1 ahead of current thinking In Search for a Good Theory: Commuting between Research and Practice in Business Process Domain A journey Ilia Bider IbisSoft/DSV, Stockholm University
Oct 31, 2014
1 ahead of current thinking
In Search for a Good Theory: Commuting between Research and
Practice in Business Process Domain A journey
Ilia Bider IbisSoft/DSV, Stockholm University
2 ahead of current thinking
Theory
• For each item Ordered = Delivered
• To pay = Total + Freight + Tax• Ordered > Delivered
shipment
• To pay > Invoiced invoicing
• Invoiced = To pay
• Paid = Invoiced
State-oriented view on business processes
3 ahead of current thinking
Starting point – objects-connectors model Model consisting of
AtomsObjectsLawsConnectors
Connector
awakeschecksrestoresfalls asleep
4 ahead of current thinking
Ending point – BP-support with shared spaces architecture
Process shared space – a place in the “cloud” where each process participant goes to fetch information and place the results
Process map – the upper level of the shared space structure
Step form – the low level of details of one part of the shared space
5 ahead of current thinking
Continuation – what it is good for?Business/Enterprise agility - way of survival in the dynamic world
• Quickly adjust to the changes in the constantly changing business world – affects product/service development
• Employ new opportunities constantly appearing in the dynamic world for launching completely new products/services
6 ahead of current thinking
Product and service development – traditional cycle
Risks
Requirements specification do not catch the needs properlyRequirements specifications are not converted into a proper designProduct/service manufacturing does not follow the design exactlyThe new product/service is not properly understood by the stakeholders and is rejected or used in the wrong fashion
Each product embeds knowledge
A good regulator is a model of the system it regulates
Conant & AshbyA good solution is a model of the
problem it solves
A good key is a model of the lock it opens
Requirements change during the development → outdated wrong product/service
Learning to use
in own practice
Requirementsengineering
Manufacturing/Implementation
Design
Tacit knowledgeTacit knowledge
Explicit knowledge
Exp
licit
know
ledg
e
Problems/needs
Design specifications
Req
uire
men
ts s
peci
fica
tions
Em
bedd
ed k
now
ledg
e
Prod
uct/S
ervi
ce
7 ahead of current thinking
Minimizing the risks – how?
The development team having the tacit knowledge on the actual business needs/problems
• Agile development
• Cross-manning of business processes
8 ahead of current thinking
Product and service development – agile style
Risk minimization via
Not translating to explicit knowledge
Short but multiple development cycles
What if we can't use agile ?
Tacit
unde
rstan
ding o
f pro
blems/n
eeds
Problems/needs
Manufacturing
Learning to usein own practice
Requirements
engineering
Agile approach
Going
agile
Prod
uct/s
ervi
ce
The design phaseis merged withmanufacturing
Learning to use
in own practice
Requirementsengineering
Manufacturing Design
Problems/needs
Design specifications
Req
uire
men
ts s
peci
fica
tions
Prod
uct/s
ervi
ce
Traditional approach
9 ahead of current thinking
Manning of business processes - traditional style
Knowledge on current needs/problems can be obtained by participants of the boundary processes who not normally participate in the development process
Shall we arrange additional processes for the to transfer knowledge?
10 ahead of current thinking
Manning of business processes - cross-manning
Main characteristics
Multiple goals
Heterogeneous teams
11 ahead of current thinking
Process support for cross-manning
• Focus on collaboration instead of optimization
• Support should be adjusted to the needs of particular team – the team itself should be responsible for designing the process it wants to use and be able to change it as needed
12 ahead of current thinking
Focus on collaboration -Shared spaces architecture
Process shared space – a place in the “cloud” where each process participant goes to fetch information and place the results
Process map – the upper level of the shared space structure
Step form – the low level of details of one part of the shared space
13 ahead of current thinking
Customized processes - agile development of business processes
A good business process support system is a model of the business process it supports
Each product embeds knowledge
Problems/needs
Learning to use
in own practice
Business processidentification and
modeling
Support system manufacturing
Support system design
Design specifications
Bus
ines
s pr
oces
s m
odel
s (m
aps)
Bus
ines
s pr
oces
s su
ppor
t sys
tem
Traditional approach
Problems/needs
Going
agile
Tacit
unde
rstan
ding o
f
proc
esse
s
Support system
manufacturing
Learning to usein own practice
Business process
identification
Agile approach
Bus
ines
s pr
oces
s su
ppor
t sys
tem
With agiletechnique and toolsyou can start here
A good regulator is a model of the system it regulatesA good solution is a model of the problem it solves A good key is a model of the lock it opens
14 ahead of current thinking
Agile process development
What is needed to achieve it?
A tool (process cutting machine) – to make changes quickly
The tool should be understandable for the team creating the process – no complicated diagrams and rules
15 ahead of current thinking
Thank you for your attention!
Ilia Bider, IbisSoft/Stockholm University
Email: [email protected]
Additional resources:
http://processplatsen.ibissoft.se/en/
http://processplatsen.ibissoft.se/en/node/27