Business process analysis and improvement in practice

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the practical approach to business process management, with particular emphasis on modern utilitarian concepts, methods and techniques for analyzing and improving organizational processes. The course will help students acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills, enabling students to actively participate in the work of teams involved in the identification, analysis, design, improvement and automation of processes in organizations with various business profiles.

The process approach (Business Process Management, BPM) is currently used by many organizations that strive to gain a competitive advantage through analysis, improvement and automation of operations in the organization. Detailed agenda of course activities:

Lectures:

1. Process analysis in the context of process management

(BPM; BPM cycle; stakeholders and roles in the BPM; BABOK; BPM maturity, patterns and assessment; BPM success factors; process improvement goals and triggers)

2. Process identification and architecture of organizational processes

(Processes in the organization; process identification steps; process landscape model; Value Chain model; reference models; process performance dimensions & measures; Balanced scorecard; TOGAF)

3. Software tools and graphic notations supporting documentation, analysis and design of processes

(tools and notations in the work of a process analyst; CMMN; DMN; basics of modeling in BPMN)

4. Process modeling in BPMN notation

(deep dive of modeling in BPMN)

5. Methods and techniques of process discovery

(process discovery approaches and methods; Top-Down & Bottom-Up; process discovery steps; quality assurance; working with stakeholders)

6. Methods and techniques of analysis and process improvement

(analysis objectives; qualitative and quantitative methods and techniques; measurement methods)

7. Lean management and Process Mining

(Lean: application, techniques, tools; Value stream mapping; process mining: functions, application; SIPOC)

8. Implementation, monitoring and control of the process

(BPMS; Low-Code; process performance monitoring and dashboards; Rummler's method; process control metrics and indicators)

9. Risk and change management

(Risk and change management processes; risk register; M_o_R; activity planning; Prioritization; communication)

10. Process analysis in IT projects

(Business Case Analysis; UML; project and requirements management; work prioritization; Zachman Framework; documentation)

11. Presentation of students' projects, discussion, exams.

Workshops and assignments:

- Process description and process profile

- Creation of a process analysis document template

- Mapping the organization's process architecture

- Functional arsenal of a process modeling system (e.g. Adonis, Bizagi)

- Modeling in BPMN notation

- Analysis of the potential for process improvement of the as-is process by applying qualitative and quantitative methods and techniques

- Lean : Waste analysis and elimination of waste

- Designing process control metrics

- Creation of a risk register

- Creation of a Use Case diagram and User Story

1. Dumas M., Rosa M. L., Mendling J., Reijers H., Fundamentals of Business Process Management. Heidelberg: Springer, 2016.

2. Laguna, M., & Marklund, J. (2019). Business process modeling, simulation and design (Third Edition). CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group

3. Milani, F. (2019). Digital Business Analysis. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05719-0

Additional:

1. BABOK: A guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (Version 3). (2015). International Institute of Business Analysis.

2. Rosing, M. V. (2014). The complete business process handbook: Body of knowledge from process modeling to bpm (1st edition). Elsevier.

3. vom Brocke, J., & Rosemann, M. (Red.). (2015). Handbook on Business Process Management 1: Introduction, Methods, and Information Systems. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45100-3

4. vom Brocke, J., & Mendling, J. (Red.). (2018). Business Process Management Cases. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58307-5

After successfully completing the course, the student:

1. Understands what process analysis is in the context of process management, knows what role a process analyst plays in the organization

2. Knows how to work with stakeholders, identify process and project goals, manage requirements and document processes for both process improvement and IT projects

3. Is able to apply in practice appropriate standards, methods, techniques and tools for identifying, designing, analyzing, improving and monitoring organizational processes

4. Knows how to use IT tools supporting documentation, analysis, improvement and design of processes

5. Is able to model processes in BPMN notation in accordance with accepted standards and good practices

Participation: 2 unexcused absences possible. Your participation in class will determine 20% of your course grade.

Assignments: checking the completion of assignments in the middle-term of the course – the Final Project should be complete in 50%. This will determine 20% of the course grade.

Final Project Presentation: preparation of a comprehensive analytical documentation of the processes (based on developed during classes template) and its presentation. The Final Project will determine 50% of the course grade.

Oral exam: giving oral answers to 2 questions: one from the scope of the individual project undertaken by the student and the other from the theory of the course. This will determine 10% of the course grade.

Bonus: 10% extra points for the quality of BPMN model.

To pass the course, a score of 80% is required.