Business Process Design
Companies of repute strategize and implement operational processes which are performed repetitively by the employees of the company. These operational processes also known as Business Processes combines methods of management with the best practices of information technology.
What is Business Process Design?
Business Process Design is an activity by which operational processes are designed and documented. These operational processes could be existing processes which the employees adhere to or could be a new approach to processes. A Business Process Design allows the processes to be documented, stored as process models in repositories and testing the process performance by ways of simulation tools.
What are the elements of a Business Process Design?
- Documentation - Business processes are documented with the help of graphical editors or any word processing application. The documentation process is version controlled and can be referred to by the process designers and the management team for use and reference. In case of new processes to be formulated, a brain storming session precedes the documentation process. The brain storming session is ideally held amongst the process execution team responsible for strategic decision making.
- Storing - Business processes once documented are stored in repositories. It is important for businesses to be stored at a central database or a repository as it allows users to access the information without issues. Before a business process is finalized, it is stored in a repository accessed only by the management team. Once the business process is finalized, it is stored in the company intranet for all the employees to view the business process.
- Dry run - A Business process design can be complete only if the business owner is satisfied with the results of the process specifically with new processes as business owners would want to check the profitability of the business process to the company. To achieve this, the process is run a large number of times aided by simulation tools. This test-run or dry-run of the process gives a fairly large amount of data relating to the process which will aid the business owners to strategically implement the business process.
Business process design acts as a precedent to process execution. A good process manufacturing system results as an effective combination of a good business process design and execution. In most cases, a good business process design aims at reducing performance related issues in an organization.
That said, the only limitation to a business process design is change. Though many companies have tried a very flexible approach to business processes, the results are not consistent enough. Many business analysts have taken this up as a research study to design an 'all-weather' business process.