single business process, which is simply called “recruitment”. Considering that he performs almost all the work independently, there is no need to write any regulations for this work. Another thing is the HR department of a large company, where there is a division of various functions between employees. The “recruitment” process in this case consists of dozens of simpler actions performed by various people - and it is their interaction that needs to be described by lower-level business processes. The final level for dividing business processes is a business operation - a process that is completely performed and controlled by one personnel unit. And for very large companies, thousands of business processes are quite possible. Now let’s make an imaginary projection of the picture of business processes onto the diagram of the enterprise divisions. Obviously, some business processes will fit entirely within one division. There will also be processes for which two or more departments are responsible (to varying degrees). And the most unpleasant situations are those in which responsibility for the execution of a business process is repeatedly transferred from one department to another (looking ahead, we will say that such business processes are recommended to be avoided, if possible). Figure 4 schematically shows the business processes of a hypothetical enterprise for the production of products. Some of the business processes, shown by black arrows, take place within departments. The other part - the blue arrows - moves from one unit to another. And finally, the third part is a process in which several departments are involved. Red dotted line.

Rice. 4. Ownership of business processes. Black arrows indicate the flow of internal business processes of departments, colored arrows indicate processes at a higher level.

Who is best to entrust the modeling of a lower-level business process for which one department is completely (or almost completely) responsible? (Who should be entrusted with building a tank detachment to carry out a breakthrough?) The answer suggests itself - this is the head of the unit (or an external consultant of this level working with the head of the unit). But entrusting the planning of interaction between horsemen, tankers and supplies to the head of one of these units would be, at the very least, reckless - the risk of “pulling the blanket over oneself” is too great. Therefore, modeling of upper-level business processes, processes with a large number of relationships between workshops and departments, should be carried out directly by the strategist, as a person interested in the success of the entire enterprise, and not a separate division. The minimum requirements for designers coincide with the job responsibilities of the named employees. Hiring third-party specialists can partially relieve managers, and extensive experience and professional skills can speed up work.

Performers. They are also experts in lower-level business processes and... guinea pigs. It is not enough to draw up a theoretically correct interaction scheme. To win, you need to put it into practice. That is, to bring it to ordinary performers and achieve its implementation. The ideal option is to select from a number of employees performing the same work one or two of the most active and capable ones and trust them to work in a new way - until the system is debugged. Another option is a gradual transition from some of the old processes to new ones that replace them. However, in reality this does not always happen. The relationship system (especially if it has not been optimized) may be so complex that testing will have to involve a large number of participants. Some analogy can be drawn with the example of implementing an automated information system. It is rare that it is possible to replace individual sections of the old system with new solutions. Much more often, employees have to keep records in parallel for some time in the old and new systems. Hiring outside contractors is not possible for these team members. However, external consultants can significantly speed up implementation by providing professionals to train and advise enterprise employees and monitor the correct execution of processes.

Question: Can a team formed only from company employees, without involving external specialists, using certain techniques and common sense, build and implement a new management system - from the Strategic Map to detailed business processes, regulations, etc.?

Answer: There are no clear methods for correctly constructing business processes “from start to finish,” but there are recommendations, as well as reference models. Based on them, using his own and other people’s experience, a strong manager is able, at a minimum, to build a functioning system. However, in order to squeeze maximum efficiency out of the system, in addition to a lot of (and preferably broad) experience, you need a fair amount of talent. In this case, the company has a real chance to “enter the top ten”. In order to become an undisputed leader in its business, an enterprise will need the help of a brilliant team led by an appropriate leader.

The actual design...

As mentioned earlier, there is no single methodology for developing business processes. In this section, we will try to consider a number of key points, which you should focus on, and which ones you should leave out of your attention.

Completeness and harmony of upper-level business processes. The importance of this criterion is equal to the importance of the business itself. The commander must win the battle first in his mind, imagining how events on the battlefield should develop - otherwise he should not even approach the enemy. Depending on the size of the company, two or three levels need to be checked for integrity and organicity.

Concentrating efforts on achieving strategic goals. Business processes that do not have an impact on key indicators are developed last, or not developed at all. Let's carry out the simplest calculation: for an enterprise that has three levels of business processes (that is, not a very large unitary enterprise), we have 7-8 top-level processes, each of which is divided into 7-8 second-level BPs, the same division principle is maintained below . As a result, already at the third level we have more than 350 business processes. On average, each business process consists of a dozen operations, which gives a total of four thousand operations for the enterprise. And that's just for the small ones! I propose to calculate the geometric progression up to the fourth and fifth levels yourself. Of course, only such monsters as Gazprom or RAO UES require the fifth level of detail - but even for the fourth level the number of operations is not small. Every process, every operation, ideally, needs to be optimized, regulated and reviewed at least once a year or as external conditions change. Considering the number of operations, we understand that the ideal, as usual, is unattainable, and the pursuit of it will only lead to an unjustified waste of resources. We have to make a sad but correct decision - taking a strategic map, design only those business processes that correspond to the goals indicated in it. And, if cleaning the internal territory does not affect any of the goals or subgoals of the strategic map, does not affect any indicator from the BSC, then let the cleaners themselves regulate it. At least until we finally sort out production, sales and supply...

The level of detail must match our needs. One of the reasons why excessive detail should not be allowed is stated above - an unjustified increase in the volume of work. The other is reminiscent of the old parable of the centipede - if you describe simple natural actions for an employee in too much detail, then performing them can become ineffective. The main criterion in this case is simple - if a clear division of responsibilities between employees has been achieved and the basic principles for performing operations have been set, then further detail is not necessary. It is enough to indicate that, for example, upon receiving an application, the employee must print the corresponding invoice and set the execution time - without specifying which key combinations should be used to move through the cells, save and print the file.

When designing, do not forget to set the main parameters of the business process (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Basic business process parameters

These include, for example, execution time and cost. Design in most cases is only one of the tasks in the process of reengineering a control system. Sooner or later there will be a desire to optimize - that’s when these numbers will come in handy. However, when optimization is not included in your immediate plans, you can hold off on this... if you are not worried that it may take employees several hours or days to print out an invoice.

Assessing the problematic nature and importance of the process. It also allows you to understand which processes should be designed immediately, and which can wait. Among the main criteria here can be considered: 1) business criticality. That is, how much incorrect execution of the process can harm the company - increase costs, lead to the loss of a client, delay making an important decision... 2) Frequency of repetition of the process (rarely, often, regularly). 3) The number of transfers of responsibility within one process, for example, from unit to unit. Such processes are potentially dangerous and entail many problems.

The leaders in all three categories are clear candidates for design and optimization.

Figure 6. Illustration of the process approach

It should be noted that these two approaches are rarely found in a pronounced form. Thus, the personnel department of a large enterprise almost always alone provides for the needs of all departments, while at the same time, the production of noticeably different products is very often organized in separate parts of the enterprise. Thus, the task of determining which approach takes place at a given enterprise (and also which should actually be implemented) should be solved one of the very first in the course of working on a project. After all, the more an enterprise gravitates toward a functional structure, the more intricate the business processes are, and the more responsible and complex the task of designing them is. The recommendation to switch to process management is not always appropriate - because, for example, in this case it will be necessary to divide all resources into departments, which is impossible in relation to unique resources (for example, an energy substation), and may turn out to be unprofitable economically. Another example is that a rigging shop consisting of ten people is able to move a machine weighing 2-3 tons. If this workshop is scattered among five teams in various units, then it will be impossible for two people to move such a machine. Each department will have to maintain a team of ten people - and it is not a fact that they will always be overloaded with work.

Take into account the inevitable resistance of enterprise employees to anything that in one way or another will destroy the existing system of relations. Thus, the head of the rigging shop is unlikely to be happy about being demoted to foreman, and will look for all possible ways to sabotage such a decision. Employees will exaggerate the importance of their work - and seek to reduce the importance of the work of other departments. Heads of departments will delay profitable business processes and in every possible way deny responsibility for the necessary contribution to “other people’s” processes. Although, of course, there is a very strong dependence on stimulating innovation for specific performers (who, for the most part, are not at all interested in any changes, even if they promise something very good in the future, because increasing efficiency from their point of view means the possibility do more for your employer for the same money).

What do we expect in the end?

The end result of the design should be an enterprise operating according to a new scheme. One of the most important final design products is a necessary and sufficient set of regulatory documentation.

Regulations of business processes (at least key ones), standard forms of documentation, both external and internal, regulations on departments, job descriptions, staffing schedule of the enterprise - this is its minimum list. No less important is the implementation of the system and the implementation of regulations in practice. Only after this can we say that the effort and resources spent on design were not wasted. It’s good if you can divide the implementation into small stages and sections (for example, first the purchasing department, then the warehouse, etc.) In addition to the fact that this will allow you to maintain confident control over the innovation implementation process, every small success will become a good stimulating factor for continuation of further work. True, it is not always possible to divide implementation into separate independent sections. Even if the new system completely avoids the division of responsibilities between departments, if the structure of new business processes is strictly linear and simple - even then the need to implement measurements “on the fly” (who will stop a profit-making enterprise?) leads to the fact that the implementation of one a new process affects dozens of old ones, which, in turn, are replaced by dozens of “new” ones, each of which... (and further, in increasing order). Therefore, in most cases, during implementation, the team is forced to work for some time under the old system, while simultaneously simulating new activities (most of your employees are literate people and understand perfectly well that for a long time they will have to do double work just so that the final load on them will increase compared to the original – hence the resistance to innovation). In the most advanced cases, to implement a management system, it turns out to be easier to build a new plant nearby (this is what has to be done, for example, at AvtoVAZ, where the absurdities inherited from Soviet times, multiplied by those acquired during the perestroika process, created an environment in which almost every employee resists innovation ). And finally, another logical result of the design is the introduction of an automated enterprise management system. It has long been proven that automation improves operational efficiency. Automation has a particularly noticeable effect in enterprises where there is a clear and rational management system and all business processes are regulated. And, on the contrary, to automate control without preliminary design means dooming the implementation of automated control systems to failure (have we already mentioned the impossibility of automating randomly occurring relationships in an indefinite manner? ). The presence of a strict system of business processes will allow you to approach the implementation of automated control systems from the point of view of maximum efficiency. Now it is quite possible to automate the most critical areas of work first, using the money received or saved as a result - the next most important ones... You can do this as gradually as resources allow or the external situation requires.

Estimation of resource requirements

If you have previously engaged in similar activities, then you can already imagine how much easier the design of your current account will be, how many employees you will temporarily lose as full-fledged combat units (and how many you will lose altogether). The reasoning below is more likely for those who are planning to start such work for the first time - after all, it is dangerous to both overestimate and underestimate the scale of future losses. An overestimation of complexity can lead to abandonment of the project altogether (along with hopes of becoming an industry leader), or to excessively high amounts under the contract with the contractor. An underestimate will lead to the fact that at some point there will not be enough resources and the project will be abandoned - which again means lost money. Time assessment is no less important - and for the same reasons. Practice shows that medium-sized companies - from 500 to 1000 people - develop and implement a new management system entirely in one year. Companies with 10 thousand employees will need approximately 2-3 years. However, depending on the complexity of the situation, the implementation time can increase by two or three times.

Based on the need for human resources, we can assume for this entire period a permanent team of 3-4 people (strategist, analysts) and the need to involve enterprise employees in the work as necessary - heads of departments and ordinary performers. Chiefs will be involved for approximately one to two months of pure time throughout the entire design and implementation cycle, ordinary performers - less, from 2 weeks to a month. The costs of your specialists, taking this time into account, can be estimated. External consultants are not cheap. The services of a specialist can cost from 1.5 to 25 thousand rubles per hour of work.

A little about guarantees of success. We have already said that when designing a management system independently, an experienced and sensible manager, with the support of a team of his deputies, has a good chance of doing this work without the involvement of external consultants - although, of course, such a team will not achieve an ideal result the first time. The possibilities of a professional team are greater - and the more well-known (and expensive) consulting company you invite, the closer you will be to the ideal management system for your type of activity. A well-known company, as a rule, values ​​​​its reputation; during the pre-design examination, its specialists can draw a conclusion about the effectiveness of the upcoming work - or they can refuse if, for some reason, the success of the design is not guaranteed. Recently, another approach has emerged - during implementation, the leading consultant is hired by the client company as a top manager - director or deputy. Of course, the reputation of the consulting company must be very high for this - but you can be sure of obtaining a high-quality result, with a noticeable saving of nerve cells. A little-known company may cost less, but the result is far from guaranteed.

Question: Is it possible to reduce the cost of designing a control system?

Answer: It is possible and necessary. A way to reduce the need for resources is to use specialized software products.

● The first reason why design automation is really useful is the ability to save and edit at every stage of the work. Created and saved “as is” business processes significantly facilitate the modeling of “as will be” processes - after all, it is easier to edit than to create again.

● The second reason comes from understanding the fundamentals of efficiency. Frequently repeated processes are critical to the overall progress of the business - after all, despite their simplicity and routine, their contribution to total labor costs is very significant. In the design of business processes there are a lot of template, repetitive actions, which, if done manually, will take up the lion's share of the total development time. Of course, the use of CTRL-C - CTRL-V techniques significantly simplifies the work in WORD or Excel when entering them, but specialized software provides an even more convenient environment for design.

● The third reason is the interconnectedness of all objects - from departments and employees to processes at various levels and strategic goals. In a well-constructed system, everything should be subordinate to a single strategic system of goals. Specialized software ensures this relationship and helps to avoid annoying mistakes due to inattention when entering information.

● The fourth reason is the possibility of optimization. Even though today there is no program that can independently design the optimal version of a business process (otherwise the need for managers and business analysts would disappear by itself, a computer is cheaper) - but it can simulate hundreds of cycles of each of thousands of business processes in dozens variations of their interaction... Try this using Excel! And in this case it is impossible to do without statistical processing - after all, the system will work in the real world, where anything happens.

● The fifth (and, for many, the most important) reason is automation of the result output. Even the most excellent management system will remain just a project until business processes turn into regulations and job descriptions. A system capable of automatically developing all these hundreds and thousands of regulatory documents, and even delivering them to each employee, will save the manager a very large amount of his very expensive time. Of course, when correcting business processes (and it is strongly recommended to check them for viability at least annually), the automated system will not forget to make changes to all documents affected by the changes - and again convey to employees the new rules of the game. We must not forget that automatically generated regulations are consistent with each other and are consistent (if, of course, business processes are designed correctly) and employees will no longer be able to exploit “holes” in your internal legislation.

● The sixth reason. Important, rather, for novice designers. The instructions for specialized software in itself are a statement of the basics of business process modeling. Working according to the template outlined in the software, a beginner will not make any annoying mistakes, the system will not allow you to skip any important actions or steps, due to which the chances of design success increase significantly.

annotation

information modeling business

This paper examines the business processes of PromTransInform LLC - hereinafter PTI.

The following were reviewed and studied:

· general characteristics of the enterprise;

The types of activities of the organization were considered, what products it introduces and what services it provides, with which organizations (in particular the largest) contracts were concluded and how this affects the activities of the organization.

· methodologies for describing business processes are described;

The ARIS methodology is mainly used in PTI, which allows you to consider the organization from all points of view and allows you to consider the organization using a hierarchy of models - from generalization to the level of procedures and resource environment of functions.

· diagrams of business models were constructed (in ARIS notations using the CASE tool Microsoft Visio) “AS IS” (as is);

· a “bottleneck” was found and, using the eEPC model as an example, the “AS TO BE” model was depicted (as it should be);

The “bottleneck” in this coursework is the weak organization of the work process, which occurs when responsibilities are not distributed rationally, which slows down the execution of the order.

· an agreement on modeling and documentation of the business process was written;

· process analysis was carried out.

Introduction

The purpose of the work is to model the business processes of PromTransInform LLC, identify shortcomings in the activities of specific departments and propose a way to eliminate them.

The question of improving the activities of an enterprise by finding and eliminating so-called “bottlenecks” in the work of employees using business process modeling is relevant in any developing enterprise.

The object of study in this course work is PTI LLC and its departments, the main service of which is the automation of industrial railway transport enterprises.

The subject of study is the interaction of departments and employees in these departments reporting to the General Director.

Job objectives: training in working skills with the ARIS business process modeling methodology, collecting information and studying enterprise business processes, modeling procedures, constructing business model diagrams, developing a modeling agreement and documenting a business process, conducting process analysis.

Working methods. The work is carried out with the aim of improving the skills of constructing business model diagrams in ARIS notations using the CASE tool Microsoft Visio using the example of business processes of PTI OJSC.

The following information is used as initial data in this work:

· organizational structure of the enterprise;

· characteristics of the enterprise;

· organization of design in consulting enterprises;

· information about the PTI application systems used.

As a result of the work done and the elimination of bottlenecks, it is expected that the work of employees will be simplified and facilitated, therefore, a reduction in labor intensity and errors in reports.

1. Architecture of integrated information systems ARIS as a methodology for modeling business processes

The developer of the ARIS (Architecture of Integrated Information Systems) methodology is IDS Scheer AG, founded in 1984 by Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer in Saarbrücken (Saarland, Germany). The ARIS methodology is a modern approach to a structured description of an organization's activities and its presentation in the form of interrelated and complementary graphic models that are easy to understand and analyze.

The models used in ARIS are presented in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 - Classification of ARIS models

Models created using the ARIS methodology reflect the existing situation with varying degrees of approximation. The level of detail in the description depends on the goals of the project within which the modeling is carried out. ARIS models can be used to analyze and develop various kinds of solutions for reorganizing the activities of an enterprise, including the implementation of a management information system and the development of quality management systems.

The ARIS methodology implements the principles of structural analysis and allows you to identify and reflect in models the main components of the organization, ongoing processes, manufactured and consumed products, used information, as well as identify the relationships between them. The created models represent a documented body of knowledge about the management system, including the organizational structure, ongoing processes, interactions between the organization and market entities, the composition and structure of documents, the sequence of process steps, job descriptions of departments and their employees. Unlike other approaches, the ARIS methodology involves storing all information in a single repository, which ensures the integrity and consistency of the modeling and analysis process, and also allows for model verification.

The ARIS methodology is based on the concept of integration, offering a holistic view of processes, and represents many different methodologies combined within a single systems approach. Among them are such well-known ones as:

eEPC diagram (Extended Event Driven Process Chain - event process chain)

· Chen diagram (ERM - Entity Relationship Model - entity-relationship model)

· UML language (Unified Modeling Language - universal modeling language)

· OMT technique (Object Modeling Technique - object-oriented modeling technique)

· BSC methodology (Balanced Scorecard) The advantage of this approach is that it becomes possible to describe processes and their environment from different, complementary points of view.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of existing business process modeling methodologies

ARIS methodology.

Advantages:

· the ability to view an object from different points of view; different levels of description to support the systems life cycle concept; a differentiated view of the analyzed object (organization, management system, etc.);

· a wealth of modeling methods, reflecting various aspects of the subject area under study, allows you to model a wide range of systems (organizational, economic, technological and others);

· single repository; all models and objects are created and stored in a single project database, which ensures the construction of an integrated and holistic model of the subject area;

· possibility of repeated application of modeling results; accumulated corporate knowledge about all aspects of the organization's activities can further serve as the basis for the development of various projects directly in the ARIS environment and using interfaces and other tools.

Flaws:

· For some processes, excessive formalization is not only ineffective, but even harmful due to their specificity. An example would be those components of business activity that are directly related to creative solutions to unpredictable problems that arise in the course of this activity.

· High cost of the product.

SADT ( Structured Analysis and Design Technique) is a methodology for structural analysis and design that integrates the modeling process, project configuration management, the use of additional language tools and project management with its own graphical language. The modeling process can be divided into several stages: interviewing experts, creating diagrams and models, distributing documentation, assessing the adequacy of the models and accepting them for further use. This process is well established because specialists perform specific responsibilities during project development, and the librarian ensures timely exchange of information.

SADT emerged in the late 1960s as part of the revolution brought about by structured programming. While most people were struggling to create software, few were trying to solve the more complex problem of creating large-scale systems involving both people and machines and software, similar to the systems used in telephone communications, industry, government and weapons control. At that time, specialists traditionally involved in creating large-scale systems began to recognize the need for greater order. Thus, the developers decided to formalize the process of creating the system, dividing it into the following phases:

Analysis - determining what the system will do

· Design - definition of subsystems and their interaction

· Implementation - development of subsystems separately

Integration - connecting subsystems into a single whole

· Testing - checking the operation of the system

· Installation - putting the system into operation

· Operation -- use of the system

The SADT method is most suitable for describing top-level models. Its main advantages are as follows:

· completeness of the description of the BP (controls, information and material flows, feedback).

· Complexity of decomposition

· Possibility of aggregation and detailing of data and information flows (separation and merging of arcs)

· Availability of strict requirements ensuring obtaining a standard type model.

Easy to document the process

· Compliance of the approach to describing the process with the ISO standard

At the same time, SADT has a number of disadvantages:

· Difficulty of perception - a large number of arcs on the diagram.

· Large number of decomposition levels

· Difficulty in linking several processes represented in different models of the same organization.

IDEF0

Functional modeling methodology. Using the visual graphic language IDEF0, the system under study appears to developers and analysts in the form of a set of interrelated functions (functional blocks - in IDEF0 terms). As a rule, modeling using IDEF0 is the first stage in studying any system.

The main advantages of IDEF0 are as follows:

· completeness of the description of the business process (management, information and material flows, feedback);

· complexity in decomposition (migration and tunneling of arrows);

· the ability to aggregate and detail flows of data and information (separation and merging of arrows);

· the presence of strict methodology requirements that ensure the production of process models of a standard type;

· ease of documenting processes;

· compliance of the approach to describing processes in IDEF0 with ISO 9000:2000 standards.

Hence the general purpose of IDEF0 is to restructure the structure of functions, which will improve the performance and efficiency of the system.

The IDEF3 (Integrated Definition Process Description Capture Method) methodology was developed to more conveniently describe work processes (Work Flow), for which it is important to reflect the logical sequence of procedures. This technique, unlike IDEF0, is not standardized.

IDEF3 is a structural method that shows cause-and-effect relationships and events. It also shows how the work is organized and which users are working with the simulated system. IDEF3 describes the scenario and sequence of operations for each process. A scenario is a description of the sequence of changes in the properties of an object within the framework of the process under consideration (for example, a description of the sequence of stages of processing a part in a workshop and a change in its properties after passing through each stage). The execution of each scenario is accompanied by a corresponding document flow, which consists of two streams: documents defining the structure and sequence of the process (technological instructions, descriptions of standards) and documents reflecting the progress of its implementation (examination results, defect reports).

IDEF3 documentation and modeling tools allow you to perform the following tasks:

· document available data on process technology;

· identify and analyze points of influence of related document flows on the technological process scenario;

· identify situations in which a decision is required that affects the life cycle of the process (for example, changing the technological properties of the final product);

· facilitate the adoption of optimal decisions when reorganizing technological processes;

· develop simulation models of technological processes based on the “what will happen if...” principle.

IDEF3 has a direct relationship with the IDEF0 methodology - each function can be represented as a separate process using IDEF3. But functional modeling in IDEF3 differs from modeling in IDEF0 and DFD in that it reflects the functions of the system in the time sequence of their implementation.

DFD (Data Flow Diagrams) methodology - data flow diagrams are a way of representing information processing processes. The authors of the technique, Gane and Sarson, developed it independently of IDEF0. This technique, unlike IDEF0, is not standardized.

Unlike IDEF0 arrows, which represent rigid relationships, DFD (data flow) arrows show how objects (including data) actually move from one function to another. This data flow representation ensures that the physical characteristics of the system, such as object movement, object storage, and object propagation, are reflected in the DFD model.

DFD diagrams provide a convenient way to describe the information being transferred both between parts of the system being modeled and between the system and the outside world. This quality determines the scope of application of DFDs - they are used to create models of an organization's information exchange, for example, a document flow model. DFD is also widely used in the construction of corporate information systems.

Unified Modeling Language (UML), a unified modeling language, is a non-proprietary modeling and specification language intended for use in the software development field. However, the scope of its application is not limited to the field of information systems modeling. It can also be used to model engineering systems, business processes, and organizational structures. UML is a language used by systems engineers to specify, visualize, construct, and document complex information-rich object systems.

Benefits of UML

· UML is object-oriented, as a result of which the methods for describing the results of analysis and design are semantically close to programming methods in modern object-oriented languages;

· UML allows you to describe a system from almost all possible points of view and various aspects of the system’s behavior;

· UML diagrams are relatively easy to read once you become familiar with its syntax fairly quickly;

· UML expands and allows you to enter your own text and graphic stereotypes, which promotes its use not only in the field of software engineering;

· UML has become widespread and is developing dynamically.

Flaws:

· Redundancy of language. UML is often criticized as being unnecessarily large and complex. It includes many redundant or largely unused diagrams and constructs.

· Inaccurate semantics. Since UML is defined by a combination of itself (abstract syntax), OCL (formal validation constraint language) and English (detailed semantics), it does not have the constraint inherent in languages ​​precisely defined by formal description techniques. In some cases the abstract syntax of UML, OCL and English contradict each other, in other cases they are incomplete. Imprecise descriptions of the UML itself impact users and tool vendors alike, leading to tool incompatibility due to unique interpretations of the specifications.

· Problems in learning and implementation. The above issues make learning and implementing UML challenging, especially when management forces business analysts to use UML without prior knowledge.

· Tries to be everything to everyone. UML is a general-purpose modeling language that tries to achieve compatibility with all possible development languages. In the context of a specific project, in order for the design team to achieve a specific goal, applicable UML capabilities must be selected. Moreover, ways of limiting the scope of UML in a particular domain are through a formalism that is not fully articulated and which is itself subject to criticism.

3. Selection of a business process for modeling and its meaningful description

3.1. General characteristics of the enterprise

PromTransInform LLC is engaged in the automation of industrial railway transport enterprises through the implementation of information components of the software and hardware complex of the Integrated Information Management System "Transport and Logistics Complex", management of projects for the implementation of specialized information management systems in mainline railway transport, as well as management of projects for the implementation of devices in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan , devices and information systems of railway automation and telemechanics, provides consulting services in this area.

The main activities of PromTransInform LLC are:

Automation of railway enterprises, which works with such IT products as IAS “Transport Work”, IAS “Operating Costs”, IAS “Transport Assets”, IAS “Customer Interaction”, IAS “Logistics Efficiency”.

The IAS TR hardware and software complex is part of the software and hardware platform “PTI Framework .Net.2.1.”, on which the Integrated Management Information System “Railway Complex” (IIMS “ZhKD”) is built.

This complex is a specialized solution of PromTransInform LLC, based on IT products of the .NET line from Microsoft.

IAS TR uses a significant amount of built-in business logic that ensures automated management of the Customer's railway complex.

The information and analytical system “Transport Work” (hereinafter referred to as “IAS TR”) was developed by specialists from PromTransInform LLC (Novosibirsk).

The main goal of implementing IAS TR is the comprehensive automation of management business processes of production planning and accounting of volumes and costs:

Transport logistics (transportation); Posted on http://www.site/

Transport (logistics) work;

Transport aboutPosted on http://www.site/

customer service (providing transport services);

Transport costs (cost of work Posted on http://www.site/

and tariffs for services);

Operation of transport assets of the railway enterprise on the access route and in main traffic.

It takes into account industry differences in the production and economic activities of railway enterprises (compared to the activities of industrial enterprises)

PromTransInform LLC is also engaged in transport and economic consulting (Transport-logical complexes for railway transport, Transport consulting for railway transport, Economic consulting for railway transport, IT Consulting for railway transport, Methodological guidelines on railway tariffs ) and project management at railway enterprises (implementation of information systems in railway transport, optimization of business processes of railway transport logistics, optimization of operating costs of the railway transport complex, implementation of project management systems).

The main partners and customers of PromTransInform LLC are enterprises of the industrial railway complex of the railway industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Russia.

The main methodological partner of PromTransInform LLC is the Siberian State Transport University (Novosibirsk). The company's specialists have 6 years of experience in the railway industry.

3.2 Survey area

As the object under study, we will take PromTransInform LLC, namely the process of organizing the work process. Having examined this enterprise and talked with employees, it can be determined that there is a weak organization of the work process. A more complete description of the bottleneck and ways to eliminate it are presented in the Process Analysis section.

Organizational structure of PromTransInform LLC (Figure 3.1):

Figure 3.1-Organizational structure of PTI

3.3 Procedure for conducting the examination

· The location of the survey is the building of PromTransInform LLC, Krasny Prospekt str., 220/5, office 326 (Siberian Fair);

· Method of examination - interview with employees of PromTransInform LLC orally, obtaining the necessary documentation in electronic form.

4. Modeling “AS IS” (as is), description of the approach. selection and justification of the types of diagrams used to describe a business process using ARIS

Each enterprise has structures, rules and documents that form the basis for the smooth functioning of corporate procedures and must be integrated with the new quality management system. An "As Is" analysis involves examining the standard being implemented, taking into account the company's specifications. The purpose of such an analysis is to clarify the requirements of the standard and to what extent they affect specific aspects of the company's activities. At the same stage, an inventory of documents and information systems related to quality is carried out within the company.

To model the processes of PromTransInform LLC we will use the following diagrams:

· Organizational chart - description of the organizational structure of the department.

· Knowledge map - displaying the types of knowledge of PTI workers and structuring the forms of their storage to determine the capabilities they have.

· Authorization map - description of employee powers.

· Informational carrier diagram - description of documents for the convenience of describing the processes occurring in the department.

· Function Tree - dividing the functions performed by a department into levels for a more visual representation of the department’s activities.

· Function allocation diagram - description of objects surrounding a function for a visual representation of a complex function.

· Communication diagram - a representation of the interactions of organizational units to describe the execution of the entire production process.

· Risk diagram - to describe the risks that arise in the process of activity.

· Product/Service Tree - for structuring products obtained as a result of department activities.

· Technical resources model - to describe the technical resources used in the department.

· Value-added chain diagram - description of department processes that affect the quality of functioning. To describe the types of PTI activities that create added quality of products.

· Event-driven process chain diagram - description of actions within a business process. For a visual representation of the processes performed by the department.

5. Modeling conventions

The purpose of the modeling project coincides with the purpose of the course project and is presented in the introduction. The bottom work examines the “AS IS” (as it is) and “AS TO BE” (as it should be) models. The modeling method is top-down.

Modeling at the following levels of abstraction is considered: standard business processes and instance business processes.

Models are considered in relation to the initial data: description of requirements, description of powers, job descriptions, company services, employee functions.

The ARIS methodology contains many types of models, each of which is assigned to a specific type of representation and level of description. The work uses the following hierarchy used to model the business process:

- top level processes, which include diagrams Organizational chart - Organizational structure of PTI, Technical resources model - Technical resources, Product/Service Tree - Products and services of PTI

- subprocesses, which include the Informational carrier diagram - PTI Documents

- process scenarios, which include the Authorization map diagram - Business analyst powers

- procedures (operations), which include diagrams Event-Driven Process Chain, Knowledge map - Business analyst knowledge map, Function allocation diagram - Function environment - the process of modernizing the IAS "Transport work" for the client, Value-added chain diagram - Procedures for the process of participation in the competition.

The previous section listed the types of diagrams that are presented in the course work. The elements of these diagrams are described in detail in the modeling convention.

5.1 Glossary of project terms

The modeling agreement defines the interpretation of the following terms used in the project (Table 5.1):

Table 5.1 - Glossary

5.2 Diagram of an event-driven process chain (eEPC). The objects used and their symbols are presented in Table 5.2.1.

Table 5.2.1 - objects used

The types of connections used in the event-driven process chain diagram are presented in Table 5.2.2.

Table 5.2.2 - types of connections

5.3 Organizational chart

Table 5.3.1 - Used objects

The types of relationships used in the organizational structure diagram are presented in Table 5.3.2.

Table 5.3.2 - types of connections

5.4 Knowledge structure diagram

The types of objects used in the knowledge structure diagram are presented in Table 5.4.1.

Table 5.4.1 - object types

The types of relationships used in the knowledge structure diagram are presented in Table 5.4.2.

Table 5.4.2 - types of connections

5.5 Information carrier diagram

The types of objects used in the diagram are presented in Table 5.5.1

Table 5.5.1 - Object types

The types of connections used in the diagram are presented in Table 5.5.2.

Table 5.5.2 - types of connections

5.6 Authorization map

The types of objects used are presented in Table 5.6.1.

Table 5.6.1 - object types

Types of connections are presented in Table 5.6.2.

Table 5.6.2 - types of connections between objects

5.7 Function tree

The types of objects used are presented in Table 5.7.1.

Table 5.7.1 - object types

Types of connections are presented in Table 5.7.2.

Table 5.7.2 - types of connections

5.8 Function allocation diagram

The types of objects used are presented in Table 5.8.1.

Table 5.8.1 - object types

Types of connections are given in Table 5.8.2.

Table 5.8.2 - types of connections

5.9 Communication diagram

Object types are presented in Table 5.9.1.

Table 5.9.1 - Object types

Types of connections are presented in Table 5.9.2.

Table 5.9.2 - types of connections

5.10 Technical resources model

Object types are presented in Table 5.10.1.

Table 5.10.1 - object types

Types of connections are presented in table 5.10.2

Table 5.10.2 - types of connections

5.11 Product/Service tree

The types of objects used are presented in Table 5.11.1.

Table 5.11.1 - object types

Types of connections are presented in Table 5.11.2.

Table 5.11.2 - types of connections

The types of objects used are presented in table 5.12.1

5.12. Risk diagram

Types of connections are presented in Table 5.12.2.

Table 5.12.2 - types of connections

5.13 Value-added chain diagram

Object types are presented in table 5.13.1

Types of connections are presented in table 5.13.2

Table 5.13.2 - types of connections

6. Business model diagrams

6.1 Event-driven process chain

Figure 6.1.1 - Event-driven chain for processing an application from a client (in the notation of the ARIS extended Event-Driven Process Chain diagram)

6.2 The organizational chart of PromTransInform (Organizational chart) is presented in Figure 6.2

Figure 6.2 - Organizational structure of PTI (in ARIS Organizational chart notation)

6.3 The knowledge map and the business analyst’s knowledge structure diagram are presented in Figures 6.3.1, 6.3.2, 6.3.3.

Figure 6.3.1 - Business analyst knowledge map (in ARIS Knowledge map diagram notation)

Table 6.3.1 - Detailing

Figure 6.3.3 - Business analyst skills (in ARIS Knowledge structure diagram notation)

Figure 6.3.4 - Business analyst knowledge (in ARIS Knowledge structure diagram notation)

6.4 The diagram of PTI information media is shown in Figure 6.4

Figure 6.4 - Informational carrier diagram (in the notation of the ARIS Informational carrier diagram)

6.5 The business analyst’s credentials map is shown in Figure 6.5

Figure 6.5 - Business analyst authority (in ARIS Authorization map diagram notation)

6.6 The function tree for the order fulfillment process is shown in Figure 6.6

Figure 6.6 - Function tree for the order fulfillment process

6.7 The function environment diagram is shown in Figure 6.7

Figure 6.7. - Function environment - Modernization of the IAS “Transport work” for the client (in the notation of the ARIS Function allocation diagram)

6.8 The communication diagram is shown in Figure 6.8

Figure 6.8 - Communication diagram - Transfer of results between departments (in ARIS Communication diagram notation)

6.9 The technical resource model is presented in Figure 6.9

Figure 6.9 - Technical resources of PTI (in the notation of the ARIS Technical resources model diagram)

6.10 The product/service tree is shown in Figure 6.10

Figure 6.9 - PTI products and services (in ARIS Product/Service tree diagram notation)

6.11 The risk diagram is shown in Figure 6.11

Figure 6.9 - PTI risk diagram (in ARIS Risks diagram notation)

6.12 The diagram of the chain of added quality for the process of participation in the competition is presented in Figure 6.12

Figure 6.12 - Added quality chain procedure for the competition participation process (in ARIS Value-added chain diagram notation)

7. Documenting the business process

When managing business processes, company management is faced with the fact that the level of complexity of their management increases sharply due to a significant increase in the number of objects under management and the interaction of organizational structures, as well as business diversification, and expansion of geography and/or product range.

In this context, documenting the company’s activities carries a number of important functions, such as maintaining a knowledge base about various subject areas of the company (processes, organizational structure, products, powers, etc.), increasing the transparency of business processes (analysis of the effectiveness of interaction between structural divisions , participating in the end-to-end process), preparing the organization’s processes for the implementation of information systems. Documenting activities allows you to understand what processes take place in the organization, who is responsible for them, whether these responsible persons are vested with sufficient authority, and whether these processes are provided with sufficient resources (documentation of technical information in Table 7.1.1).

Table 7.1.1 - Results of the PTI examination

An updated list of processes and their owners is presented in Table 7.1.2.

Table 7.1.2 - list of processes and their owners

In total, the department has 5 processes. Of these, 3 are main and 2 are auxiliary.

Documentation of the production process is presented in Table 7.1.3. Thus, when making the necessary changes to the process and its model, the output document will not contain those errors in the logic and distribution of powers of structural units present in the manual approach.

For example, when changes are made to a process in ARIS, the new functions must be reflected on the corresponding BP indicating the responsible department and the corresponding user.

Manually making such changes is a painstaking and lengthy process that requires separate checks, which takes a lot of time and resources. In ARIS, such changes can be made within a few minutes, and the process of generating a new document occurs automatically.

Table 7.1.3 - Production process

Making changes becomes extremely simple, and the formation of regulatory documents is not delayed until the moment when each new document no longer corresponds to reality.

8. Business process analysis

Process analysis should be understood in a broad sense: it includes not only work with graphical diagrams, but also analysis of all available information on processes, measurements of their indicators, comparative analysis, etc. There is both qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis of business processes . Let's start with a qualitative analysis of the process. Identification of problem areas is the simplest means of qualitative process analysis. The main purpose of this method of analysis is to determine directions for further more in-depth analysis. Figure 8.1 shows four problem areas.

The first of them is related to work planning, the second - to fulfilling orders, the third - to interaction with clients, the fourth - to interaction with personnel. Brief problem statements are provided for each problem area.

Identification of problem areas is carried out by interviewing managers and employees involved in the process under consideration. Thus, using the example of Figure 8.1, a survey of PTI employees was conducted. Each process is performed by specific departments.

Figure 8.1 - Problem areas of PTI

The resulting process diagram can serve as a subject for discussion and analysis during a process redesign project. So, for example, information about interaction with clients can be considered in more detail: what is the order of work, the process of distribution of roles, the procedure for communicating with clients, etc.

It is this process that is presented in detail in the diagram (Figure 6.1.1).

Since this process has problems, it needs to be restructured.

Before the modernization, the process looked like this: after concluding an agreement with the client, the general director of PTI transferred management of the project to the project manager (Fig. 8.2).

But if any questions arose, the project manager was forced to contact the general director so that he would call the client and clarify all the necessary information. This was often extremely inconvenient, since the general director was constantly on business trips, and it was not always possible to contact him by phone.

Therefore, the project manager constantly had to wait for the general director to clarify the information.

Consequently, employees wait for further instructions and work stops moving.

Figure 8.2 - Procedure for executing an order until the bottleneck is eliminated (in the notation of the ARIS extended Event-Driven Process Chain diagram)

Now the process looks like this: after concluding an agreement with the client, the general director of PTI transfers management of the project to the project manager (Fig. 8.3).

Not only management is transmitted, but also all data about clients (their phone numbers, etc.).

Now there is no need to wait for the general director (he can work calmly, enter into new contracts), and the project manager himself carries out all the work. Appendix A contains the job description for a business analyst.

Figure 8.3 - Order execution procedure after eliminating the bottleneck (in the notation of the ARIS extended Event-Driven Process Chain diagram)

Requirements for the KPI system:

Each indicator must be clearly defined;

· indicators and standards must be achievable: the goal must be realistic, but at the same time be an incentive;

· the indicator must be the responsibility of those people who are being assessed;

· the indicator must be meaningful;

· indicators can be general for the entire company, i.e. “tied” to the company’s goal, and specific for each division, i.e. “tied” to the goals of the unit.

Let's analyze time delays (how long the order was completed before and after the process modernization) (Table 8.1). Calculations are taken for one order.

Table 8.1 - Time delay analysis

The total efficiency of modernization (KPI) is 63.13%. The BP analysis data based on the results of the analysis report of the “Order Execution BP (eEPC)” process model is presented in Table 8.2.

Table 8.2 - Report on the results of the analysis of the process model “Order Execution Process (eEPC)”

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Reorientation of companies to business processes - business reengineering- means restructuring its internal work and management system. This is a difficult and painful procedure, which is accompanied by a break in the usual ways of the company’s employees, a revision of their responsibilities, a decrease/increase in their wages and often layoffs. There is a lot of different work here, and among other things - designing new business schemes, and therefore new business processes.

Why is good business process formalization important?

1. It allows us to make our thoughts the subject of wide discussion.
2. It makes it possible to convey new work rules to those employees who will comply with them.
3. Formalized business processes are easier to change and modernize.
4. Formalization of business processes is a good basis for subsequent business automation in the company: creation/configuration of various information systems and standard automation packages.

It is not difficult to guess that visual models are offered as means of formalization. The advantages of this method over ordinary texts are traditional: it is difficult for people to read large texts, but they easily discuss diagrams. At the same time, diagrams are fairly formal descriptions that allow you to step-by-step determine the types of actions, participants and results.

Business process example

As an example, I took a large furniture retail store and its business process “Customer purchase of goods.” In Fig. Figure 9.1 shows a diagram of this business process in BPMN notation, with comments on the notation.

The entire business process is divided into actions, which are depicted as rectangles with rounded corners. Transitions between activities are shown with arrows, and documents that are generated or used by an activity are shown as rectangles with a dog-eared right corner. These rectangles are connected by dashed lines to the action that created them and to the actions in which they are used.

Let us highlight the following business process actions.

1. "Place an order." First, the client places an order. It is assumed that before this he decided on the main thing - what he needed. For example, a kitchen set. Then, in the kitchen furniture sales department, he, together with one of the managers of this department, draws up a design project for his purchase (in accordance with the size of his kitchen and his wishes), clarifies the parameters of his order and precisely determines the components and materials.
2. "Receipt of goods." The client goes to the warehouse and chooses all the components of his order himself, having an exact list of what he needs. At the same time, warehouse workers help him.
3. "Payment for goods and delivery arrangements." The client, along with his chosen goods (he carries them on a trolley), goes to the checkout and pays for what he has chosen. Next, with the goods paid for, he goes to the delivery department, where he arranges and pays for the delivery of his furniture, as well as its assembly (if he needs it); after that he leaves home.
4. "Delivery". Paid goods are delivered to the client within three days.
5. "Assembly". After this, if the client has ordered the assembly, then a master assembler comes to him and assembles the delivered furniture.

In Fig. 9.1 the same documents are present several times. This is done for reasons of convenience so that there are not a large number of lines on the diagram. This uses the concept of loading a model element into a diagram, discussed in previous lectures: the same model element can be loaded into a diagram many times. In this case, there are many corresponding diagrammatic elements, but there is only one model element.

Business process decomposition

It is clear that in its entirety, with all its details, the business process presented above is significantly larger. But if all these details are placed on one diagram, then it will be extremely difficult to understand and suitable only for automatic processing. With the help of such a diagram it will not be possible to explain the work procedure to employees and clients; it will not be able to serve as a convenient practical guide. However, if you limit yourself to only the top-level details, you will get a specification “in principle” - it can be inserted into reports for management and used only for the very first, “basic” acquaintance with how furniture is sold in a store. But I want the business process specification to be understandable and accessible to people, and also to be complete. Then different specialists could simplify their acquaintance with the principles of the store using our specifications - and those who want to get only a general

In this article I want to talk about the basic principles of business modeling, about the approaches that are used in this area, and on the basis of which modeling languages ​​and notations are created.

I have already written about modeling using IDEF0 (Introduction to the IDEF0 notation and an example of use), about organizing the work of a warehouse and working with clients from lead to transaction (Implementation of CRM. From registering a lead to closing a transaction. Case and explanations), about the Bizagi system ( Bizagi. Example). And everywhere I used business process notation when explaining examples and practical solutions.

On the one hand, the use of diagrams for clarity when describing business models does not raise any questions for anyone. It's really very convenient. On the other hand, many businessmen and even my colleagues are perplexed why special notations and rules are needed for developing business processes, because you can simply draw an intuitive diagram in any graphic editor (visio) or using other convenient tools.

I want to talk about why standardization is so important, as well as in what cases this or that approach is used.

Basic approaches

• Functional;
• Process;
• Mental (using mental maps).

Functional modeling considers business as a function (lat. functio - commission, execution) or in other words, a “black box”. In the functional model, a function does not have a time sequence, but only an entry point and an exit point. Functional modeling helps to look at a business model from a performance perspective, i.e. When modeling, we proceed from what we have at the input and what we want to get at the output.

For example, a company is developing some kind of CRM system for its business. In the case of using a functional approach to modeling, the chosen environment for work itself tells you where to start. The entry point is “incoming client interest or lead”, the exit point is the desired result: “purchase and obtaining a loyal client”, “obtaining a regular client”, “obtaining maximum information about a potential client”, etc.

Thus, in a functional model, the entry point and the desired result are initially known, and the sequence of actions is the object of development. At the same time, the use of functional models as “black boxes” allows you to detail each stage as needed. And all the modeling work is aimed at finding the optimal solution to achieve the goal.

You can also use functional models to demonstrate your ideas and solutions. This is also very convenient, because during the demonstration you can move from general to detail, separating and decomposing functions as necessary. But you will be decomposing exactly the functions, and by dividing one function into several, you will not get a description of the process.

Some people confuse process description and functional model. For example, in the Business Studio system a function is called a process, although this is not entirely true. Still, the description of functions and the process approach are somewhat different things. And I personally believe that functional modeling is optimally implemented in the IDEFO notation. I myself use it for this type of work, and I also recommend it to everyone.

You can learn more about the rules for working with IDEFO by reading my article: Getting Started with IDEF0 Notation and an Example of Use.

Process modeling (business process modeling)

From a business model point of view, a process is a sequence of events and actions that have a beginning and an end.

This is the main difference between process modeling and functional modeling. Functional modeling looks at a business model in terms of input and output (available resources and desired outcome). And process based is based on a sequence of actions within certain boundaries, in the case of BPMN this will be the beginning and end of an event.

All processes can be divided (detailed) into subprocesses up to detail at the task level, i.e. actions, further detail of which is impossible. A process is a certain sequence of actions that must be performed to obtain a certain result. It should be noted that in the business model as a process, the result may not be obvious, unlike the functional model.

The fundamental difference between process modeling and functional modeling is that with process modeling the main attention is paid not to what we want to get, but to what needs to be done to get the result, i.e. not the results of this or that activity, but the sequence of actions itself.

For example, in BPWIN or Business Studio, in the process of detailing each function, there is a transition from a functional approach to a process approach. Those. in general, we consider the model from the point of view of capabilities and the desired result, and when we move on to solutions for each function, a clearly process approach is already practiced here, i.e. step-by-step algorithm of actions to achieve results.

Imagine that in the functional model there is a “black box” - the “Accept order” function. And when decomposing, we no longer consider it as a function, but as a process, and the sequence of actions when accepting an order is already a process approach.

There is one more very important difference. The functional model cannot be used when implementing any system, only for design. And the process approach allows you to create executable models, i.e. descriptions of a sequence of actions that we can later translate into some kind of environment to create an enterprise collaboration system based on a process approach.

When creating mental models, a specialist approaches modeling not as a process or a set of functions, but as a certain set of interconnected concepts. For clarity, I will give an example - a mental map of the concept “Procurement Procedure” (see figure).

This version of the approach is used primarily for oneself. Drawing a diagram in free form helps to structure your knowledge, so to speak, to “sort out” the information received in free form. Also, such mental maps help to find a solution, which later, as necessary, will be implemented within the framework of the strict rules of a process or functional approach.

You can also use mental maps to demonstrate to clients both the existing situation and options for solving the problem. Mind maps can help you visualize what methods can be used and visualize different ideas.

The advantages of using such mental maps are obvious:

• You don't need to know any special languages;
• There are no strict frameworks or restrictions when creating a diagram;
• A mental map is intuitive in most cases;
• Creating such diagrams is simple.

As a result, understanding the model and the ideas contained in it requires the presence and comments of its developer (analyst).

Of course, there are very simple maps that can be read intuitively without additional comments. But in the absence of standards, there is always the possibility that even in this case the author had something else in mind or somewhere insufficiently detailed his scheme. Those. there is a possibility of different readings. But business is not a philosophy. Despite all the speculativeness and variety of approaches to describing business processes, unambiguous decisions are very important here.

Business modeling methodology and languages

Methodology is a system of principles and standards for describing business models and their subsequent analysis. While the business modeling language is nothing more than a tool for developing business models.

This suggests a comparison with programming in general and the use of a specific programming language. Programming includes the construction of an algorithm, the selection of a suitable programming language, and the implementation of a program algorithm within a particular language. And, for example, programming in the C++ language is already obviously limited to a certain framework, since only a clearly limited range of problems can be solved using the means of a certain language, and, at the same time, even if the problem can be solved using the C++ tools, it is not at all necessary what exactly this language will be optimal in a particular case. In general, I think most people understand the difference between the concept of “programming” and “programming within a specific language” even without such explanations.

The difference between business model development languages ​​and systems design languages

The main difference between these languages ​​and business process development languages ​​lies in their purpose. If IT system design languages ​​consider business processes from the point of view of the possibility of their automation and implementation in IT systems, then business modeling languages ​​consider the sequence of actions from a business point of view, including the work of both IT systems and employees, and the movement of goods etc.

Accordingly, system design languages ​​do not have elements that will help to fully describe the actions of departments, employees, interactions between them, work with suppliers, communication with clients, and so on. The tools of this group of languages ​​will help you automate business processes that can be automated. And everything else will be left behind the scenes, for example, as some “functions” without decoding.

At the same time, business process development languages ​​cover as much as possible the work of the business as such, but it is not always possible to describe certain nuances of automation and algorithmization of systems in them with a sufficient degree of detail.

Benefits of Business Model Development

In fact, standards and rules are a huge plus:

1. Modeling languages ​​help convey information as efficiently as possible. Standardization increases ease of understanding.
2. The speed of model development increases significantly. The languages ​​contain all the necessary tools and graphic blocks in ready-made form. You don't have to “draw” or come up with your own terminology. The tools are already ready, and work within its framework is significantly accelerated. Of course, you need to learn the language. But learning it once is much faster than coming up with and explaining your own set of notations each time.
3. The number of possible errors is reduced. The elements of the system themselves will already “suggest” a list of possible and necessary actions. And in the case of creating executable models or non-executable ones, but within the strict framework of the rules, you can always check the operation of the business model in the executable environment and carry out debugging, as in programming.

Application of business models in practice

In addition, visual business model diagrams help me interact with clients. My projects are often complex, and simple text or spoken word is not enough to understand, while the use of visual business models reduces the client's time spent reading and understanding my proposals, and practically eliminates problems of mutual understanding in this matter. And if a few years ago I was still faced with bewilderment on the part of clients, now the option of describing “in words” without visual and convenient diagrams is extremely rarely practiced.

And in the case of automating any stage of work or creating an automated business management system based on a project-oriented approach, a high-quality business model, executed in one or another modeling language, will become a ready-made guide for technical specialists.

Convenience, versatility, ease of perception - these are the reasons why people in the business sphere are increasingly moving from verbal descriptions to business modeling. And the use of ready-made languages ​​allows you to work with models quickly, avoid mistakes, and also make any changes without any problems.

I am also currently preparing a book and an online course for publication, in which I will describe in detail my own vision of the process approach to business, as well as my own practical experience in the field of functional and process modeling. Anyone can subscribe to notifications about the release of a new book on and other news