Business Process Modeling

Modeling is a very important aspect of business. Business Process Modeling is usually performed by managers and analysts, who are seeking ways to improve the business and promote efficiency in the company. This is generally done using computer software, but is not required to do so. Managers then use these models to attempt to incorporate change into their organizations. Although most models alone can not provide adequate information to improve the company by themselves, technology is advancing to the point where computer simulations may enable businesses to predict different outcomes that changes will bring, with increased accuracy.

The history of Business Process Modeling dates back to the early 1900's with the development of the Gantt Chart, which is basically a bar chart that shows a projects schedule. It was developed by Henry Gantt, and is still widely used today, as the invention of computers has given it new capabilities. however there are numerous business process models that are currently used. Some of them include flow charts, block diagrams, PERT diagrams, IDEF, and control flow diagrams. These are all valuable tools that companies use in order to enhance their operations. A fun fact is that all of these models were developed before the term business process model, which was popularized by a man named S. Williams in 1967.

Business process modeling is made up of many different components. It generally uses the business's overall business model, then integrates specific processes into it, in order to illustrate what steps are taken during the process. After this analysts and managers generally research the model, attempting to find areas for improvement and then predicting different outcomes that changes will bring to the process. There are many different tools and languages that can be involved in a business process model, which is more of a topic for another blog. There are also many related processes that business process models enhance; these include business reference models, business process integration, business process re-engineering, and business process management.