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Enterprise Resource Planning: MODULE 7: Workflows

This document discusses workflows and workflow technology. It describes several basic models of workflow including dynamic, design, and configuration models. The dynamic model has four components: workflow instance, tasks, business rules, and a monitor. The design model consists of a workflow map, data access model, and control model. The configuration model has three parts: reference, logical, and physical models. The document also discusses process flowcharts, process mapping, and how they can be used to understand and improve business processes.

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67 views3 pages

Enterprise Resource Planning: MODULE 7: Workflows

This document discusses workflows and workflow technology. It describes several basic models of workflow including dynamic, design, and configuration models. The dynamic model has four components: workflow instance, tasks, business rules, and a monitor. The design model consists of a workflow map, data access model, and control model. The configuration model has three parts: reference, logical, and physical models. The document also discusses process flowcharts, process mapping, and how they can be used to understand and improve business processes.

Uploaded by

PradeeP V
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Enterprise Resource Planning

MODULE 7 : Workflows

Topics

• Workflow and Workflow technology


• Basic Models of Workflow
• Dynamic workflow model
• Design workflow model
• Configuration model
• Process Flowcharts and Process mapping

Workflow and Workflow technology

Workflow is a different representation of a business process. Workflow provides monitoring and


tracking of the process in an efficient and effective way. Organizations have workflows in the
form of (i) Roles - Various people involved in the workflow play different roles; (ii) Rules – A
workflow follows various conditions and actions like timing rules, escalation rules, other
exceptions, etc.; and (iii) Route - the flow of work follows a route across various workstations,
etc. A typical workflow diagram is shown below:

Prepared by Dr. NASINA JIGEESH


Enterprise Resource Planning

Workflows are the last automation assets that need to be examined as background for the
specification of a process implementation methodology. Workflows incorporate the technical
and workforce information needed for implementation and deployment of business business
processes. The emphasis on business process reengineering (BPR) in the early 1990s provided a
need for utilization of the general workflow techniques and contributed to the development of a
separate technology, called Workflow technology.

Basic models of Workflow

A workflow model is oriented towards a specific aspect of workflow design and operation.
There are different basic workflow models and some of them are given below:
(i) Dynamic workflow model: This model illustrates the basic operation of a workflow in
performing a business process.
(ii) Design workflow model: This workflow model represents a business process suitable
for implementation and deployment. It is an operational representation of the
business process being implemented. The parts of this model include workflow map,
data access, and control.
(iii) Configuration model: This model represents the interaction of the different
components of a workflow management system. It represents the way in which the
components of the system are defined and interconnected. Each component is
eventually realized by one or more products.

The above models are closely related and their representation must be compatible for the
resultant implementation to function properly.

Dynamic workflow model:


This model has four major components – (i) Workflow instance consisting of the data
relevant to a given invocation of the workflow; (ii) Tasks, each of which performing
some specific aspect of process functionality; (iii) Business rules to determine when
and where the next task is performed; and (iv) A monitor to determine if the workflow
is progressing according to the specified parameters.

Design workflow model:


This model consists of three parts – (i) Workflow map showing the relative sequences
of the tasks that will be utilized by the workflow; (ii) Data access model indicating
what data are contained in the workflow instance and what data are contained in
databases external to the workflow system. Both types of data are accessible by the
tasks; The data access model involves internal control data, work-relevant data and
workflow application data; and (iii) Control model to determine how the workflow
progresses. This model consists of the business rules responsible for determining the
sequencing, scheduling, routing, queuing, and monitoring of the tasks in the
workflow process.

Prepared by Dr. NASINA JIGEESH


Enterprise Resource Planning

Configuration model:
This model consists of three major parts – (i) Reference model, defining the system
components and their interfaces; (ii) Logical model, indicating how the components
will be utilized to accommodate a given workflow specification; and (iii) Physical
model, representing how the components given by the logical model will be
implemented using selected products in the environment in which they must function.

Process Flowcharts and Process mapping

A process flowchart is a graphical representation of the movement or flow of abstract items


within a business process. It uses a standard set of symbols to represent a business process from
beginning to end.

Process mapping represents the occurrence of various activities within a business process.
Process mapping is a workflow diagram to bring forth a clearer understanding of a process or
series of parallel processes.

Process mapping is a simple yet powerful method of looking beyond functional activities and
rediscovering the core processes in the organization. Process maps enable us to peel away the
complexity of the organizational structures and focus on the processes that are truly the heart of
the business. Armed with a thorough understanding of the inputs, outputs and interrelationships
of each process, you and your organization can :

- Understand how processes interact in a system


- Locate process flaws that are creating systemic problems
- Evaluate which activities add value for the customer
- Mobilize teams to streamline and improve processes
- Identify processes that need to be reengineered

Properly used, process maps can change our entire approach to process improvement and
business management… and greatly reduce the cost of our operations by eliminating as many as
50% of the steps in most processes as well as the root causes of systemic quality problems.

Prepared by Dr. NASINA JIGEESH

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