When a new organization is thinking about how they can produce and deliver their goods and services, they can use a Business Process Design to document those processes.
A Business process design is a technique that is used to create new business process workflows. it can be used to help the organization identify the steps that they would need to complete the process, help identify any bottlenecks and reduce manual handoffs such as approvals.
A business analyst might be tasked with designing the business process and they can use either an implicit or an organized approach to complete their work.
The implicit approach is the visualization of the business process and it involves thinking about the steps which would need to be taken to complete the task.
While the organized approach takes a more efficient and detailed approach to the business process design which involves identifying each and every step in the process and verifying those steps.
The business process must be designed in a way that ensures that it is structured, adaptable and replicable.
How is the Business process design created ?
Business process design process is created using these steps :
- Identifying and defining the business process.
- Identifying the inputs, outputs, actors, and processes.
- Mapping out the process.
- Testing out the process.
Identifying and defining the business process: the first step in designing the business process involves identifying the business need. This involves identifying why the business process is needed.
For example, an organization might have identified a need to have an employee offboarding process. This would ensure that the all the organization completes all the steps which are necessary to fully separate an employee from the organization.
Identifying inputs, outputs, actors, and processes: the next step is to identify the inputs which are needed in the process, the outputs which are produced by the process, the actors that are involved in the process and any sub processes which are within that process.
This involves working with the subject matter experts to identify these components and fully understand the process.
Mapping out the process : the next step in the process is to map out the business process. This can be done with the help of a flowchart diagram which would show the process flow, the inputs, output, actors and any sub processes.
A standard business process flowchart diagram should include actions, decision points, inputs, outputs, actors and sub processes.
Testing out the process: the final step in the process is to test out the process to ensure that it is valid and would help fulfil the business need. You can test the process by performing User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and then a focus group.
Based on the results of the tests, the business process can be modified and then retested until the stakeholders are satisfied.
The business process design must also be flexible enough to accommodate any changes which would occur in the organization.
The business process must also be regularly reviewed to ensure that it remains relevant to the organization.