The popularity of BPMN keeps rising from year-to-year. The “State of Business Process Management (BPM) 2014″ report from BPT emphasizes the growing importance of BPMN in which they are referred to it as “dominating the process standards space”.
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- 1. To get an understanding of what Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is, it’s certainly helpful to look at it from the angle of what it is not. According to Real-Life BPMN book, BPMN was designed to represent processes and not:
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- 2. Data
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- 3. Business rules or
- 4. Process/IT landscapes.
Business Process Model and Notation is instead, a standard for defining how processes should be executed. I like to think of it’s as flowcharting on wheels. In this, the graphical notation that facilitates modeling to a level of detail that is not readily available with other notations.
The Pros And Cons
The standardization of how business processes are represented and imply that if you change your modeling tool, you get the advantage of sticking to the same set of diagrams and symbols.
The fact that is a standard notation also increases the probability that the stakeholders will understand the diagrams you produce or build, though some would argue that BPMN is complex. To address this potential issue of complexity, I have a legend at the bottom of my models to explain the symbols used.
One of the most common complaints that the use of BPMN for modeling processes is the initial difficulty stakeholders face into understanding the multitude of notations when compared with the existing “though not “given” in all cases” familiarity that they have with the notations, like flowcharts and their symbols. One can, however, argue that flowchart symbols, generally perceived to be more straightforward, still have to be learned when faced with it initially or infrequently.
With the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), I limit myself to a collection of symbols to avoid complexity and the steep learning curve that users might face in understanding my diagrams. It is not necessary or even possible to use all the existing symbols so it is best to identify the barest minimum for the stakeholder communication, process definition and accurate representation to happen.
When to Use BPMN
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- You find yourself stuck using the tools, a handful of most commonly used workflow diagram elements and flowcharts to represent the concept. In this scenario, it makes sense to selectively, draw from BPMN to model the process.
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- Your organization requires you to use it. In this type of case, the application of BPMN should be tied to a larger organizational objective. It also typically means to you that you are completing more formal modeling that is implementable in the business process management tools.
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- You are applying for a job, you are otherwise qualified for the required knowledge of or experience with the BPMN notation. By all means, learn and understand the techniques and creates a few work samples using the notation.
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Unless one of these 3 reasons applies, using the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for the sake of doing Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) can do more harm than good.
Risks of Using BPMN
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- The models we create, that are more difficult for our stakeholders to understand it , potentially leading to a business process that includes the incorrect information.
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- It’s more complex for us to create the models, meaning we need more analysis time to deliver the same amount of the value unless the use of the notation is specifically tied to other business objectives.
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- We’re more likely to make modeling mistakes, which decrease rather than increase the clarity of our process flows.
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Unless one of these 3 reasons applies, using the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for the sake of doing Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) can do more harm than good.
Though the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) may seem overwhelming at the beginning, it certainly has its benefits.
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- Standardize how processes are represented. Even though these, diagrams are not currently created with the intention (BPMN) of executing them directly in a BPMN Engine. (An executable process model can be implemented directly by a process engine), the day the company decides to make a move or make a path in that direction, we won’t have to start from scratch. Our process diagrams are, however, tightly integrated with the requirements specification and form the basis for the technical design of the business applications. BPMN is only one example, Workflow notations are necessary to indicate the sequence of process steps.
- Convey meaning. The latest version, BPMN 2.0.2, provides 100+ different symbols. I never had difficulty finding the appropriate modeling notation to use for conveying the right meaning of process flows.
- Model to increased and more accurate level of precision, e.g. displaying different types of events.
Unless one of these 3 reasons applies, using the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for the sake of doing Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) can do more harm than good.
So, MCAL Global provide you the best understanding of the Business Process Model and Notation, There is the best business analyst training provided by MCAL Global. They have a Master Business Analysis Training course. In their business analyst course, they give full training on Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN). The Master Business Analysis Training Programming is the flagship business analyst course. MCAL has trained 1000s of professionals on the business analysis processes, concepts, tools, techniques, best practices, business analyst certification, and software tools via this program. Through active feedback collected from individuals & corporates, MCAL has perfected this business analyst course via numerous updates and revisions to deliver the best possible results for individuals or corporates.