How long does it take to model business processes. Practical application of business process modeling

Common roles in business process management:

• process analyst;
• process engineer;
• process architect;
• process manager;
• process owner;
• process consultant;
• business analyst;
• Systems Analyst;
• manager or director of performance improvement programs;
• process innovation manager or director.

Business Process Management (BPM) is a management concept that links the organization's strategy and goals with the expectations and needs of customers through the appropriate organization of end-to-end processes. BPM brings together strategy, goals, culture and organizational structure, roles, policies, regulations, methodologies and software tools for: a) analysis, design, implementation, management and continuous improvement end-to-end processes and b) regulation of relations in the field of process management.

Video on business processes:

Figure "Three views of BPM"

Business Process Improvement (BPI) is a one-time initiative or project to better align the organization's strategy with customer expectations. BPI includes the selection, analysis, design and implementation of an improved process.

Enterprise Process Management (EPM) is the application of BPM principles, methods and processes in a particular organization. EPM: a) ensures that the portfolio and end-to-end process architecture aligns with the organization's strategy and resources, and b) provides a governance model for evaluating and managing BPM initiatives.

Continuous optimization is a long-term approach to improving the effectiveness and productivity of specific processes based on a continuously functioning feedback control system.

Business Process Management

What is Business Process Management (BPM)?

BPM is a management discipline that assumes that the best way to achieve the goals of an organization is the purposeful management of its business processes. BPM treats processes as assets. It accepts that the objectives of the organization can be achieved through the description, design, control of business processes and the pursuit of their continuous improvement.

To be able to effectively manage business processes (that is, to develop BPM as a capability), an organization must have processes, people, and technology in place:

1. Business processes that support business process management. For example, an organization should have processes that ensure:
   • description and design of business processes;
   • development and implementation of business processes;
   • monitoring and control of the execution of business processes;
   • continuous and continuous improvement of business processes, despite and in response to internal and external changes.
2. Defined roles (people) involved in business process management. These include (but are not limited to) the following:
   • process architect, who is responsible for describing and designing business processes;
   • process analyst who is responsible for building, implementing, monitoring and optimizing business processes;
   • process owner, who is responsible for executing the business process from start to finish, in accordance with defined performance targets, and ultimately for creating value for the customer.
3. Implementation of specialized information technologies for business process management, providing the following functionality:
   • description of business processes in the context of corporate architecture;
   • designing business processes for the purpose of implementation;
   • execution of business processes in the context of operational activities;
   • monitoring of target indicators of efficiency of business processes;
   • analysis of business processes in order to identify and evaluate opportunities for improvement;
   • business process change management.

Buisness process is a set of actions that transform one or more inputs into a specific result (product or service) that has value for the consumer.

Figure "Business process"

The concept of the consumer in the interaction of functions within the organization

Value in the form of design specifications

Example: The IT division of a pharmaceutical company provides services to business units. Each such service is provided through a business process within the IT department. The provider-consumer relationship is shown below. A business process creates value for a customer in the form of a product or service. The essence of BPM is to optimize how that value is created.

Visualization and understanding of the business process is facilitated by the graphical representation of actions in the form of rectangles connected to each other in a path diagram.

Among the artifacts that organizations often create and maintain in process work are the following.

• Business context: what intrinsic capabilities the process provides and what the business process contributes to the creation of a product or service for an external customer.
• Process context: providers and inputs, outputs and consumers, start and end events, regulations, resources used and performance targets.
• Business transactions that accompany the transfer of work between functions and roles within an organization and between the organization, providers, and customers.
• State changes that describe the transformation of a product as it passes through a process.
• Business events that occur outside and inside the process, as well as actions and forks in the process that are activated by these events.
• A decomposition showing the breakdown of a process into smaller and smaller pieces of work from the top level of the process as a whole to the bottom level of tasks.
• Expected performance indicators detailing the commitment to the customer to provide a product or service, and performance metrics established for the process and measured to ensure that commitments to the customer are being met.
• The structure of the organization and the picture of how the various functions and roles within the organization are put together to support the execution of the process.
• Functionality information systems and how this functionality is involved in the execution of the process.

Buisness process is a set of actions that create a certain value (product or service) for the consumer. This definition contains both an internal aspect (set of activities) and an external aspect (customer value), so it is best to monitor process performance from both perspectives.
Performance indicators measured from the outside or from the point of view of the consumer are commonly called performance, they are designed to answer the question: “Are we doing what we need to do?” These indicators should confirm that we systematically meet the needs and expectations of the customer.

The secret to the usefulness of metrics at the Check stage is the correct architecture of the process description at the Planning stage. Process performance targets are determined by customer expectations. These top-level performance indicators are in turn decomposed into underlying performance targets that can be set at the functional and operational levels. In theory:

• if all operational targets are achieved, then functional indicators are met;
• if all functional indicators are achieved, then the process performance indicators of the highest level are met;
• if all indicators of process efficiency are achieved, then the consumer is satisfied.

Categories of business processes

Business processes can be divided into three categories:

• Core Processes- end-to-end and, as a rule, cross-functional processes that directly create value for the consumer. Core processes are also referred to as core processes because they represent the activities necessary for an organization to fulfill its mission. These processes constitute a value chain in which each step adds value to the previous one, measured by contribution to the creation or delivery of a product or service, and ultimately to the creation of value for the customer.
• Helper Processes designed to support core processes, usually through the management of resources and/or infrastructure required by core processes. The difference between primary and secondary processes is that secondary processes do not directly create value for the customer. Examples of supporting processes are usually related to IT, finance, human resources. Although support processes are often closely related to functional areas (for example, the process of granting and revoking network access permissions), they can and often do cross functional boundaries.
• Management processes designed to measure, monitor and control business activities. They are designed to ensure that the main and supporting processes are designed and executed in accordance with the set operational, financial goals, regulatory and legal restrictions. Like supporting processes, management processes do not directly add value to the customer, but they are necessary to ensure that operations meet performance and performance targets.

BPM maturity model

Business Process Modeling

Process Modeling Goals

The purpose of the simulation- to develop such a representation of the process that will describe it accurately and sufficiently fully, based on the task. The depth of detail and content of the model is determined by what is expected of a modeling project: one project may need a simple diagram, while another may need a fully developed model.

Process Models are the means:

• organization process management;
• process efficiency analysis;
• descriptions of changes.

The process model can describe the desired state of the business and determine the requirements for resources that ensure the efficient execution of operations, such as people, information, equipment, systems, finance, energy.

Motives for process modeling:

Common process notations:

BPMN:

Path chart by Bruce Silver:

Block diagram:

UML:

IDEF:

Value stream map:

Basic principles of business process modeling

What does business process modeling mean in practice? Business process modeling in a company can be aimed at solving a large number of different tasks:

• Accurately define the outcome of a business process and evaluate its value to the business.
• Determine the set of activities that make up the business process. A clear definition of the set of tasks and activities to be performed is essential to a detailed understanding of the process.
• Determine the order in which actions should be performed. Actions within a single business process can be performed either sequentially or in parallel. It is obvious that parallel execution, if allowed, reduces the overall execution time of the process and, consequently, increases its efficiency.
• Separate areas of responsibility: determine and then track which employee or department of the company is responsible for the implementation of a particular action or process as a whole.
• Determine the resources consumed by the business process. By knowing exactly who is using what resources and for what operations, you can improve resource efficiency through planning and optimization.
• Understand the essence of the interactions between the employees and departments of the company involved in the process and evaluate, and then improve the effectiveness of communication between them.
• See the movement of documents during the process. Business processes produce and consume various documents (in paper or electronic form). It is important to understand where and where documents or information flows come from and determine whether their movement is optimal and whether all of them are really necessary.
• Identify potential bottlenecks and opportunities for process improvement, which will be used later to optimize it.
• It is more efficient to implement quality standards such as ISO 9000 and successfully achieve certification.
• Use business process models as a guide for new hires.
• Effectively automate business processes as a whole or their individual steps, including automation of interaction with the external environment - customers, suppliers, partners.
• Having understood the totality of the company's business processes, understand and describe the activities of the enterprise as a whole.

In its turn, the main task in modeling the company's business processes is a description of the processes existing in it in order to build their models "as is". To do this, it is necessary to collect all available information about the process, which, as a rule, is fully owned only by company employees directly involved in the process. Thus, we come to the need for a detailed survey (interview) of all employees involved in the business process. It should be emphasized that one should not be limited to information about the process provided by the head of the unit and managers. Usually, only a conversation with an employee who directly performs actions within the described business process gives an adequate idea of ​​how the process functions in reality.

The first question when building a model "as is" concerns the result of the considered business process. It happens that it is not easy to get a clear statement of the result of a business process, despite the importance of this concept for the efficiency of the company.

After determining the result, you should understand the sequence of actions that make up the process. The sequence of actions is modeled at different levels of abstraction. At the top level, only the most important steps in the process are shown (usually no more than ten). Then, each of the high-level steps (sub-processes) is decomposed. The depth of decomposition is determined by the complexity of the process and the required level of detail. In order to get a truly complete picture of the business process, it is necessary to decompose to atomic business functions - well-understood elementary actions (individual operations in software or performed by a person), which make no sense to decompose into components.

Based on the collected information, a model of the usual, or optimal, execution of the process is built and possible scenarios for its execution with failures are determined. Various failures (exceptions - exceptions) can disrupt the optimal course of the process, so you should specify how the exceptions will be "handled", that is, what actions are taken in case of an exception. The figure shows the main steps in building a business process model.

An important part of building a business process model is the study of aspects of its effectiveness. This includes resource usage, employee turnaround time, potential delays and downtime. It is necessary to develop a system of indicators, or metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of the process. Partially, KPI (Key Performance Indicator) used in the company can be taken as metrics, however, additional indicators characterizing the process under consideration may also be required.

Modeling defines business goals, to which the simulated process contributes. It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of a business goal and the result of a process. Each business process must have at least one result and be aimed at achieving at least one business goal. For example, the result of the process “Execute a connection order for a subscriber” can be defined as “Receive a connection confirmation from the client”, while the business goals that are pursued by performing this process may include “Ensure a minimum order lead time” and “Ensure a minimum percentage of claims ". To determine the goals, you should refer to the company's business strategy.

It is necessary to identify events that can interrupt the course of the process. In the event of an interruption, it may be necessary to correctly "roll back" (compensate) those process steps that have already been completed. To do this, you must define the logic of compensating actions for each interrupting event.

Finally, it is necessary to consider the available software tools that implement business process support. This is important because software may hide some features of the process behavior that are not fully known to the employees performing individual steps. The information collected at this stage will be useful in further automation of the process.

By collecting all of the above information, you can get a good idea of ​​the progress of the business process. At the modeling stage, the following results should be obtained:

• Process card, showing the relationship between different business processes and their interactions. On the process map, as a rule, each business process of the company is shown as a rectangle, the arrows show the links between them (for example, the dependence of one process on another, or the replacement of one process by another when a certain condition is met), and also presents various documents that are transferred from process to process or regulate their course (standards, instructions, etc.).
• Role Diagram A that shows the roles in the execution of the process and the relationships between them. The role diagram is not hierarchical. It represents relationships such as group participation, leadership, communication, replacing one role with another, etc.
• The "as is" model each considered business process, describing the process in detail and reflecting the course of the process, actions, roles, movement of documents, as well as points of possible optimization. This model includes:
  • process environment diagram, representing a business process as a single activity (that is, not revealing the course of the process), for which the process triggering event, required inputs, result, roles, performance indicators, interrupting events and compensating processes, regulating documents, related business processes can be shown. goals;
  • high-level process diagram, showing his major steps (usually no more than ten) and the roles associated with them;
  • detailed diagrams for each step of the high-level model(depending on the complexity of the process, several hierarchically organized diagrams can be used here) showing the process in detail, interrupting events, business rules, roles and documents;
  • exception handling diagram, showing what actions are performed in the event of a given exception and by whom, as well as where control is transferred after the exception is processed.

• the owner of the business process and one or two employees of the same division of the company who help him;
• quality management specialist;
• business analyst(s);
• representative of the IT department;
• external consultant (optional).

BPM-System Platform for creating and managing business processes

Bpm'online studio is a business process management system (BPMS) that allows you to automate various business tasks. Bpm'online studio- an intuitive tool for implementing a process approach in the work of various departments of the company and effectively manage changes throughout the enterprise.

Introduction

1. Modeling business processes

2. Classification of business processes

3. Business Process Modeling Standards

Conclusion

List of sources used

INTRODUCTION

The concept of "business process modeling" came into the life of most analysts simultaneously with the appearance on the market of complex software products designed for complex automation of enterprise management.

Such systems always imply a deep pre-project survey of the company's activities. The result of this survey is an expert opinion, in which recommendations are made in separate paragraphs to eliminate "bottlenecks" in the management of activities.

Based on this conclusion, immediately before the implementation of the automation system, the so-called reorganization of business processes is carried out, sometimes quite serious and painful for the company. This is, of course, a team that has developed over the years is always difficult to make “think in a new way”. Such comprehensive surveys of enterprises are always complex and differ significantly from case to case.

There are well-established methodologies and standards for solving such problems of modeling complex systems. These standards include the IDEF family of methodologies. With their help, you can effectively display and analyze the activity models of a wide range of complex systems in various sections. At the same time, the breadth and depth of the examination of processes in the system is determined by the developer himself, which allows not to overload created model redundant data.

Business process modeling allows you to analyze not only how the enterprise works as a whole, how it interacts with external organizations, customers and suppliers, but also how activities are organized at each individual workplace.

There are several approaches to the definition of the concept of "modeling business processes":

- this is a description of the business processes of the enterprise that allows the manager to know how ordinary employees work, and for ordinary employees - how their colleagues work and what end result all their activities are aimed at;

business process modeling- this is an effective means of finding opportunities to improve the activities of the enterprise;

modeling business processes is a tool that allows you to anticipate and minimize the risks that arise on various stages reorganization of the enterprise;

business process modeling- this is a method that allows you to give a cost estimate to each process, taken individually, and all business processes in the enterprise, taken in the aggregate.

Modern enterprises are forced to constantly improve their activities. This requires the development of new technologies and business practices, improving the quality of the final results of activities and, of course, the introduction of new, better effective methods management and organization of enterprises.

Buisness process is a logical, consistent, interconnected set of activities that consumes the resources of the producer, creates value and gives the result to the consumer. Among the main reasons that encourage an organization to optimize business processes are the need to reduce costs or the duration of the production cycle, the requirements of consumers and the state, the implementation of quality management programs, company mergers, internal organizational contradictions, etc.

Business Process Modeling is an effective tool for finding ways to optimize the company's activities, a tool for predicting and minimizing risks that arise at various stages of an enterprise's reorganization. This method allows you to give a cost estimate to each individual process and all business processes of the organization in the aggregate.

Business process modeling decisions are usually made for the reasons shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Reasons for deciding on business process modeling

Business process modeling affects many aspects of a company's activities:

change in the organizational structure;

optimization of the functions of departments and employees;

redistribution of rights and duties of managers;

change in internal regulatory documents and technology of operations.

The purpose of the simulation is the systematization of knowledge about the company and its business processes in a visual graphical form that is more convenient for analytical processing of the information received. The model should reflect the structure of the organization's business processes, the details of their implementation and the sequence of workflow.

Modeling of business processes of the organization includes two stages - structural and detailed.

Structural An organization's business process modeling can be done in IDEF0 notation using the BPwin toolkit, or in UML using the Rational Rose toolkit. Detailed modeling is done in UML.

At the stage of structural modeling, the model should reflect:

existing organizational structure;

documents and other entities used in the execution of simulated business processes and necessary for modeling workflow, with descriptions of their main meaning;

the structure of business processes, reflecting their hierarchy from more general groups to private business processes;

interaction diagrams for final business processes, reflecting the sequence of creating and moving documents (data, materials, resources, etc.) between actors.

detailed business process modeling is carried out in the same model and should reflect the required detail and should provide an unambiguous view of the activities of the organization.

A detailed business process model should include:

a set of precedents reflecting possible options for executing business processes “as is”;

action diagrams that describe in detail the sequence of business processes;

interaction diagrams reflecting workflow schemes.

Business operation- a set of actions, procedures that make up the content of one act of business activity.

A business operation usually begins with the production or purchase of a batch of goods according to a predetermined plan of actions and ends with the sale of goods and making a profit. Business transactions are also called transactions.

Business function is a task that the company solves for its own survival and to achieve its goals. The function answers the question what to do. Of course, within the framework of the company, many functions can be distinguished. So any business system should have such functions as financial management, production, sales.

Business model - it's what a company does and how it makes money (Tom Malone)

Business strategy there is a theory, the business model is a hypothesis (Nicholas Carr)

Business model is a representation of a set of related model elements that define the internal and external environment of the company within unified system.

2. CLASSIFICATION OF BUSINESS PROCESSES

Allocate the following classification:

Depending on the place of business processes in organizational structure companies distinguish the following business processes:

horizontal processes - processes that reflect horizontal interaction;

individual horizontal processes - processes performed by individual employees (organizational units);

cross-functional horizontal processes - processes performed by many employees (organizational units);

vertical processes - processes that reflect the interaction of employees (organizational units) along the vertical;

integrated processes - processes that display the interaction of process participants vertically and horizontally.

Depending on the degree of their complexity, there are:

monoprocesses - monosyllabic processes;

nested processes - mono-processes that are part of a more complex process (macro-process);

related processes are mono-processes that are singled out and sequentially implemented according to a certain algorithm.

Depending on their purpose:

main business processes - horizontal business processes that ensure the implementation of real operational tasks related to the creation of a product and its implementation to a client; - these are processes, the operations of which are directly related to the product of the enterprise and thereby affect the creation of added value;

supporting business processes - horizontal business processes that ensure the execution of the main processes, they are not directly related to the goods and services produced, however, it is impossible to perform value-added operations without them;

management business processes - vertical business processes that provide management of the company's activities, core and supporting business processes. These are the processes of strategy formation, business planning and control.

Depending on their place in the hierarchy of organizational goals:

top-level business processes - processes aimed at the implementation of the company's strategic goals, the most significant for the company;

mid-level business processes - business processes aimed at the implementation of tactical goals;

business processes of the lower level business processes aimed at the implementation of operational goals.

Depending on the level of detail:

macro-processes - enlarged business processes with the level of detail necessary to describe the top-level business processes;

sub-processes - business processes with the level of detail necessary to describe middle-level business processes;

micro-processes - business processes that have the maximum level of detail, are used to describe lower-level business processes.

Within the framework of the main components balanced system indicators:

financial business processes;

client business processes;

business - production processes;

business processes of development, learning and growth.

Functional Modeling Standard IDEF0

The IDEF0 standard is considered the classic method of the process approach to management. The main principle of the process approach is to structure the activities of the organization in accordance with its business processes, and not the organizational structure. It is the business processes that form the result that is significant for the consumer that are of value, and it is their improvement that will have to be dealt with in the future.

StandardIDEF0 is a set of rules and procedures designed to build a functional model of an object of any subject area.

ModelIDEF0 is a series of diagrams with accompanying documentation that breaks down a complex object into its component parts, which are shown as blocks. The details of each of the main blocks are shown as blocks in other diagrams. Each detailed diagram is a block decomposition from the diagram of the previous level. At each decomposition step, the diagram of the previous level is called the parent diagram for the more detailed diagram. The total number of levels in the model (including the context level) should not exceed 5-6. Practice shows that this is quite enough to build a complete functional model. modern enterprise any industry.

IDEF1 Information Modeling Standard

The IDEF1 standard was developed as a tool for analyzing and studying the relationships between information flows within commercial activities enterprises. Application of the IDEF1 methodology as a tool for building a visual model information structure enterprises according to the principle “as it should be”. An example of building a model is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - An example of building an IDEF1 model

The main components of the information model are:

diagrams - structural images of the information model, representing, in accordance with a set of rules, the composition and logical relationships of the data used;

dictionary – the value of each element of the model is described by a text fragment.

The basic concept in the IDEF1 methodology is the concept of entity. Essence defined as a real or abstract object whose set of distinctive properties, called attributes, is known. Each entity has a name and attributes.

The subsystem number serves to identify it. In the name field, the name of the subsystem is entered in the form of a sentence with the subject and corresponding definitions and additions.

The process is the transformation of input data streams into output ones in accordance with a certain algorithm. Physically, the process can be implemented in various ways: it can be a subdivision of an organization (department) that processes input documents and issues reports, a program, a hardware-implemented logical device, etc.

The process in the data flow diagram is depicted as shown in Figure 4.

The process number is used to identify it. In the name field, the name of the process is entered as a sentence with an active unambiguous verb in an indefinite form (calculate, calculate, check, determine, create, receive), followed by nouns in the accusative case, for example: "Enter information about taxpayers", "Issue information on current expenses", "Check receipt of money".

The information in the physical implementation field indicates which part of the organization, program, or hardware device the process is performing.

A data storage device is an abstract device for storing information that can be placed in a storage device at any time and retrieved after some time, and the methods of insertion and extraction can be any.

The data storage device can be physically implemented in the form of a microfiche, a drawer in a filing cabinet, a table in random access memory, file on magnetic media, etc.

The data storage device is identified by the letter "D" and an arbitrary number. The name of the drive is chosen from the point of view of the greatest information content for the designer.

The data storage is generally a prototype of the future database, and the description of the data stored in it must correspond to the data model.

The data flow defines the information transmitted through some connection from the source to the receiver. The flow of data in the diagram is represented by a line ending with an arrow that shows the direction of the flow. Each data stream has a name that reflects its content.

the main objective building a DFD hierarchy is to make the description of the system clear and understandable at every level of detail, and also to break it into parts with precisely defined relationships between them.

CONCLUSION

AT last years interest in Russia to the methodologies of the IDEF family is steadily growing. At the same time, interest in standards such as IDEF3–5 is theoretical, while interest in IDEF0 is quite practically justified.

However, most managers still regard the practical application of modeling in IDEF standards more as a tribute to fashion than as an effective way to optimize the existing business management system. Most likely, this is due to a pronounced lack of information on the practical application of these methodologies and the indispensable software bias of the vast majority of publications.

It is no secret that almost all survey and analysis projects of financial and economic activity enterprises now in Russia, one way or another, are connected with the construction of automated control systems. Thanks to this, the IDEF standards in the understanding of the majority have become conditionally inseparable from the introduction of information technology, although with their help it is sometimes possible to effectively solve even small local problems, literally with a pencil and paper.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the main advantage of the idea of ​​analyzing the business processes of an enterprise by creating its model is its versatility. Firstly, business process modeling is the answer to almost all questions related to improving the activities of an enterprise and increasing its competitiveness. Secondly, the head or management of the enterprise, who have implemented this methodology, will have information that will allow them to independently improve their enterprise and predict its future.

1. Voinov I.V. Modeling of economic systems and processes. Experience in building ARIS models [Text]: monograph / I.V. Voinov - M.: SUGU, 2002. - 392 p.

2. Volkov O.N. Standards and methodologies for modeling business processes [Text]: textbook. allowance for universities / O.N. Volkov. - M.: ASV, 2000. - 145 p.

3. Grigoriev D.I. Modeling of business processes of an enterprise [Text]: textbook. allowance / D.I. Grigoriev. - M.: IRTs, 2006. - 214 p.

4. Kalyanov G.N. Modeling, analysis, reorganization and automation of business processes [Text]: textbook. allowance / G.N. Kalyanov. - M.: Finance and statistics, 2006. - 319 p.

5. Pinaev D.K. Business process modeling: available about the complex [Text]: Ref. allowance / D.K. Pinaev. - M.: RGAS, 2003. - 247 p.

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• improving the "as it should be" model. Business process modeling is not limited to creating a “how it should be” model. Each of the processes continues to change and improve along the way, so process models should be regularly reviewed and improved. This stage of modeling is associated with continuous improvement processes and improving the business process model.

Types of business process modeling

Business process modeling can be different orientation. It depends on what problems it is supposed to solve with its help. Accounting for absolutely all influences on the process can significantly complicate the model and lead to redundancy in the description of the process. To avoid this, business process modeling is divided by type. The type of simulation is selected depending on the characteristics of the process under study.

Most often, for the purposes of process improvement, the following types of modeling are used:

• Functional modeling. This type of modeling implies the description of processes in the form of interconnected, clearly structured functions. At the same time, a strict temporal sequence of functions, in the form in which it exists in real processes, is not necessary.
• Object Modeling- implies the description of processes as a set of interacting objects - i.e. production units. An object is any object that is transformed during the execution of processes.
• Simulation- with this type of business process modeling, it is meant to model the behavior of processes in various external and internal conditions with an analysis of the dynamic characteristics of processes and an analysis of the distribution of resources.

The division of modeling by type is performed to simplify the work and focus on certain characteristics of the process. In this case, for the same process can be applied different kinds modeling. This allows you to work with one type of model independently of others.

Principles of business process modeling

Business process modeling is based on a number of principles that make it possible to create adequate process models. Their observance makes it possible to describe a set of process state parameters in such a way that within one model the components are closely interconnected, while individual models remain sufficiently independent of each other.

The main principles of business process modeling are as follows:

• Decomposition principle– each process can be represented by a set of hierarchically arranged elements. In accordance with this principle, the process must be detailed into its constituent elements.
• Focus principle– to develop a model, it is necessary to abstract from many process parameters and focus on key aspects. For each model, these aspects may be different.
• Documentation principle– the elements included in the process must be formalized and fixed in the model. Different designations must be used for different process elements. Fixing elements in the model depends on the type of modeling and the chosen methods.
• Consistency principle- all elements included in the process model must have an unambiguous interpretation and not contradict each other.
• The principle of completeness and sufficiency- before including this or that element in the model, it is necessary to evaluate its impact on the process. If the element is not essential for the execution of the process, then its inclusion in the model is not advisable, because it can only complicate the business process model.

Methods for modeling business processes

Today, there are a fairly large number of methods for modeling business processes. These methods are for different types modeling and allow you to focus on different aspects. They contain both graphical and textual tools, through which you can visualize the main components of the process and give precise definitions of the parameters and relationships of elements.

Most often in quality management business process modeling is performed using the following methods:

Flow Chart Diagram (workflow diagram) is a graphical method of representing a process in which operations, data, process equipment, etc. are depicted with special symbols. The method is used to display a logical sequence of process actions. The main advantage of the method is its flexibility. The process can be represented in many ways.

Data Flow Diagram (data flow diagram). A data flow diagram or DFD is used to show the transfer of information (data) from one operation of a process to another. DFD describes the relationship of operations through information and data. This method is the basis of the structural analysis of processes, since allows you to decompose the process into logical levels. Each process can be broken down into sub-processes at a higher level of detail. The use of DFD allows you to reflect only the flow of information, but not the flow of materials. A data flow diagram shows how information enters and exits a process, what actions change information, where information is stored in a process, and so on.

Role Activity Diagram (diagram of roles). It is used to model a process in terms of individual roles, groups of roles, and the interaction of roles in a process. A role is an abstract process element that performs an organizational function. The role diagram shows the degree of "responsibility" for the process and its operations, as well as the interaction of roles.

IDEF (Integrated Definition for Function Modeling) - is a whole set of methods for describing various aspects of business processes (IDEF0, IDEF1, IDEF1X, IDEF2, IDEF3, IDEF4, IDEF5). These methods are based on the SADT (Structured Analysis and Design Technique) methodology. The IDEF0 and IDEF3 methods are most often used to model business processes.

Introduction

Business process modeling is the process of reflecting the subjective vision of the workflow in the form of a formal model consisting of interrelated operations.

The purpose of modeling is to systematize knowledge about the company and its business processes in a visual graphical form that is more convenient for analytical processing of the information received.

Currently, several special programs are presented on the computer technology market that allow you to examine an enterprise and build a model. The choice of methodology and tools with which the modeling of business processes is carried out is not of fundamental importance. There are standardized, time-tested methodologies and tools that can be used to survey an enterprise and build its model. Their key advantage is simplicity and accessibility to mastery.

processes was the SADT methodology. Currently, the most widely used methodology for describing business processes is the US IDEF standard.

The main advantage of the idea of ​​analyzing the business processes of an enterprise by creating its model is its versatility. First of all,

business process modeling is the answer to almost all questions

related to improving the activities of the enterprise and increasing its competitiveness. Secondly, the head or management of an enterprise that has implemented a specific methodology will have information that will allow them to independently improve their enterprise and predict its future.

1 Essence and meaning of business process modeling

Business process modeling allows you to analyze not only how the enterprise works as a whole, how it interacts with external organizations, customers and suppliers, but also how activities are organized at each individual workplace.

There are several approaches to the definition of the concept

"business process modeling":

1) business process modeling is a description of business

enterprise processes that allow the manager to know how ordinary employees work, and ordinary employees - how their colleagues work and what end result all their activities are aimed at;

2) business process modeling is an effective means of finding opportunities to improve the performance of an enterprise;

3) business process modeling is a tool that allows you to anticipate and minimize the risks that arise at various stages of the reorganization of the enterprise;

4) business process modeling is a method that allows you to evaluate the current activities of the enterprise in relation to the requirements,

imposed on its functioning, management, efficiency,

end results and customer satisfaction

5) business process modeling is a method that allows you to give a cost estimate to each process, taken individually, and all business processes in an enterprise, taken in aggregate;

6) business process modeling is always the right way identifying current problems in the enterprise and anticipating future ones.

Modern enterprises are forced to constantly improve their activities. This requires the development of new technologies and business practices, improving the quality of final results

activities and, of course, the introduction of new, more efficient methods of managing and organizing the activities of enterprises.

A business process is a logical, sequential, interconnected set of activities that consumes the resources of the producer, creates value and gives the result to the consumer. Among the main reasons,

encouraging an organization to optimize business processes, one can single out the need to reduce costs or the duration of the production cycle, the requirements of consumers and the state, the introduction of quality management programs, company mergers, internal organizational contradictions, etc.

Business process modeling is an effective tool for finding ways to optimize a company's activities, a tool for predicting and minimizing risks that arise at various stages of an enterprise's reorganization. This method allows you to give a cost estimate to each individual process and all business processes of the organization in the aggregate.

Business process modeling decisions are usually made for the reasons shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Reasons for deciding on business process modeling

Business process modeling covers many aspects

company activities:

 change in the organizational structure;

 optimization of the functions of departments and employees;

 redistribution of rights and duties of managers;

 change in internal regulations and technology of operations;

 new requirements for automation of ongoing processes, etc.

The purpose of modeling is to systematize knowledge about the company and its business processes in a visual graphical form that is more convenient for analytical processing of the information received. The model should reflect the structure of the organization's business processes, the details of their implementation and the sequence of workflow.

Modeling of business processes of the organization includes two stages - structural and detailed.

Structural modeling of the organization's business processes can be performed in IDEF0 notation using the BPwin toolkit or in UML using the Rational Rose toolkit. Detailed modeling is done in UML.

At the stage of structural modeling, the model should reflect:

1) existing organizational structure;

2) documents and other entities used in the execution of simulated business processes and necessary for modeling workflow, with descriptions of their main meaning;

3) the structure of business processes, reflecting their hierarchy from more general groups to private business processes;

4) interaction diagrams for finite business processes,

reflecting the sequence of creation and movement of documents

(data, materials, resources, etc.) between actors.

The prepared model should be agreed upon by the architects and lead programmers, confirming that the structure of the business processes is understood.

Detailed modeling of business processes is performed in the same model and should reflect the required detail and should provide an unambiguous view of the activities of the organization.

A detailed business process model should include:

1) set of use cases reflecting possible implementations business processes "as is";

2) action diagrams detailing the sequence of execution business processes;

3) interaction diagrams reflecting workflow schemes.

Models should be agreed with the leading specialists of the organization who have the necessary knowledge.

If, after building the models, no agreement was reached, the necessary clarifications and adjustments should be made to the model. The iteration process (agreeing, making adjustments and clarifications) should be repeated until it is fully confirmed that the model is understandable and unambiguously represents the details of business processes.

2 Methodology for conducting business process modeling

Under the methodology (notation) of creating a model (description) of a business

process is understood as a set of ways in which objects of the real world and the connections between them are represented in the form of a model. Any methodology (methodology) includes three main components:

– theoretical basis;

– description of the steps required to obtain the desired result;

Business process modeling can be performed using various approaches, methodologies, notations and tools - depending on the requirements for the model in each specific case. How are these requirements defined? In many ways - the process of creating an automation system as a whole, within which the modeling of the subject area is carried out. This process determines how the model will be built, refined, and used.

As a rule, the system is created by a team of people. These people have different specialties, experience, habits, education, preferences and personal qualities. The business process model is built so that these people can effectively share knowledge and make joint decisions as the system is built. The model is the language of communication between the parties involved in the creation of the automation system, -

customers, experts, architects, etc. It should be organized in such a way that each party, perceiving the modeled system from its own point of view, can effectively contribute to the overall understanding of the subject area.

Process of creation automated system often turns out to be iterative, so the model must allow for successive refinements. Ideally, the model should be built in such a way that when it is detailed, the previously built more general elements of the model do not change, but only new ones are added.

The model must be resistant to changes in the subject area. This means that it should be organized in such a way that when the subject area changes, only some minimal necessary set model elements. Moreover, the model itself must be

a tool for reorganizing business processes as part of the creation of an automation system.

It is necessary to take into account the important characteristics of business modeling

processes. In particular, the advantages of business process modeling include: improving the quality and speed of production while reducing costs; increase in the professionalism of employees;

increasing the competitiveness of the company. Disadvantages, in turn:

increased exploitation of employees and associated socio-psychological problems; the need for targeted work to change the corporate culture.

3 History of the development of business process modeling methodologies

The basis of many modern business modeling methodologies

processes was compiled by the SADT methodology (Structured Analysis and Design Technique - a method of structural analysis and design) and

algorithmic languages ​​used for software development.

In a condensed form, the history of the development of business modeling methodologies

processes are shown in Figure 2. For clarity, the history of the development of approaches to quality management is given in parallel.

Figure 2 - The history of the development of business modeling methodologies

processes

Currently, for the description, modeling and analysis of business

processes, several types of methodologies are used. The most common types include the following methodologies:

 business process modeling (Business Process Modeling);

 descriptions of work flows (Work Flow Modeling);

 descriptions of data flows (Data Flow Modeling).

Methodologies for modeling business processes (Business Process Modeling). The most widely used business description methodology

processes - US IDEF0 standard. Since its development, the standard has not undergone significant changes. At present, the development of the IDEF0 methodology is associated with the improvement of its supporting tools - software products for business modeling.

processes (for example, BPWin 4.0, ProCap, IDEF0/EM Tool, etc.).

The IDEF0 methodology provides the analyst with ample opportunity to describe the organization's business at the top level, with a focus on process management. The notation allows you to reflect feedback in the process model

of various types - on information, management, movement of material resources.

Using the methodology of the IDEF family, one can effectively display and analyze the activity models of a wide range of complex systems in various sections. At the same time, the breadth and depth of the examination of processes in the system is determined by the developer himself, which allows not to overload the created model with unnecessary data. AT

Currently, the following standards can be attributed to the IDEF family:

IDEF0 is a functional modeling methodology. Using the visual graphical language IDEF0, the system under study appears to developers and analysts as a set of interrelated functions. Typically, IDEF0 modeling is the first step in learning any system;

IDEF1 - a methodology for modeling information flows within a system that allows you to display and analyze their structure and relationships;

IDEF1X (IDEF1 Extended) is a methodology for building relational structures. IDEF1X belongs to the type of methodology "Entity-relationship"

(ER - Entity-Relationship) and is usually used to model relational databases;

IDEF2 is a methodology for dynamic modeling of systems evolution.

Due to the very serious difficulties in the analysis of dynamical systems, this standard was practically abandoned, and its development was suspended at the very initial stage;

IDEF3 is a methodology for documenting processes occurring in a system, which is used, for example, in research technological processes at enterprises. Using IDEF3

describes the scenario and sequence of operations for each process. IDEF3 has a direct relationship with the IDEF0 methodology - each

a function can be represented as a separate process by means of

IDEF4 is a methodology for building object-oriented systems.

IDEF4 tools allow you to visually display the structure of objects and the underlying principles of their interaction, thereby allowing you to analyze and optimize complex object-oriented systems;

IDEF5 - methodology for the study of complex systems.

The ARIS system is a set of tools for analyzing and modeling the activities of an enterprise. Her methodological basis constitutes a set various methods modeling, reflecting different views on the system under study. The same model can be developed using several methods, which allows specialists with different theoretical knowledge to use ARIS and customize it to work with systems that have their own specifics.

ARIS supports four types of models that reflect various aspects of the system under study:

organizational models representing the structure of the system -

hierarchy of organizational units, positions and specific individuals,

connections between them, as well as the territorial binding of structural divisions;

functional models containing a hierarchy of goals facing the management apparatus, with a set of function trees,

necessary to achieve the goals;

information models reflecting the structure of information,

necessary for the implementation of the entire set of system functions;

management models that provide a comprehensive view of

implementation of business processes within the system.

business process modeling tools

In Russia, the following modeling tools are widely used for modeling and analyzing business processes: Rational Rose, Oracle Designer, AllFusion Process Modeler (BPWin) and AllFusion ERwin Data Modeler (ERWin), ARIS, power designer. Abroad, in addition to those mentioned, such tools as System Architect, Ithink Analyst, ReThink, etc. are actively used. Table 1 presents a list of tools involved in the review. The information provided includes:

• name of the tool;
• data about the supplier and representative in Russia;
• brief description of the tool.

We single out the main criteria that allow us to choose from the presented modeling tools those whose use in Russia could more likely justify itself. These criteria are:

• stable position of the product in the market(its lifetime, product development program, problem reporting system, set of applications, etc.);
• product prevalence(number of licenses sold, presence, size and level of activity of the user group);
• vendor support availability. Such services may include telephone hotline", technical and consulting support through the representative of the supplier in Russia;
• accessibility of education. Training may be conducted at the premises of the supplier's representative in Russia, the user, or elsewhere;
• availability of product materials. These may include computer-based learning materials, study guides, books, articles, information on the Internet, demos.

From the list of tools given in the table, for a more detailed analysis, we select those software products that meet the specified criteria. In this case, BPWIn / ERWin, Oracle Designer, Rational Rose, Power Designer, ARIS fall within the scope of our further consideration, for which more detailed description.

BPWin and ERWin from Computer Associates. Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) is one of the top five software vendors offering modeling, backup, enterprise infrastructure management tools (networks, servers, etc.), information security, business intelligence, etc. The BPWin package is based on the IDEF methodology and is intended for functional modeling and analysis of the enterprise. The IDEF methodology, which is the official US federal standard, is a set of methods, rules and procedures designed to build a functional model of an object in any subject area. The IDEF functional model reflects the functional structure of an object, i.e. the actions it performs and the connections between these actions.

BPwin features:

• supports three standard notations at once - IDEF0 (functional modeling), DFD (data flow modeling) and IDEF3 (work flow modeling). These three main perspectives allow you to describe the subject area in the most comprehensive way;
• allows you to optimize procedures in the company;
• fully supports methods for calculating the cost of the volume of economic activity (functional cost analysis, ABC);
• facilitates ISO9000 quality certification;
• integrated with ERwin (for database modeling), Paradigm Plus (for modeling software components), etc.;
• integrated with Arena simulation tool;
• contains its own report generator;
• allows you to effectively manipulate models - merge and split them;
• has a wide range of tools for documenting models, projects.

The ERWin package is a conceptual database modeling tool. It is used in modeling and creating databases of arbitrary complexity based on "entity-relationship" diagrams. Currently, ERWin is the most popular data modeling package due to its support for a wide range of DBMS of various classes. ERWin features:

• supports the SADT structural modeling methodology and the following notations: the standard IDEF1x notation for ER-diagrams of data models, the IE notation and a special notation for designing data warehouses - Dimensional;
• direct (creation of a database based on a model) and reverse (model generation from an existing database) design is supported for 20 types of DBMS: desktop, relational and specialized DBMS designed to create data warehouses;
• integrated by the Computer Associates product line to support all stages of IS development, Oracle Designer CASE tools, Rational Rose, development tools, etc.;
• allows you to reuse components of previously created models, as well as use the developments of other developers;
• possible teamwork groups of designers with the same models (using AllFusion Model Manager);
• allows you to transfer the database structure (not the data itself!) from a DBMS of one type of DBMS to another;
• allows you to document the structure of the database.

Oracle Designer by Oracle. The Oracle Designer toolkit offers an integrated solution for developing enterprise application systems for Web and client/server applications. Oracle Designer is involved in every phase of the software development lifecycle, from business process modeling to implementation. The use of a single repository makes it possible to use any of its components for the rapid development of scalable, cross-platform distributed applications. The task of Oracle Designer is to collect data about the needs of users and automate the construction of flexible graphical applications. Oracle Designer is used not only to create applications, but also to keep track of the changes that inevitably occur during the operation of the system. Graphical project definition models integrated with the multi-user repository make it much easier to work with Oracle Designer. The tools are built around common methodologies that span the entire development life cycle and allow users to work in a way that is familiar to their organization. This provides flexibility and an open approach to software development by using only those parts of the product that are required for a given task. The development process provides support for RAD, JAD, information design, waterfall method (waterfall), iterative method, etc. Using these principles, you can achieve a successful balance of organizational needs and technological capabilities, and even effectively manage the risk associated with frequent inevitable and important changes in one or another area. Oracle Designer conceptual modeling tools include:

• ER-diagrams (diagrams of the information structure of the subject area, represented as objects and their relationships);
• functional hierarchy diagrams that describe the functions that the system performs;
• diagrams of data flows circulating in the enterprise.

Such models represent information needs in a convenient and visual form, which makes them a good means of communication between designers and users in the process of refining the setting of tasks. Any developer is interested that the description of the conceptual model be used to create specifications that describe the structure and main components of the future system. In Oracle Designer, all system design specifications are developed from conceptual level models and ensure that all requirements and constraints contained therein are met. The resulting system components can be converted into real database objects, screen forms and reports. The final part of the project development - automatic generation of server components - is possible not only for the Oracle database server, but also for Microsoft SQL Server, DB / 2, Sybase and a number of others. Any changes in business processes can be made to the models and a modified application is immediately generated, based on new business schemes. At the same time, everything developed earlier will be saved and will be included in the new project. Open Designer automatically creates reports that contain all information about the project and can be used as a set of documents reflecting the current state of the project.

IBM Rational Rose. IBM Rational Rose is part of the IBM Rational Suite and is designed to model software systems using a wide range of tools and platforms. Rational Rose is one of the leading visual modeling tools in the software industry with full UML support and multilingual support for team development. The tool fully supports the component-oriented process of creating IP. Any project participant - analysts, modelers, developers, and others - can use models built in Rational Rose to greater efficiency creating the final product. For business analysts, Rational Rose provides the ability to describe and analyze business processes in a given subject area in detail. System analysts, using these descriptions, will be able to develop the necessary IS functionality that will best satisfy the customer's needs. For architects, the Rational Rose tool will be useful in creating a powerful and flexible system architecture. For database analysts, Rational Rose gives you the ability to visually design and generate databases of any size. Thus, you can create Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Anywhere, IBM DB2 and any other databases that support the ability to run ANSI SQL standard scripts. Any models created with this tool are interrelated: business model, functional model, analysis model, design model, database model, component model, and system physical deployment model. It is possible to create templates for architectural solutions that allow you to use the experience gained in previous projects. There are Rational Rose extensions that allow you to perform skeletal (round-trip) development of IS created on the basis of C / C ++, Java, Smalltalk, Ada, Object Pascal (Borland Delphi), etc. Thus, you can generate a program code framework on any from the specified languages ​​or perform a reverse engineering procedure, which allows you to create a model based on existing code. It is possible to publish the model on the Internet, which serves as the basis for bringing together the work of remote development teams. The integration of Rational Rose with Rational RequisitePro allows you to develop a complete set of requirements based on a visual model that must be implemented to create the final product. Rational Rose integration with Rational TestManager allows you to create test scripts based on a visual model. The integration of Rational Rose with Rational ClearCase allows you to version control the whole model or in parts. Rational Rose integration with Rational SoDA automates the process of creating documents and reports based on a visual model.

Sybase PowerDesigner. Since its founding, Sybase has traditionally been a leading supplier of information technology to the global market of financial institutions: Sybase technologies are used by 90% of the world market companies valuable papers, 60% of global banks and 68% of Wall Street companies. Since 1996, when an office was opened in Moscow, Sybase has been actively working in Russia and other CIS countries. In April 2002, the company's offices were opened in St. Petersburg and Kyiv. Sybase offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv provide comprehensive work with clients, including the supply of technologies, equipment, development of complete solutions, user training, full-featured technical support and consulting services. PowerDesigner is a comprehensive application and business process modeling and development solution for organizations that need to quickly, consistently, and cost-effectively build or reengineer business applications. PowerDesigner allows you to remove the following obstacles to effective project development: differences in the professional background of project participants, heterogeneous platforms and an abundance of development languages ​​- which is typical for most modern companies. This allows you to focus on the business needs of creating applications throughout the entire development process - from system analysis and design, to direct code generation for the application. The latest version of the product, PowerDesigner, has new capabilities for business process modeling, UML-based object modeling, and supports both traditional and emerging modeling technologies within one advanced graphical environment. This allows you to significantly reduce the costs and time of the project, which must operate on various platforms and tool environments. One of the main advantages of PowerDesigner is also the use of an enterprise-wide repository to store and manage all information related to application modeling and design at all levels of business in the company. This allows you to properly organize the workflow and dramatically increase the efficiency of the developer. Key features of PowerDesigner:

• Business Process Modeling: PowerDesigner allows non-technical business professionals to design and model business processes based on business objectives and terms they know, using a simple and intuitive graphical non-technical model.
• Data Modeling: PowerDesigner allows you to design and generate a database schema through two-level (conceptual and physical) relational database modeling that supports classic database design techniques. It also has built-in data warehouse modeling tools.
• Object Modeling: PowerDesigner offers a complete technology for analyzing and designing systems using the UML standard (business process diagrams, execution sequences, classes and components). Based on the class diagram, PowerDesigner automatically generates and reengineers code for popular frameworks such as JavaTM (including EJB 2.0), XML, Web Services, C++, PowerBuilder, Visual Basic, and more through a custom code generator.
• Enterprise Repository: The Enterprise version of PowerDesigner contains the enterprise class repository functionality. The repository allows all members of your team to easily view and share models and other information. The repository is highly scalable and supports user role-based security, version control, search, and reporting capabilities.

ARIS from IDS Scheer AG. Currently, there is a tendency to integrate various methods of modeling and analysis of systems, which manifests itself in the form of the creation of integrated modeling tools. One such tool is a product called ARIS, developed by the German company IDS Scheer. IDS Sheer AG was founded in 1984. The main direction is software and consulting. The company currently serves 4,000 customers in 50 countries through its network of offices and partners. The quality of IDS Scheer solutions was confirmed in June 2005 by the gold medal of the Poznań International Fair, where only the best products are awarded. And also in July 2005, when ARIS 7 software products with absolutely new web-products were presented on the world market - they all have a common feature - an intuitive and expressive interface. The ARIS system is a set of tools for analyzing and modeling the activities of an enterprise. Its methodological basis is a combination of various modeling methods that reflect different views on the system under study. The same model can be developed using several methods, which allows specialists with different theoretical knowledge to use ARIS and customize it to work with systems that have their own specifics. The ARIS modeling technique is based on the theory of building integrated information systems developed by Professor August Scher, which determines the principles of visual display of all aspects of the functioning of the analyzed companies. ARIS supports four types of models that reflect various aspects of the system under study:

• organizational models representing the structure of the system - the hierarchy of organizational units, positions and specific persons, the links between them, as well as the territorial binding of structural units;
• functional models containing a hierarchy of goals facing the management apparatus, with a set of function trees necessary to achieve the goals;
• information models that reflect the structure of the information necessary for the implementation of the entire set of system functions;
• management models representing a comprehensive view of the implementation of business processes within the system.

To build these types of models, both ARIS's own modeling methods and various well-known modeling methods and languages, in particular, ER and UML, are used. In the process of modeling, each aspect of the enterprise's activity is first considered separately, and after a detailed study of all aspects, an integrated model is built that reflects all the links between various aspects. ARIS does not impose restrictions on the sequence of building the above types of models. The modeling process can be started from any of them, depending on the specific conditions and goals pursued by the developers. Models in ARIS are diagrams, the elements of which are various objects - "function", "event", " structural subdivision", "document", etc. Various links are established between objects. Each object corresponds to a certain set of attributes that allow you to enter additional information about a particular object. Attribute values ​​can be used in simulation modeling or for cost analysis. Thus, according to the results At this stage, a set of interrelated models arises, which are the source material for further analysis.Several features of the ARIS system are worth noting.The first is the family of ARIS software products focused on process description.The main business model of ARIS is eEPC (extended Event-driven event-driven process chain model).Essentially, the eEPC model extends the capabilities of IDEF0, IDEF3 and DFD, having all their advantages and disadvantages.The second feature is that the ARIS system has an internal database that allows you to check the model for consistency, integrity, to verify the model. This is not the case for other products. The third feature: ARIS is the only system focused on the description of the business, where there are different views on the business system, which we can evaluate and consider from different angles, which is not the case in others. software products. Over the past five years, ARIS has been a confident leader among modeling tools.

We indicate the main purpose of each product under consideration from a variety of its applications:

• Erwin, Power Designer and Rational Rose tools are more suitable for database modeling;
• Oracle Designer, Power Designer and Rational Rose are more suitable for modeling the components of applications being developed;
• BPwin, ARIS and Rational Rose are more suitable for business process modeling.

Table 2 below compares the functionality and features of workspaces designed for business process modeling.

Table 2. Comparative analysis by basic functions