Project
project management, tools,
process, plans and project
planning tips
Here are rules, processes and tools for project planning and project management.
While project management skills are obviously important for project managers, interestingly the methods and tools that project managers use can be helpful for everyone.
A 'task' does not necessarily have to be called a 'project' in order for project management methods to be very useful in its planning and
implementation. Even the smallest task can benefit from the use of a well-chosen project management technique or tool, especially in the planning stage.
Any task that requires some preparation to achieve a successful outcome, will probably be done better by using a few project management methods somewhere in the process. Project management methods can help in the planning and managing of all sorts of tasks, especially complex activities. Project management is chiefly associated with planning and managing change in an organization, but a project can also be something unrelated to business - even a domestic situation, such as moving house, or
planning a wedding.
Project management methods and tools can therefore be useful far more widely than people assume.
Project management techniques and project planning tools are useful for any tasks in which different outcomes are possible - where risks of
problems and failures exist - and so require planning and assessing options, and organizing activities and resources to deliver a successful result.
Projects can be various shapes and sizes, from the small and straightforward to extremely large and highly complex.
In organizations and businesses, project management can be concerned with anything, particularly introducing or changing things, in any area or function, for example:
• people, staffing and management • products and services
• materials, manufacturing and production • IT and communications
• plant, vehicles, equipment
• storage, distribution, logistics • buildings and premises
• finance, administration, acquisition and divestment • purchasing
• sales, selling, marketing
• human resources development and training • customer service and relations
• quality, health and safety, • legal and professional
• technical, scientific, research and development • new business development
• and anything else which needs planning and managing within organizations.
Successful project management, for projects large or small, tends to follow the process outlined below.
The same principles, used selectively and appropriately, also apply to smaller tasks.
Project management techniques are not just for project managers - they are available for anyone to use.
project management process
1. Agree precise specification for the project - 'Terms of Reference' 2. Plan the project - time, team, activities, resources, financials - using
suitable project management tools.
3. Communicate the project plan to your project team - and to any other interested people and groups.
4. Agree and delegate project actions.
5. Manage and motivate - inform, encourage, enable the project team. 6. Check, measure, monitor, review project progress - adjust project
plans, and inform the project team and others.
7. Complete project - review and report on project performance; give praise and thanks to the project team.
8. Project follow-up - train, support, measure and report results and benefits.
1 - agree precise specification (terms of
reference) for the project
Often called the project 'terms of reference', the project specification should be an accurate description of what the project aims to achieve,
outputs, sources, participants, budgets and timescales (beware - see note below about planning timescales).
Usually the project manager must consult with others and then agree the project specification with superiors, or with relevant authorities. The specification may involve several drafts before it is agreed. A project specification is essential in that it creates a measurable accountability for anyone wishing at any time to assess how the project is going, or its success on completion. Project terms of reference also provide an essential discipline and framework to keep the project on track, and concerned with the original agreed aims and parameters. A properly formulated and agreed project specification also protects the project manager from being held to account for issues that are outside the original scope of the project or beyond the project manager's control. This is the stage to agree special conditions or exceptions with those in authority. Once you've published the terms of reference you have created a very firm set of expectations by which you will be judged. So if you have any concerns, or want to renegotiate, now's the time to do it.
The largest projects can require several weeks to produce and agree
project terms of reference. Most normal business projects however require a few days thinking and consulting to produce a suitable project
specification. Establishing and agreeing a project specification is an important process even if your task is simple one.
A template for a project specification:
1. Describe purpose, aims and deliverables.
2. State parameters (timescales, budgets, range, scope, territory, authority).
3. State people involved and the way the team will work (frequency of meetings, decision-making process).
4. Establish 'break-points' at which to review and check progress, and how progress and results will be measured.
Separately the acronym BOSCARDET provides a useful example structure for Terms of Reference headings/sections: Background, Objectives, Scope, Constraints, Assumptions, Reporting, Dependencies, Estimates,
Timescales. This structure contains no specific heading for costs/budgets - these considerations can be included within 'Constraints' or 'Estimates'. Since projects (and other activities requiring Terms of Reference) vary considerably there is no standard universal structure for a Terms of Reference document. The responsibility lies with the project manager or leader to ensure all relevant and necessary issues are included, and this local interpretation tends to imply TOR headings and document structure.
Brainstorming can be a helpful process by which all relevant Terms of Reference criteria can be indentified and structured.
Organizations may have standard TOR structures, such as the
BOSCARDET example, which it is sensible to use where applicable, mindful of risks of omission or over-complication that can arise when following
standard practice. See also Terms of Reference in the business dictionary section.
2 - plan the project
Plan the various stages and activities of the project. Where possible (and certainly where necessary) involve your team in the planning. A useful tip is to work backwards from the end aim, identifying all the things that need to be put in place and done, in reverse order. Additionally, from the bare beginnings of the project, use brainstorming (noting ideas and points at random - typically with a project team), to help gather points and issues and to explore innovations and ideas. Fishbone diagrams are also useful for brainstorming and identifying causal factors which might otherwise be forgotten. For complex projects, or when you lack experience of the
issues, involve others in the brainstorming process. Thereafter it's a question of putting the issues in the right order, and establishing
relationships and links between each issue. Complex projects will have a number of activities running in parallel. Some parts of the project will need other parts of the project to be completed before they can begin or progress. Such 'interdependent' parts of a project need particularly careful consideration and planning. Some projects will require a feasibility stage before the completion of a detailed plan. Gantt Charts and Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams are two commonly used tools for detailed project management planning, enabling scheduling, costing and budgeting and other financials, and project management and reporting.
project timescales and costs
Most projects come in late - that's just the way it is - so don't plan a timescale that is over-ambitious. Ideally plan for some slippage. If you have been given an fixed deadline, plan to meet it earlier, and work back from that earlier date. Build some slippage or leeway into each phase of the project. Err on the side of caution where you can. Projects which slip back and are delivered late, or which run over budget or fail to meet other financial requirements often cause significant problems. Many planners are put under pressure to deliver projects sooner and more
cost-effectively than is realistic. Ambition and aiming high are good attitudes, but planning without proper prudence and responsibility is daft. Investors and executives tend rarely to question an over-ambitious plan, but they will quickly make very ruthless decisions when any overly ambitious project starts to fail. Exercising a little realism at the outset of a project regarding financials and timescales can save an enormous amount of trouble later.
the project team
Another important part of the planning stage is picking your team. Take great care, especially if you have team-members imposed on you by the project brief. Selecting and gaining commitment from the best team members - whether directly employed, freelance, contractors, suppliers,
consultants or other partners - is crucial to the quality of the project, and the ease with which you are able to manage it. Generally try to establish your team as soon as possible. Identifying or appointing one or two people even during the terms of reference stage is possible sometimes.
Appointing the team early maximises their ownership and buy-in to the project, and maximises what they can contribute. But be very wary of appointing people before you are sure how good they are, and not until they have committed themselves to the project upon terms that are clearly understood and acceptable. Don't imagine that teams need to be full of paid and official project team members. Some of the most valuable team members are informal advisors, mentors, helpers, who want nothing other than to be involved and a few words of thanks. Project management on a tight budget can be a lonely business - get some help from good people you can trust, whatever the budget.
To plan and manage large complex projects with various parallel and dependent activities you will need to put together a 'Critical Path Analysis' and a spreadsheet on MS Excel or equivalent. Critical Path Analysis will show you the order in which tasks must be performed, and the relative importance of tasks. Some tasks can appear small and insignificant when they might actually be hugely influential in enabling much bigger
activities to proceed or give best results. A Gantt chart is a useful way of showing blocks of activities over time and at a given cost and for
managing the project and its costs along the way.
Various project management software is available, much of which is useful, but before trying it you should understand and concentrate on developing the pure project management skills, which are described in this process. The best software in the world will not help you if you can't do the basic things.
project management tools
Here are examples and explanations of four commonly used tools in project planning and project management, namely: Brainstorming, Fishbone Diagrams, Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams, and Gantt Charts. Additionally and separately see business process modelling and
quality management, which contain related tools and methods aside from the main project management models shown below.
The tools here each have their strengths and particular purposes, summarised as a basic guide in the matrix below.
Matrix key:
B = Brainstorming
F = Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagrams
C = Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams
G = Gantt Charts
*** - main tool** - optional/secondary tool * - sometimes useful
B F C G
Project brainstorming and initial concepts, ideas,
structures, aims, etc *** **
Gathering and identifying all elements,
especially causal and hidden factors * *** **
Scheduling and timescales ** ***
Identifying and sequencing parallel and
interdependent activities and stages * *** * Financials - costings, budgets, revenues, profits,
variances, etc * * ** ***
Monitoring, forecasting, reporting * ** ***
Troubleshooting, problem identification,
diagnosis and solutions ** *** ** *
'Snapshot' or 'map' overview - non-sequential,
non-scheduled ** ***
Format for communications, presentations,
updates, progress reports, etc * * ***
brainstorming
Brainstorming is usually the first crucial creative stage of the project
management and project planning process. See the brainstorming method
in detail and explained separately, because it many other useful applications outside of project management.
Unlike most project management skills and methods, the first stages of the brainstorming process is ideally a free-thinking and random technique. Consequently it can be overlooked or under-utilized because it not a
natural approach for many people whose mains strengths are in systems and processes. Consequently this stage of the project planning process can benefit from being facilitated by a team member able to manage such a session, specifically to help very organised people to think randomly and creatively.
fishbone diagrams
Fishbone diagrams are chiefly used in quality management fault-detection, and in business process improvement, especially in
manufacturing and production, but the model is also very useful in project management planning and task management generally.
Within project management fishbone diagrams are useful for early planning, notably when gathering and organising factors, for example during brainstorming.
Fishbone diagrams are very good for identifying hidden factors which can be significant in enabling larger activities, resources areas, or parts of a process.
Fishbone diagrams are not good for scheduling or showing interdependent time-critical factors.
Fishbone diagrams are also called 'cause and effect diagrams' and
Ishikawa diagrams, after Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-89), a Japanese professor specialising in industrial quality management and engineering who
devised the technique in the 1960s.
Ishikawa's diagram became known as a fishbone diagram, obviously, because it looks like a fishbone:
A fishbone diagram has a central spine running left to right, around which is built a map of factors which contribute to the final result (or problem). For each project the main categories of factors are identified and shown as the main 'bones' leading to the spine. Into each category can be drawn 'primary' elements or factors (shown as P in the diagram), and into these can be drawn secondary elements or factors (shown as S). This is done for every category, and can be extended to third or fourth level factors if 8
necessary.
The diagram above is a very simple one. Typically fishbone diagrams have six or more main bones feeding into the spine. Other main category
factors can include Environment, Management, Systems, Training, Legal, etc.
The categories used in a fishbone diagram should be whatever makes sense for the project. Various standard category sets exist for different industrial applications, however it is important that your chosen structure is right for your own situation, rather than taking a standard set of
category headings and hoping that it fits.
At a simple level the fishbone diagram is a very effective planning model and tool - especially for 'mapping' an entire operation.
Where a fishbone diagram is used for project planning of course the 'Effect' is shown as an aim or outcome or result, not a problem.
The 'Problem' term is used in fault diagnosis and in quality management problem-solving. Some fishbone diagrams can become very complex indeed, which is common in specialised quality management areas, especially where systems are computerised.
This model, and the critical path analysis diagram are similar to the even more complex diagrams used on business process modelling within areas of business planning and and business process improvement.
project critical path analysis (flow diagram
or chart)
'Critical Path Analysis' sounds very complicated, but it's a very logical and effective method for planning and managing complex projects. A critical path analysis is normally shown as a flow diagram, whose format is linear (organised in a line), and specifically a time-line.
Critical Path Analysis is also called Critical Path Method - it's the same thing - and the terms are commonly abbreviated, to CPA and CPM. A commonly used tool within Critical Path Analysis is PERT
(Program/Programme/Project Evaluation and Review Technique) which is a specialised method for identifying related and interdependent activities and events, especially where a big project may contain hundreds or
thousands of connected elements. PERT is not normally relevant in simple projects, but any project of considerable size and complexity, particularly when timings and interdependency issues are crucial, can benefit from the detailed analysis enabled by PERT methods. PERT analysis commonly feeds into Critical Path Analysis and to other broader project management systems, such as those mentioned here.
Critical Path Analysis flow diagrams are very good for showing
Analysis flow diagrams also enable costings and budgeting, although not quite as easily as Gantt charts (below), and they also help planners to identify causal elements, although not quite so easily as fishbone diagrams (below).
This is how to create a Critical Path Analysis. As an example, the project is a simple one - making a fried breakfast.
First note down all the issues (resources and activities in a rough order), again for example:
Assemble crockery and utensils, assemble ingredients, prepare
equipment, make toast, fry sausages and eggs, grill bacon and tomatoes, lay table, warm plates, serve.
Note that some of these activities must happen in parallel - and crucially they are interdependent. That is to say, if you tried to make a fried
breakfast by doing one task at a time, and one after the other, things would go wrong. Certain tasks must be started before others, and certain tasks must be completed in order for others to begin. The plates need to be warming while other activities are going on. The toast needs to be toasting while the sausages are frying, and at the same time the bacon and sausages are under the grill. The eggs need to be fried last. A Critical Path Analysis is a diagrammatical representation of what needs done and when. Timescales and costs can be applied to each activity and resource. Here's the Critical Path Analysis for making a fried breakfast:
This Critical Path Analysis example below shows just a few activities over a few minutes. Normal business projects would see the analysis extending several times wider than this example, and the time line would be based on weeks or months. It is possible to use MS Excel or a similar
spreadsheet to create a Critical Path Analysis, which allows financial totals and time totals to be planned and tracked. Various specialised project management software enable the same thing. Beware however of spending weeks on the intricacies of computer modelling, when in the early stages especially, a carefully hand drawn diagram - which requires no computer training at all - can put 90% of the thinking and structure in place. (See the details about the most incredible planning and
communications tool ever invented, and available for just a tiny fraction of the price of all the alternatives.)
project critical path analysis flow diagram
example
gantt charts
Gantt Charts (commonly wrongly called gant charts) are extremely useful project management tools. The Gantt Chart is named after US engineer and consultant Henry Gantt (1861-1919) who devised the technique in the 1910s.
Gantt charts are excellent models for scheduling and for budgeting, and for reporting and presenting and communicating project plans and
progress easily and quickly, but as a rule Gantt Charts are not as good as a Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagram for identifying and showing
interdependent factors, or for 'mapping' a plan from and/or into all of its detailed causal or contributing elements.
You can construct a Gantt Chart using MSExcel or a similar spreadsheet. Every activity has a separate line. Create a time-line for the duration of the project (the breakfast example shows minutes, but normally you would use weeks, or for very big long-term projects, months). You can colour code the time blocks to denote type of activity (for example,
intense, watching brief, directly managed, delegated and left-to-run, etc.) You can schedule review and insert break points. At the end of each line you can show as many cost columns for the activities as you need. The breakfast example shows just the capital cost of the consumable items and a revenue cost for labour and fuel. A Gantt chart like this can be used to keep track of progress for each activity and how the costs are running. You can move the time blocks around to report on actuals versus planned, and to re-schedule, and to create new plan updates. Costs columns can show plan and actuals and variances, and calculate whatever totals, averages, ratios, etc., that you need. Gantt Charts are probably the most
not very easily or obviously show the importance and inter-dependence of related parallel activities, and they won't obviously show the necessity to complete one task before another can begin, as a Critical Path Analysis will do, so you may need both tools, especially at the planning stage, and almost certainly for large complex projects.
gantt chart example
A wide range of computerised systems/software now exists for project management and planning, and new methods continue to be developed. It is an area of high innovation, with lots of scope for improvement and
development. I welcome suggestions of particularly good systems, especially if inexpensive or free. Many organizations develop or specify particular computerised tools, so it's a good idea to seek local relevant advice and examples of best practice before deciding the best
computerised project management system(s) for your own situation. Project planning tools naturally become used also for subsequent project reporting, presentations, etc., and you will make life easier for everyone if you use formats that people recognize and find familiar.
project financial planning and reporting
For projects involving more than petty cash you'll probably need a spreadsheet to plan and report planned and actual expenditure. Use MSExcel or similar. Financial accounting for small projects can sometimes be managed using the project's Gantt Chart. Large projects are likely to require some sort of require dedicated accounting system, although conceivably Gantt Charts and financial management accounts can easily be administered within a spreadsheet system given sufficient expertise. If you don't know how to put together a basic financial plan, get some help from someone who does, and make sure you bring a good friendly,
flexible financial person into your team - it's a key function of project
management, and if you can't manage the financial processes your self you need to be able to rely completely on whoever does it for you. The spreadsheet must enable you to plan, administer and report the detailed finances of your project. Create a cost line for main expenditure activity, and break this down into individual elements. Create a system for
allocating incoming invoices to the correct activities (your bought-ledger people won't know unless you tell them), and showing when the costs hit the project account. Establish clear payment terms with all suppliers and stick to them. Projects develop problems when team members get
dissatisfied; rest assured, non- or late-payment is a primary cause of dissatisfaction.
Remember to set some budget aside for 'contingencies' - you will almost certainly need it.
project contingency planning
Planning for and anticipating the unforeseen, or the possibility that things may not go as expected, is called 'contingency planning'. Contingency planning is vital in any task when results and outcomes cannot be
absolutely guaranteed. Often a contingency budget needs to be planned as there are usually costs associated. Contingency planning is about preparing fall-back actions, and making sure that leeway for time, activity and resource exists to rectify or replace first-choice plans. A simple
contingency plan for the fried breakfast would be to plan for the possibility of breaking the yolk of an egg, in which case spare resource (eggs) should be budgeted for and available if needed. Another might be to prepare some hash-browns and mushrooms in the event that any of the diners are vegetarian. It may be difficult to anticipate precisely what contingency to plan for in complex long-term projects, in which case simply a contingency budget is provided, to be allocated later when and if required.
3 - communicate the project plan to your
team
This serves two purposes: it informs people what's happening, and it obtains essential support, agreement and commitment. If your project is complex and involves a team, then you should involve the team in the planning process to maximise buy-in, ownership, and thereby
accountability. Your project will also benefit from input and consultation from relevant people at an early stage.
Also consider how best to communicate the aims and approach of your project to others in your organization and wider network.
Your project 'team' can extend more widely than you might first imagine. Consider all the possible 'stakeholders' - those who have an interest in your project and the areas it touches and needs to attract support or tolerance.
whose cooperation is crucial) is a common reason for arousing suspicion and objections, defensiveness or resistance.
4 - agree and delegate project actions
Your plan will have identified those responsible for each activity. Activities need to be very clearly described, including all relevant parameters,
timescales, costs, and deliverables. Use the SMART acronym to help you delegate tasks properly. See the delegation tips and processes. Using proper delegation methods is vital for successful project management involving teams. When delegated tasks fail this is typically because they have not been explained clearly, agreed with the other person, or
supported and checked while in progress. So publish the full plan to all in the team, and consider carefully how to delegate medium-to-long-term tasks in light of team members' forward-planning capabilities. Long-term complex projects need to be planned in more detail, and great care must be taken in delegating and supporting them. Only delegate tasks which pass the SMART test. Other useful materials to help understand team delegation are the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum, and Tuckman's group forming/performing model. The Johari Window model is also an excellent review framework for quickly checking or reminding about mutual awareness among team members in large complex projects, where there is often a risk of project fragmentation and people 'doing their own thing' in blissful isolation - which seriously undermines even the best planned projects.
5 - manage, motivate, inform, encourage,
enable the project team
Manage the team and activities in meetings, communicating, supporting, and helping with decisions (but not making them for people who can make them for themselves). 'Praise loudly; blame softly.' (a wonderful maxim attributed to Catherine the Great). One of the big challenges for a project manager is deciding how much freedom to give for each delegated
activity. Tight parameters and lots of checking are necessary for
inexperienced people who like clear instructions, but this approach is the kiss of death to experienced, entrepreneurial and creative people. They need a wider brief, more freedom, and less checking. Manage these people by the results they get - not how they get them. Look out for differences in personality and working styles in your team.
Misunderstanding personal styles can get in the way of team cooperation. Your role here is to enable and translate. Face to face meetings, when you can bring team members together, are generally the best way to avoid issues and relationships becoming personalised and emotional.
Communicate progress and successes regularly to everyone. Give the people in your team the plaudits, particularly when someone high up expresses satisfaction - never, never accept plaudits yourself. Conversely - you must take the blame for anything that goes wrong - never 'dump' (your problems or stresses) on anyone in your team. As project manager any problem is always ultimately down to you anyway. Use empathy and
conflict handling techniques, and look out for signs of stress and manage it accordingly. A happy positive team with a basic plan will outperform a miserable team with a brilliant plan, every time.
6 - check, measure, and review project
performance; adjust project plans;
inform project team and others
Check the progress of activities against the plan. Review performance regularly and at the stipulated review points, and confirm the validity and relevance of the remainder of the plan. Adjust the plan if necessary in light of performance, changing circumstances, and new information, but remain on track and within the original terms of reference. Be sure to use transparent, pre-agreed measurements when judging performance.
(Which shows how essential it is to have these measures in place and clearly agreed before the task begins.) Identify, agree and delegate new actions as appropriate. Inform team members and those in authority about developments, clearly, concisely and in writing. Plan team review meetings. Stick to the monitoring systems you established. Probe the apparent situations to get at the real facts and figures. Analyse causes and learn from mistakes. Identify reliable advisors and experts in the team and use them. Keep talking to people, and make yourself available to all.
7 - complete project; review and report on
project; give praise and thanks to the
project team
At the end of your successful project hold a review with the team. Ensure you understand what happened and why. Reflect on any failures and mistakes positively, objectively, and without allocating personal blame. Reflect on successes gratefully and realistically. Write a review report, and make observations and recommendations about follow up issues and priorities - there will be plenty.
8 - follow up - train, support, measure and
report project results and benefits
Traditionally this stage would be considered part of the project
completion, but increasingly an emphasised additional stage of project follow-up is appropriate.
This is particularly so in very political environments, and/or where projects benefits have relatively low visibility and meaning to stakeholders (staff, customers, investors, etc), especially if the project also has very high costs, as ICT projects tend to do.
ICT (information and communications technology) projects often are like this - low visibility of benefits but very high costs, and also very high
Project management almost always involves change management too, within which it's very important to consider the effects of the project on people who have to adapt to the change. There is often a training or education need. There will almost certainly be an explanation need, in which for example methods like team briefing have prove very useful. Whatever, when you are focused on project management it is easy to forget or ignore that many people are affected in some way by the results of the project. Change is difficult, even when it is good and for right
reasons. Remembering this during and at the end of your project will help you achieve a project that is well received, as well as successful purely in project management terms.
Someone once said "Don't you love it when a plan comes together?" It's true.
As project manager, to be at the end of a project and to report that the project plan has been fully met, on time and on budget, is a significant achievement, whatever the project size and complexity. The mix of skills required are such that good project managers can manage anything.
amusing project management analogies
To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the project manager, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. A clergyman, a doctor and a project manager were playing golf together one day and were waiting for a particularly slow group ahead. The project manager exclaimed, "What's with these people? We've been waiting over half and hour! It's a complete disgrace." The doctor agreed, "They're hopeless, I've never seen such a rabble on a golf course." The clergyman spotted the approaching greenkeeper and asked him what was going on, "What's happening with that group ahead of us? They're surely too slow and useless to be playing, aren't they?" The greenkeeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free
anytime." The three golfers fell silent for a moment. The clergyman said, "Oh dear, that's so sad. I shall say some special prayers for them tonight." The doctor added, rather meekly, "That's a good thought. I'll get in touch with an ophthalmic surgeon friend of mine to see if there's anything that can be done for them." After pondering the situation for a few seconds, the project manager turned to the greenkeeper and asked, "Why can't they play at night?"
And this (thanks G Bee)... A project manager was out walking in the countryside one day when a frog called out to him. He bent down, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog called out again, saying, "If
you kiss me I shall turn me back into a beautiful princess, and I'll stay with you for a week as your mistress." The project manager took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and put it back into his pocket. The frog called out once more, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for as long as you wish and do absolutely anything that you want. Again the Project manager took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and put it back. Finally, the frog demanded, "What's the matter? You can turn me back into a beautiful princess, and I'll stay with you for ever and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" to which the project
manager replied, "Understand, I'm a project manager. I simply don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog .... that's cool."
business process modelling
business process modelling explanation -
diagrams, definitions, examples
Business Process Modelling (BPM) is a modern term and methodology which has evolved through different stages and names, beginning during the 'division of labour' of the late 1700s, when manufacturing first moved into factories from cottage industry. More explanation is in the historical development of Business Process Modelling below.
Broadly the term 'business' in Business Process Model/Modelling/modeling is interchangeable with 'organisation'. Business Process Modelling is not only carried out in conventional businesses; the methodology is
increasingly applicable to all sorts of other organisations, for example government agencies and departments, charities, mutuals and
cooperatives, etc.
Confusingly, the acronym BPM can mean different things, some closely related to Business Process Modelling; others less so. 'Business Process Management' is an example of a different and related meaning. More details are in the glossary below.
Business Process Modelling is a method for improving organisational efficiency and quality. Its beginnings were in capital/profit-led business, but the methodology is applicable to any organised activity.
The increasing transparency and accountability of all organisations , including public service and government, together with the modern complexity, penetration and importance of ITC (information and
communications technology), for even very small organisations nowadays, has tended to heighten demand for process improvement everywhere. This means that Business Process Modelling is arguably more widely
relevant than say Time and Motion Study or Total Quality Management (to name two earlier 'efficiency methodologies') were in times gone by.
Put simply Business Process Modelling aims to improve business
performance by optimising the efficiency of connecting activities in the provision of a product or service.
Business Process Modelling techniques are concerned with 'mapping' and 'workflow' to enable understanding, analysis and positive change.
Diagrams - essentially 'flow diagrams' - are a central feature of the methodology.
The diagrammatical representation of Business Process Modelling is commonly called 'notation'. Many and various proprietary software (off-the-shelf computer programs) exist to enable this, but the basic principles of Business Process Modelling can also be applied using a pen and a table-napkin or a flip-chart or a bunch of sticky notes, and in some cases these are still effective aids for creating and communicating fundamental ideas. Computers sometimes get in the way, over-complicate simple things, and exclude groups. So choose your devices wisely. Business Process
Modelling generally needs support from people to work in practice.
While Business Process Modelling relates to many aspects of management (business, organisation, profit, change, projects, etc) its detailed technical nature and process-emphasis link it closely with quality management and the analytical approaches and responsibilities arising in the improvement of quality.
Business Process Modelling is a quality management tool, like for example
Six Sigma, and is useful especially in change management.
SWOT Analysis, Balanced Scorecard and Project Management methods
provide further examples of change management tools, and Business Process Modelling can be regarded as working alongside these methods. The term Business Process Model (also abbreviated to BPM) is the noun form of Business Process Modelling, and refers to a structural
representation, description or diagram, which defines a specified flow of activities in a particular business or organisational unit.
(N.B. US-English spelling is 'organization'. 'Organisation' spelling is UK-English, and used in this article, including some other ise/ize and our/or words like labour and colour. Modelling is UK-English spelling. Modeling is US-English. )
business process modelling index
definition and purpose a note about sequence background and history
modelling a business process - how to - overview creating a new business process model - how to example business process model
glossary of main BPM terms
business process modelling definition
A Business Process Model (BPM) is commonly a diagram representing a sequence of activities. It typically shows events, actions and links or connection points, in the sequence from end to end.
Sequence is significant and essential to most aspects of business process modelling, but there are exceptions to this especially at the higher level of organizational operations (see the note about sequence).
Typically but not necessarily, a Business Process Model includes both IT processes and people processes.
Business Process Modelling by implication focuses on processes, actions and activities, etc. Resources feature within BPM in terms of how they are processed. People (teams, departments, etc) feature in BPM in terms of what they do, to what, and usually when and for what reasons, especially when different possibilities or options exist, as in a flow diagram.
Business Process Modelling is cross-functional, usually combining the work and documentation of more than one department in the organisation. In more complicated situations, Business Process Modelling may also include activities of external organisations' processes and systems that feed into the primary process.
In large organisations operations Business Process Models tend to be analysed and represented in more detail than in small organisations, due to scale and complexity.
Business Process Modelling is to an extent also defined by the various computerized tools or software which are used in applying its methods. These methods and the standard features within them continue to evolve, which means that we should keep an open and curious mind as to how BPM can be used, and what people actually mean when they refer to it.
purpose of business process modelling
A Business Process Model diagram is a tool - a means to an end, not a performance outcome in its own right.
The final output is improvement in the way that the business process works.
The focus of the improvements is on 'value added' actions that make the customer service and experience better, and on reducing wasted time and effort.
• the 'as is' or baseline model (the current situation) • and the 'to be' model (the intended new situation)
which are used to analyse, test, implement and improve the process. The aim of modelling is to illustrate a complete process, enabling
managers, consultants and staff to improve the flow and streamline the process.
The outcomes of a business process modelling project are essentially: • value for the customer, and
• reduced costs for the company, leading to increased profits.
Other secondary consequences arising from successful Business Process Modelling can be increased competitive advantage, market growth, and better staff morale and retention.
There are no absolute rules for the scope or extent of a Business Process Model in terms of departments and activities covered.
Before committing lots of resources to Business Process Modelling proper consideration should be given to the usefulness and focus of the exercise - ask the questions:
• Does the modelling have the potential to produce gains that will justify the time and effort?
• Will the modelling be structured so that people will understand the outputs (not too big and complex as to be self-defeating)?
• Do people understand why we are doing it, and "what's in it for them"?
As with other management tools, there is no point producing a
fantastically complex model that no-one can understand or use, just as it is a bit daft to spend hundreds of hours analysing anything which is of relatively minor significance.
Business Process Modelling is a powerful methodology when directed towards operations which can benefit from improvement, and when people involved are on-board and supportive.
adding value for the customer
Adding value for customers, whether internal or external customers, is at the centre of a Business Process Model. It starts with a customer need and ends with the satisfaction of that need. Unlike a workflow diagram, which is generally focused on departmental activities, a BPM spans departments and the whole organisation.
This point about customers being internal as well as external is crucial:
Staff are among the internal customers of modern right-minded organisations.
If you approach Business Process Modelling purely from a systems and 'things' viewpoint with a fixation on costs and profitability, and squeezing every activity to its theoretical optimum, then people (notably staff) tend to get squeezed too.
Organisations work well when people enjoy and support the processes that they are required to perform, and you will only add sustainable value for your customers, when you also add value for your staff too.
Successful BPM added value for customers is self-sustaining because for staff it contains the magical WIIFM element - (What's In It For Me).
example - BPM added value
An example could be the actions involved in processing a customer order from an internet-based mail order company.
• Starting with a customer placing an order (the customer need) • send IT-based information to the warehouse
• stock picking
• packing and recording
• sending the appropriate IT-based information to the distribution hub • sending IT-based information to the accounts department
• generation of an invoice
• allocation and organisation of shipment for the vehicle drivers • delivery of the item and invoicing (the customer need fulfilled). This is a simple 'high-level' example. In practice each part or sub-process (for example, stock-picking) may require a 'low-level' BPM of its own. Please note that: Added value for internal customers, notably staff, does not have to be financial, as is commonly imagined by many top business executives. Consider Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor, and Adams and what these concepts teach about motivation and reward, and attrition. Business Process Modelling has enormous potential to address many of the critical demotivators among staff (e.g., poor working relationships, confused structure, failure, etc) and also many strong motivators (e.g., the quality of work itself, recognition, advancement, new responsibilities, etc). But it needs thinking about or it won't happen
Think beyond merely adding value for external customers, and optimising efficiency and profit - make a special effort to look for added value
for staff too, and then the BPM methodology will work on a much more effective level.
sequence - significance in business process
modelling
Sequence can have a pivotal influence on business process activities, but sequence is not always pivotal, and indeed certain situations are best analysed from a non-sequential viewpoint. As a general guide, sequence is usually vital for elemental processes, but sequence tends to become less significant - and require more 'cause and effect' flexibility - when elements such as already sequenced processes and resources are brought together in a bigger picture of organizational operations.
This Business Process Modelling summary necessarily concentrates on modelling systems which can be defined using sequence based
techniques, since at an elemental level sequence is crucial to quality and related factors of process, quality, monitoring, management, and change, etc. Also, at an elemental level, i.e., when a big activity is broken down into its constituent parts, sequence can have a vital effect upon the effectiveness of each of the individual processes.
However a wider consideration is that many large scale systems commonly contain related processes and resources for which a fixed related sequence is not a specific or crucial or predictable aspect, and for which consequently it is not always possible or easy (or in many cases necessary) to define the exact sequential relationship of processes on a big systemic scale. An example could be the bringing together of separate assemblies, or the buying in of stock, or the recruitment of
sub-contract staff. This is especially so where demand is unpredictable.
Importantly for these sorts of related process, a bigger priority is to focus on understanding and creating the necessary flexible connections
between cause and effect relationships (see and make use of other project management tools for analysing and improving non-sequential elements), rather than try to force a fixed sequence into the analysis or modelling approach.
As with many other tools and methodologies, be mindful of the need for flexibility; use tools and methods as far as they are helpful, but do not blindly force a tool to fit your purposes if it is inappropriate or could distort common sense, or be too constraining, whether for planning, analysis, communications or implementation.
Sequence is always an important consideration, especially when trouble-shooting. Sometimes - at any level - it can be the key to finding dramatic improvements, but sequence is not a mandatory feature, and there is no need to search for and apply sequential conditions within any stage of process modelling or other type of project or change management, if doing so is unhelpful.
business process modelling - background
and history
The quest for standardisation and efficiency in business processes is a long one. Its history is characterised by surges of enthusiasm followed by disillusionment, when the fashionable idea of the moment tends to be dumped for a while before the next generation of process efficiency methodology makes the subject more exciting again. Well, as exciting as business processes can be.
CEOs, consultants and change managers get all fired up about an
improvement push (mainly about profits and change and fees). And there lies the central problem: the people who actually put process
improvements into practice have never been that excited by the concept. The explicit agenda is about the employer and organisation while the benefit for ordinary employees is not immediately obvious, if at all. For most staff, a new efficiency initiative looks like change, hard work and discomfort, and feels like a threat. Instead workers ideally need to be engaged, involved and included from the start. Like other top-down initiatives and trends over the years, the most common reason for the failure of business process improvement is generally poor internal marketing, poor implementation and poor follow-through. A theoretical model for success devised among senior managers, rarely looks like the same thing further down the organisation.
origins of business process modelling
The origins of BPM principles can be traced back as far as Adam Smith's idea of the division of labour in manufacturing (in 'An Inquiry into the Nature and causes of the Wealth of Nations', 1776). Originally, one person would make one item from beginning to end in a cottage industry
situation. When factories became the norm, employing many people who all made items from beginning to end proved time-consuming and
inefficient.
specialisation - 'division of labour' - 1776
Using the example of a pin maker, Adam Smith argued that breaking up the whole process and creating specialised tasks (or peculiar tasks, as he called them) would simplify and speed up the whole process. He showed that if the different stages of the manufacture were completed by
different people in a chain of activities, the result would be very much more efficient. The business process was born.
analysis of specialised tasks - 'time and
motion' - early 1900s
Over a century later, Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) the US engineer and business efficiency theorist moved thinking forward,
merging his 'time study' with the 'motion study' work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (early US theorists on productivity and workplace science),
resulting in new scientific management methods (1911) and the infamous 'time and motion' studies. These studies documented and analysed work processes with the aim of reducing the time taken and the number of actions involved in each process, improving both productivity and
workers' efficiency. This was enthusiastically embraced by employers and viewed with scepticism and animosity by workers. The term 'Taylorism' still generally refers to a highly scientific and dehumanised approach to efficient operation in business, organisations, economies, etc.
work process flow - 'the one best way' -
early to mid-1900s
Meanwhile, Frank Gilbreth was busy developing the first method for documenting process flow. He presented his paper 'Process charts - First Steps to Finding the One Best Way' to the American Society for
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1921. By 1947, the ASME Standard for Process Charts was universally adopted, using Gilbreth's original notation.
disenchantment with the assembly line -
1930s
In the first decade of the 20th century, 'time and motion' was a familiar concept, in tune with the modern 'scientific' age. However, by 1936, disenchantment had set in, reflected in Charlie Chaplin's film Modern Times. The film satirised mass production and the assembly line, echoing cultural disillusionment with the dreary treadmill of industry during the great depression. It is perhaps no coincidence that theories for optimising productivity, and those who profit most from them, are more strongly questioned or criticised when the economic cycle moves into recession.
workflow - mid 1970s
Research and development of office automation flourished between 1975 and 1985. Specialist workflow technologies and the term 'workflow' were established.
While BPM has its historical origins in workflow, there are two key differences:
• Document-based processes performed by people are the focus of workflow systems, while BPM focuses on both people and system processes.
• Workflow is concerned with processes within a department while BPM addresses processes spanning the whole organisation.
the quality era - 1980s
In the 1980s, Quality or Total Quality Management (TQM) was the fashionable management and business process theory, championed by Deming and Juran. Used initially in engineering and manufacturing, it is based on the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen or continuous improvement. The aim was to achieve incremental improvements to processes of cost, quality, service and speed. Key aspects of Total Quality Management have now become mainstream and successfully adapted to suit the businesses of the 2000s. Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing are the best-known of these methodologies.
business process re-engineering (BPR) -
1990s
In the early 1990s, Business Process Re-engineering made its appearance and started to gain momentum in the business community. While TQM (at this point facing a decline in popularity) aimed to improve business
processes incrementally, BPR demanded radical change to business processes and performance.
In 1993, Michael Hammer (US professor of computer science) and James Champy (a successful corporate CEO, consultant and author) developed the concept in their book 'Re-engineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution' (1993). Hammer and Champy stated that the process was revolutionary, fast-track and drastic rather than evolutionary and incremental. It was a huge success and organisations and consultants embraced it with fervour. The re-engineering industry grew and triumphed before it began to wane.
By the end of the 1990s, BPR as a whole-organisation approach had fallen dramatically out of favour. It proved to be too long-winded for most
organisations, was therefore poorly executed and has consequently been sidelined as a whole-organisation approach. Critics of this completely 'new broom' methodology would say that it is impossible to start from a clean slate in an already established organisation. Other criticisms were that it was dehumanising and mechanistic, focusing on actions rather than people - Taylorism by another name. Crucially, it is associated with the terms 'delayering', 'restructuring' and 'downsizing' of organisations, all lumped together as euphemisms for layoffs. Not what Hammer and Champy had envisaged..
business process modelling - 2000s
The best principles of this approach still survive in BPM, on a less drastic, less brutal and more manageable scale. Lessons have been learnt.
Business Process Modelling can and does work, but it must be treated with caution. The key is in the implementation. When it is conducted and
implemented sensitively and inclusively, it can be good for the company, and its staff too.
For a workforce drowning in administration, much of it repeated or re-entered into multiple databases, BPM can be a great thing. It can free up
time to focus on the 'value added' tasks that are empowering and
rewarding: talking and listening to customers, making decisions or doing what they are good at rather than dealing with dull and meaningless duties.
BPM is effective like any other tool can be. In the hands of an idiot BPM can suffocate and hinder an organisation and its people.
The tool doesn't produce the results - what matters is how you use it.
modelling a business process - an overview
A Business Process Model is central to a host of other related activities, briefly outlined below. Redesigning a process and implementing it is not a speedy enterprise. It can take months and occasionally years, depending on the extent of the process and sub-processes, how many people and systems are involved and how much of it needs to be redesigned.
As the project develops, the business will change and new requirements will surface, so the approach must be flexible and frequently reviewed and re-prioritised. It is advisable to stage the process in a succession of
'builds', each one completed within a business quarter, so that it can be reviewed and measured for return on investment.
It is essential that the people involved in the process, at all levels, are engaged, all the way through. Not only because their input is vital, but also because they need to be fully 'on board.' Senior management buy-in is important to ensure that the resources are available to involve
managers and staff members and overcome any resistance to the change. Without this, the redesign cannot work. Focus groups, formal and informal discussions and workshops are useful at each stage and 'build'.
stages in the development of the modelling
project
Developing the models in practice follows the sequence:
• Identify the process and produce an 'as is' or baseline model. • Review, analyse and update the 'as is' process model.
• Design the 'to be' model.
• Test and implement the 'to be'.
• Continuously update and improve the new model.
creating a business process model
This section provides a guide to creating an initial, 'as is' or baseline model, in other words - the current situation.
component parts of a BPM
An 'as is' or baseline model gives an overall picture of how the process works, now. Any structural, organisational and technological weak points and bottlenecks can then be identified, along with possible improvements at the next stage.
You will need the following information before you start to construct your model:
• The desired outcome of the process.
• The start and end points (customer need and customer need fulfilment).
• The activities that are performed. • The order of activities.
• The people who perform the activities.
• The documents and forms used and exchanged between functions and from customers and suppliers.
first draft
The first draft of the model will involve a lot of positioning and
repositioning of events and activities, so make sure you use a method that is flexible and easily changed. Use a flipchart, pens and some sticky notes or a whiteboard and a rubber. If you're working with a group of users, everyone needs to be able to see it.
second draft
Once you have established an agreed sequence of events, you can create it as a flowchart on generic software or on specialised proprietary
software.
At this stage, you will need to check your model with the users by carrying out 'live' observations of the sequence in practice. People in focus groups or meetings invariably either forget their exact actions or say what should be happening rather than what does happen!
symbols and notation
The diagrammatical representation of Business Process Modelling is commonly 'notation'.
If you are using generic software, decide on the visual symbols you will use for the different activities.
There is no definitive system for Business Process Modelling notation (note the small 'n'), although efforts persist to standardise one.
The Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) system (note the upper-case 'N', since this is like a brand name), is an example of an attempt to establish a standard BPM notation system. The BPMN system is
maintained the OMG consortium (Object Management Group) which comprises a few hundred computer-related corporations).
Organisations may develop their own notation systems or use the notation of their chosen proprietary software.
Importantly - whatever notation system/software you use - its symbols must be understood within your own group or organisation.
The example below uses four symbols that are widely understood: IT-based activity -
documentation, sending or requesting information, for example)
Decision point or Gateway - where a decision has to be made and the flow can go more than one way.
Action - to be carried out by a person in the organisation.
Event - an action or IT-based activity from an external source or carried out by the customer.
In the example model diagram below the customer service desk, accounts and shipping departments are shown as icons and text.
There are many other symbols used in BPM notation. Below is just a simple example to illustrate the technique.
example of a business process model
diagram
This example of a Business Process Model diagram is based on an online order-through-to-delivery process.
It's a flowchart, which makes it very easy to see the process and the key elements within it.
Here is a better quality picture of the same Business Process Model diagram example in PDF format.
Note that while most Business Process Modelling diagrams necessarily include a strong sequencing dimension, there are circumstances where sequence is not so crucial and more of a 'mapping' perspective is
appropriate. Refer to the note about sequence, and see other project management tools for examples of analysis methods which enable non-sequential activity 'mapping'.
business process model glossary - a few
selected terms and acronyms
Different organisations refer to the elements related to Business Process Modelling in different ways. This is complicated by the fact that acronyms can stand for more than one thing, and are often used interchangeably. For example, BPR stands for Business Process Re-engineering as well as Business Process Redesign. BPM itself stands for Business Process
Modelling/Modeling, Business Process Model, and Business Process Management. In the healthcare sector incidentally BPM would more readily be interpreted to mean Beats Per Minute, relating to pulse rate, which emphasises the need to explain acronyms when you use them. Organisations develop their own ways of referring to the different elements. They know what they mean, but someone from another
organisation could become very confused! This glossary may help anyone feeling lost.
Broadly the term 'business' below is interchangeable with 'organisation'. Business Process Modelling is not only carried out in conventional
businesses; the methodology is increasingly applicable to all sorts of other organisations, for example government agencies and departments,
charities, mutuals and cooperatives, etc.
'As is' and 'To be' models - The common two perspectives of a
modelling exercise - Where are we now?, and Where do we want to be? - • The 'as is' or baseline model is an accurate depiction of what actually happens now. Once the model is developed, it is used to analyse and improve the process.
• The 'to be' model is a proposed diagram of how the future process could look, incorporating improvements. This is used to demonstrate, model and test the new process and then to implement it.
Brainstorming - Not usually part of BPM technical language, but actually a very useful initial stage in mapping or attempting to
represent/understand/agree/scope a BPM project given little or no information to begin with. Also a useful way to achieve essential
involvement, input, support, etc., from people affected by the modelling exercise. See Brainstorming.
Business Architecture - A vague and widely used term basically referring to the structure of a business.
Business Model - A vague term used to refer to how a business aims to operate and make money in a given market. This term is not directly related to Business Process Modelling. A detailed business model might typically contain descriptions of basic business processes implied or necessary for the the model to operate, but a business model is mainly concerned with strategy and external market relationships, rather than
Business Process - A structured series of work activities, IT
interventions and events that generate one complete service or product for an organisation's customers.
Business Process Model - A representation - usually computer-generated and diagrammatic, but can be a low-tech whiteboard or flipchart and marker pens and sticky notes - of a process within a
business. Two models are usually produced: an 'as is' and a 'to be'. The process(es) featured in a Business Process Model can be very simple or highly complex, and will typically involve different departments working (hopefully) together while the provision or creation of a product or service flows through different stages and decision-points in an organisation on its way to the customer. A Business Process Model for a large process can be comprised of other smaller modelled processes which contribute to the whole. In theory an entire huge business can be modelled, although for the modelling to be useful and meaningful to people it is normally built in sections, each representing a self-contained process alongside potentially scores, hundreds or even thousands of others, all inter-relating, hopefully smoothly, efficiently and enjoyably. (The 'enjoyable' part is not a technical necessity, but is actually important for any model to translate from theory into sustainable practice.)
Business Process Modelling/Business Process Modeling - The term which refers to the methodology and techniques of producing a Business Process Model, or several Business Process Models, in the course of business improvement/development or quality management or change management, etc. (Modelling is UK-English; Modeling is US-English.) Business Process Change Cycle - An overall term for the life cycle of business processes, including the external environment in which the organisation operates. This external environment drives change in the business processes and the organisation responds to it by adjusting its strategy and goals. As the external environment keeps changing, the cycle also changes, prompting continuous change and improvement to business processes.
Business Reference Model - A (usually computerised and
diagrammatic) key to understanding and using a Business Architecture Model. It presents certain core structural elements as fixed, thereby encouraging and enabling others using or developing the model to understand and adhere to essential aspects of structural policy and
foundation. In this respect a Business Reference model may be relevant to Business Process Modelling
BPR - Business Process Re-engineering (also known as BPI -
Business Process Innovation) - A radical approach to restructuring an organisation in every area, starting with what the organisation is trying to achieve, rethinking its core processes and redesigning every one. It is a way of reassessing and restructuring the whole organisation, all at once, starting from scratch.
BPI - Business Process Improvement - This refers to improving existing processes, continuously and incrementally, reducing waste and
driving efficiency. Six Sigma is currently one of the most popular of many BPI approaches in use today.
BPM - Business Process Management - Used in two different ways by two different groups within the business processing community:
• Firstly, it is used by the people and process management group to describe the overall management of business process improvement, aligning processes with an organisation's strategic goals: designing, implementing and measuring them and educating managers to use them effectively.
• Secondly, it is used by IT people to describe the systems, software and applications that provide the process framework.
BPM - Business Process Mapping - Often used interchangeably with Business Process Modelling, Business Process Mapping is also used to mean documenting all the processes in the business, showing the relationships between them. This provides a comprehensive visual overview of the processes in an organisation.
BPM - Business Process Model/Business Process Modelling - See Business Process Model/Modelling above.
BPMN - Business Process Modeling Notation - A 'branded' Business Process Modelling notation system of the OMG Consortium, representing several hundred primarily US computer-related corporations. (UK-English 'Modelling'.)
BPR - Business Process Redesign - Rethinking, redesigning and implementing one complete process using Business Process Modelling tools.
Enterprise Architecture - Basically the same as Business Architecture. Enterprise is a relatively modern term for a business organisation or company than 'business', probably because business has quite specific associations with profit and shareholders, whereas the word enterprise can more loosely encompass all sorts of business-like activities which might be constituted according to mutual or cooperative rather than traditional capitalistic aims. Enterprise is also a popular way to refer to business development and entrepreneurial creativity. The relevance of all this to BPM is merely the use of the word enterprise in BPM terminology, where previously the word 'business' would have been used.
Gateway - A stage in a Business Process Model diagram or notation at which decision or choice is made because more than one main option or outcome exists.
Notation - The technical term for a Business Process Model diagram or computer-generated map or flowchart.
OBASHI - A methodology, and related aspect of BPM, for mapping and developing how IT systems relate to organisational operations (OBASHI stands for Ownership, Business Processes, Applications, Systems,
