Determining the sequence of project implementation for the program of improving the efficiency of business processes

Business process modelling is an important part of system design. When designing or redesigning a business process, stakeholders specify, negotiate, and agree on business requirements to be satisfied, including non-functional requirements that concern the quality of the business process. This thesis addresses the question of how to specify and compute the quality of a business process, given the model that stakeholders use. The motivation for this thesis is the increasing importance of the quality of business processes. Knowing the quality of specific business processes enables stakeholders to judge if these processes need improvement. Knowing the quality of the constructs of those processes (viz., events, inputs, activities, and outputs) and the way they are structured enables a more detailed analysis of their shortcomings and provides a basis for the design of improvements. The research challenge of this thesis is grounded in the assumption that: “Organisations need an appropriate means to effectively compute achievement of their goals and objectives by their business processes.” Given this challenge, the main research question on which this thesis focuses is: “Can the quality of a business process be computed quantitatively at different levels of granularity?” The research objective is: “To develop frameworks, factors, and metrics for computing non-functional requirements (quality) of business processes quantitatively at different levels of granularity.” The outcomes of this thesis are: 1) BPIMM, a language-independent business process integrating meta-model, based on the concepts of seven mainstream business process modelling languages: BPMN, EPC, RAD, UML AD, SADT, IDEF0, and IDEF3. 2) BPC-QC (Business Process Concept - Quality Computation), an approach to quality computation at the lowest level of granularity of a business process. The approach consists of: i. BPC-QEF (Business Process Concept - Quality Evaluation Framework), a language-independent generic framework and algorithm to compute the quality of the constructs of a business process: event, input, activity, and output. ii. A set of business process quality dimensions and factors. The following quality dimensions are distinguished: performance, efficiency, reliability, recoverability, permissibility, and availability. Each dimension categorises different quality aspects in terms of factors. A non-exhaustive set of sixteen quantitative factors is provided. iii. Quality metrics for each of the quality factors, to facilitate a quantitative computation of the quality of a specific construct of a business process. 3) BP-QC (Business Process - Quality Computation), an approach to compute the quality at the highest level of granularity of a business process. The approach consists of: i. BP-CQCF (Business Process - Compositional Quality Computation Framework), a language-independent generic framework and algorithm to compute the quality of a business process as a whole, given the quality of its constructs. ii. A set of generic business process modelling patterns to decompose a business process into more succinct parts, namely: sequential, parallel with synchronisation, exclusive, inclusive, simple loop, and complex loop. iii. A set of over one hundred computational formulae. For each combination of modelling pattern and a quality factor, there is a formula to compute the quality. 4) AAV (Approach to Application and Validation), an evaluation plan to evaluate BPIMM, BPC-QC and BP-QC in practice, together with expert stakeholders. The plan consists of the units of measure, a measurement model, and a case study procedure. To evaluate the applicability of the contributions of this thesis to real world business needs, four case studies have been conducted in different environments: a Dutch educational institution, a global financial institution, an international financial service provider, and a Dutch research project on crisis management. Each of these case studies concerns a different, single business process. This thesis shows that: 1) A quality computation approach can be adopted independent of a business process modelling language. 2) Quantitative quality factors can be introduced specifically for the constructs of a business process. 3) Quantitative metrics and computational formulae can be developed for specific quality factors, allowing the computation of different aspects of the quality of a business process quantitatively at different levels of granularity. 4) An evaluation plan can be developed to evaluate the applicability of the contributions of this thesis (viz., BPIMM, BPC-QC, and BP-QC). The contributions of this thesis are designed to be beneficial to the areas of business and management, requirements engineering, software engineering, and business process modelling. In the areas of requirements engineering and software engineering, these contributions are intended to help practitioners to consider non-functional requirements at the earliest stage. In the area of business process modelling, information systems, service computing, and cloud computing, the contributions can be used for quality-driven modelling, design, and redesign. To conclude, knowing the quality value of a business process at different levels of granularity provides a basis for its improvement.

The whole business of an organization is carried out through business processes. The process is a set of interconnected activities with interactions, which are transforming the object (as its input) into a result (as its output), where employees are adding a certain procedural values, using the resources of the organization. There are permanent requirements for the changes in performances, innovations, increasing flexibility and improving the economic performance of the company trough the process orientation.The main objective of this paper was to explore possibilities for improvement of important business processes, such as human resource management, in petroleum industry with the technique of business process reengineering and business process improvement. In this paper the authors presented the improvement process of one of the most important function in each organization – human resources function, by using management tools of BPR supported with the lean tools such as value stream mapping VSM. Methodology used in this paper included step approach in line with the Harvard Business School Business (HBS, 2010) process improvement supported with value stream mapping (VSM) lean tools.In the first part of the paper, the authors presented a theoretical review of the literature of business process reengineering and human resource management (HRM), with a special focus on the function of human resources in large companies where the research was done. After the theoretical review, business process improvement (BPI) of HRM in specific company was presented trough comparison of the state of HR function before restructuring and the state of the performances of the HR function after the BPI implementation with all the characteristics and efficiency indicators.Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the combination of HBS methodology and VSM tools can contribute to the improvement in the form of the reductions of hierarchical levels in organization within the company and in the form of advancement of work processes within the company. This was primarily reflected in the increase of the effectiveness and efficiency, in reducing of the time required for the execution of the processes, and saving resources.This paper presents one year case study, where the research was made to point out the significance of BPR of HR function in large companies. The authors tried to explain the main areas of HR process in a large production companies so as the improvements could be achieved by using BPR techniques supported by VSM lean tools.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.25.2.4590

Improvement of Business Processes – A Research Study in Wood-processing Companies of Slovakia

Subject. The essence and directions of regulation of business processes in retail trade. Objectives. Development of recommendations for improving the regulation of business processes of retail enterprises. Methods. The study involves methods of logic, economic analysis and synthesis on the basis of the systems and creative approach. Results. The theoretical issues of the company's business process management are considered. The analysis of the characteristics and quality of business processes is carried out. The analysis of the effective-ness of business management as the main tool for increasing the company's profit is carried out. The main qualitative and quantitative indicators of evaluating the effectiveness of business processes of an enterprise are highlighted, and a methodology for evaluating them is proposed. Recommendations for improving the regulation of business processes of retail trade enterprises have been developed. Conclusions and Relevance. In the context of the economic crisis, the retail trade enterprises direct their efforts to ensure the reliability and rhythm of their activities. In this case, the improvement of business processes is an effective tool for maintaining the stability of the life of the retail business in the environment, and also contributes to the creation of new consumer values. The management of business processes of retail enterprises involves their continuous improvement. Recommendations for improving the regulation of busi-ness processes of retail trade enterprises are proposed.

Introduction: The basic postulate of the lean concept is that greater efficiency of the work process can be achieved through a process of continuous improvement,which aims to eliminate waste and maximize activities that add value.The Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy and the United States were examples of healthcare systems that implemented the lean concept.Aim: To examine the opinion of health workers of a public hospital in the Sarajevo area about the possibilities of improving business processes by implementing thelean concept.Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to the e-mail addresses of health workers of public health organizations. 91 respondents of both sexes (doctors ofmedicine, residents, registered nurses, nurses and administrative staff) were included.Results: A positive correlation was establishedin the attitude toward the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes. According to the participant’s opinion, the greater effectiveness of business processes contributes to greater efficiency (r=0.846; p<0,05). Spearman’s coefficient rs=0.81 shows a strong connection between the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes.Conclusion: The study showed that there is a positive attitude towards the impact of the lean concept on improving the efficiency of business processes. The reducexpected positive effects of the implementation of the lean concept are manifested through faster provision of services to patients, reduction of service waiting times and general improvement of business processes.

The article presents the procedure for further improvement of the functioning of a domestic trade enterprise to ensure its competitiveness and sustainability, which is associated with the processes of adjustment, regulation, reorganization and improvement of business processes. The possibility of increasing of efficiency of planning of functioning of trade enterprise is on the basis of design of business processes, that allows evident to represent all processes and stages of activity and management, set existent problems, define resources, regulations, tasks and desirable results. It is well-proven that construction and use of models of business processes in different notations it is aimed at the increase of efficiency of planning of functioning of trade enterprise, as these models allow evidently to represent all processes and stages of activity and management, set existent problems as «critical points» of process, to define resources, regulations, tasks and results. For determination of the state of functioning of basic business processes of enterprise for the evident image of processes and stages of works is built diagram basic to the business process in the system of design of business processes – «Bizagi. Modeler», that is sent to the design, implementation, automation and analysis of business processes in the module of Modeler in notation of BPMN, where the sequence of executions and events is designed. The diagram of actions of the main business process of the trading enterprise in the standard of modeling of business processes – «Bizagi. Modeler» allowed establishing a list of business process operations and a list of documents with their characteristics. Offered model in notation of IDEF0 basic to the business process foresees the construction of business-function or work (presented on diagrams as rectangles) and data and objects (represented as pointers that link inter se works), here to the mechanism of management belong: personnel; capital assets and technical equipment. In the article possibilities of introduction of modern tool of improvement of business processes are investigational the realization of commodity in the conditions of domestic trade enterprise, considered directions of improvement of efficiency of functioning of basic business processes of enterprise; expediency of introduction of control system by business processes is select and well-proven on the basis of their regulation and design for providing of efficiency of work of shop. For this purpose, the tool of the strategic planning of platform is select and applied business is a design of «ARIS Express», removes the basic stages of the strategic planning of development of trade enterprise. In the article the result of decoupling is presented to the business process of the strategic planning on the basis of results of functional design of standard of IDEF0 of process of planning of activity, allows as good as possible to describe, to regulate the business processes of activity of base enterprise.

Implementation of mobile-integrated business processes within corporate IT-systems is a major and still increasing issue. Although the usage of mobile technologies for IT management and improvement of business processes is far behind expectations, still little research has been done in analyzing critical success factors for mobile technology acceptance and usage when replacing a former paper-based process within the IT-service domain. In this contribution we identify major business metrics which are influenced by mobile tool integration into mobile business processes. Therefore a mobile workforce solution for IT-service technicians has been implemented and usability tested. The deployment of the mobile workforce solution has been investigated in two industrial case studies in two different companies. Additionally mobile tool deployment of different systems in three technical customer service companies has been investigated through exploratory case study research. The results show that (a) same archetypical business process metrics are affected after mobile tool deployment and (b) user involvement in business process reengineering and tool development fosters tool acceptance and usage.

Business Process Management (BPM) importance and benefits for organizations to focus on their business processes is nowadays broadly recognized, as business and technology areas are embracing and adopting the paradigm. The Service Oriented Computing (SOC) paradigm bases software development on services to realize business processes. The implementation of business processes as services helps in reducing the gap between these two areas, easing the communication and understanding of business needs. The Model Driven Development (MDD) paradigm bases software development in models, metamodels and languages that allow transformation between them. The automatic generation of service models from business process models is a key issue to support the separation of its definition from its technical implementation. In this article, we present MINERVA framework which applies Model Driven Development (MDD) and Service Oriented Computing (SOC) paradigms to business processes for the continuous business process improvement in organizations, giving support to the stages defined in the business process lifecycle from modeling to evaluation of its execution.

The management and improvement of business processes is an evergreen topic of organizational design. With many techniques and tools for process modeling, execution, and improvement being available, research pays progressively more attention to the organizational impact of business process management (BPM) and the development of BPM capabilities. Despite knowledge about the capabilities required for successful BPM, there is a lack of guidance on how these BPM capabilities should be developed and balanced with the improvement of individual business processes. As a first step to address this research gap, we propose a decision model that enables valuating and selecting BPM roadmaps, i.e., portfolios of scheduled projects with different effects on business processes and BPM capabilities. The decision model is grounded in the literature related to project portfolio selection, process performance measurement, and value-based management. We also provide an extensive demonstration example to illustrate how the decision model can be applied.

The process approach to management is based on the automation of various aspects of the company's activities. The formation, optimization, restructuring and improvement of business processes are taking place along with the introduction of applied systems (most often, on 1C: Enterprise platform). Nevertheless, business analysts play a key role in optimizing a company's business processes. The study intends to scrutinize the technologies and methods of business processes analysis and optimization. To that end, monographic, economic-statistical, and abstract-logical methods are employed. Based on the results, in the context of the optimization methodology, optimization can be considered in the framework of progressive improvement or reengineering of business processes (global, large-scale revision of the system). The study of the optimization methodology for business processes revealed several elements of this process, including the choice of methods of analysis and optimization of business processes, ranking of business processes by their importance to show priority processes to start optimization with, and finally, development of a system of key performance indicators to link the personnel motivation system with the achievement of tactical and strategic goals of the company.

The management and improvement of business processes are a core topic of the information systems discipline. The persistent demand in corporations within all industry sectors for increased operational efficiency and innovation, an emerging set of established and evaluated methods, tools, and techniques as well as the quickly growing body of academic and professional knowledge are indicative for the standing that Business Process Management (BPM) has nowadays. During the last decades, intensive research has been conducted with respect to the design, implementation, execution, and monitoring of business processes. Comparatively low attention, however, has been paid to questions related to organizational issues such as the adoption, usage, implications, and overall success of BPM approaches, technologies, and initiatives. This research gap motivated us to edit a corresponding special focus issue for the journal BISE/WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK. We are happy that we are able to present a selection of three research papers and a state-of-the-art paper in the scientific section of the issue at hand. As these papers differ in the topics they investigate, the research method they apply, and the theoretical foundations they build on, the diversity within the BPM field becomes evident. The academic papers are complemented by an interview with Phil Gilbert, IBM’s Vice President for Business Process and Decision Management, who reflects on the relationship between business processes and the data flowing through them, the need to establish a process context for decision making, and the calibration of BPM efforts toward executives who see processes as a means to an end, rather than a first-order concept in its own right.

A company must maintain the stability of its business processes. To ensure smooth business operations, one approach is to enhance competitive quality for consumers. Maintaining consumer trust can be achieved by ensuring the stability of quality products and fast service. This study was conducted at PT. Dwi Putra Manunggal, located in Malang Regency, East Java. The company faces inefficiencies in its distribution process, causing delays in getting products to consumers. To improve business processes, an analysis using the Business Process Improvement (BPI) method can be performed. BPI is used to find solutions to ongoing business process issues. To evaluate and implement improvements, modeling notation written in Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) can be used, providing stakeholders with an overview of the business process improvements made. By using BPMN notation, the actual (as-is) and recommended (to-be) business process simulations and models can be identified. As a result, PT. Dwi Putra Manunggal's business processes need improvement through BPI, with several parts of the business process requiring simplification. The simplification, simulated and modeled using BPMN, results in a minimum time of 7 hours, a maximum time of 13 hours, and an average time of 13 hours and 10 minutes.A company must maintain the stability of its business processes. To ensure smooth business operations, one approach is to enhance competitive quality for consumers. Maintaining consumer trust can be achieved by ensuring the stability of quality products and fast service. This study was conducted at PT. Dwi Putra Manunggal, located in Malang Regency, East Java. The company faces inefficiencies in its distribution process, causing delays in getting products to consumers. To improve business processes, an analysis using the Business Process Improvement (BPI) method can be performed. BPI is used to find solutions to ongoing business process issues. To evaluate and implement improvements, modeling notation written in Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) can be used, providing stakeholders with an overview of the business process improvements made. By using BPMN notation, the actual (as-is) and recommended (to-be) business process simulations and models can be identified. As a result, PT. Dwi Putra Manunggal's business processes need improvement through BPI, with several parts of the business process requiring simplification. The simplification, simulated and modeled using BPMN, results in a minimum time of 7 hours, a maximum time of 13 hours, and an average time of 13 hours and 10 minutes.Keywords: BPI, BPMN, Modeling and Simulation, Distribution

Using Resource Reliability in BPMN Processes

A modern tool for business development is the transition of enterprises to implementing the initiative and methodology of continuous improvement with the main elements: directing the development vector towards digitalization, integrating modern software products and technical means into the implementation of business processes and implementing the principles of sustainable development. The hospitality industry is a socio-economic phenomenon that is changing towards personalized service. The introduction of artificial intelligence as a component of a technological solution in the technology of organizing the production process and in the process of managing a hospitality establishment has changed the approach to functioning in a competitive environment. Innovation in digital transformation is a factor that determines the level of competitiveness and economic well-being of a hospitality establishment. The competitive struggle for the guest and for the market segment in which the institution operates directs its development to meet the personalized needs of the guest in difficult economic, environmental, social and political situations.. The need to create a quality product or service with a sufficient level of economic efficiency and competitiveness has provoked the search for ways and modern tools that will ensure the possibility of the establishment operating 24/7 with an automated service system and a management system in remote operation mode. Integrating the principle of continuous improvement based on the Deming Cycle and digital transformation tools into the management system has become a modern model of competitive business. The introduction of artificial intelligence-based technologies into the guest service process has completely changed the mechanism of providing a service or preparing a finished product, ensuring a higher level of efficiency and quality. The use of virtual assistants has replaced guest booking services, answering traditional questions, and informing about possible services that the establishment can provide. The implementation of sustainable development goals has become the basis for energy and resource efficiency in hospitality enterprises, which contributes to resource conservation and improved economic performance.. The integration of digital technologies into the business process of hotel and restaurant enterprises has changed not only the technology of service provision, but also the institution's management system, management system, and marketing system.. The gradual improvement of management technology and business processes, based on the principles of the PDCA cycle, is the main approach to the development of hospitality enterprises and a way to meet the demands and needs of modern guests. Intensive digitalization has become an indispensable tool for effective personalized service for visitors to hotel and restaurant establishments.

Business processes and information systems mutually affect each other in non-trivial ways. Frequently, the business process design and the information system design are not well aligned. This means that business processes are designed without taking the information system impact into account, and vice versa. Missing alignment at design time often results in quality problems at runtime, such as large response times of information systems, large process execution times, overloaded information systems or interrupted processes. Aligning business process quality and information system quality at design time requires to
\nsolve the following problems (P). Business process quality and information system quality have to be characterized. P1: In contrast to information system quality, which is specified in the ISO/IEC 9126 standard, for example, there is no common and comprehensive understanding of business process quality. P2: Beyond that, current business process
\nmodeling notations do not aim to represent quality aspects. The impact of a business process on the quality of an information system, and vice versa, is unknown at design
\ntime. P3: The mutual impact between business processes and information systems must be predicted at design time.
\nIn this thesis, the Business Process Quality Reference-Model (BPQRM), a quality model for business processes, is introduced. The model allows for a comprehensive characterization of business process quality (P1). The BPQRM is applied successfully in a case study to
\nidentify potential for process quality improvement in practice. Based on the BPQRM an existing process modeling notation is extended by model elements to represent quality
\naspects (P2). Simulation is a powerful means to predict the impact of a business process on the quality of an information system, and vice versa, at design time. This thesis proposes two simulation approaches to predict the mutual impact between business processes and information systems, in terms of performance (P3). The approach Business
\nIT Impact Simulation (BIIS) defines interfaces between the business process simulation and the information system simulation. Performance-relevant information is exchanged
\nvia the interfaces between both simulations. Using business process simulation and information system simulation in isolation, workload burstiness is not adequately reflected.
\nThis is especially true for occasional, volatile peak loads. Workload burstiness can significantly affect the performance of business processes and information systems. The approach Integrated Business IT Impact Simulation (IntBIIS) for the integration of business processes and information systems in a single simulation allows for reflecting workload burstiness correctly. The simulation approaches support the comparison of design alternatives and the verification of a certain design against requirements. A case study confirms the feasibility in practice and the acceptance from practitioners’ point of
\nview.