Process Model Layer

The process model is the second step on our routemap and as has been said before it should reflect a somewhat general view of what the ‘To-Be’ future state will look like, but completed to only a certain level of detail.

The Biz4ge version of this process model is constructed to be generic and cross-industry and is depicted in the figure below (click on it to see an enlarged version in a new window).

The figure above will be recognisable to many readers as having relevance to their own organisations.  However, we freely acknowledge that any generic, cross-industry model will not meet everyones requirements, nor is it meant to.  What is presented here and on this website is a platform that you can use as-is or modify, extend, add, delete or  ignore parts until is it what you want or need it to be.

In support of this we have encapsulated all of the processes shown above (i.e. IDEF Levels 0-3 inclusive) including an additional process level below that (i.e. IDEF Level 4) into a document with both process definitions and some typical sub-processes found at IDEF Levels 4+.

As regards the latter sub-processes point we should again recall that IDEF Levels 0-3/4 (i.e. ‘What’ Mapping) inclusive are roughly the correct levels to be working at for business architecting purposes.  At these levels of decomposition IDEF diagrams are as appropriate as any other approach to documenting these high-level (typically) non-executable processes.

At the lower levels of decomposition (i.e. IDEF Levels 4+, ‘How’ Mapping) that are normally developed later in the business transformation Design stage the processes increasingly become (typically) executable workflows.  Hence it may be desirable to switch to mapping these in a format and toolset directly supportive of workflow automation (e.g. BPMN) in the event that approach should prove necessary or appropriate for some processes.

Of course, to keep things simple, you may also choose to use a single style of mapping and notation from top to bottom.  With IDEF this is straight-forward.  However, some more modern ‘richer’ notations like BPMN are much more rigourous and structured…..as they must be to deliver working automated workflows as an output.

So, although you can easily use BPMN for top-level (i.e. ‘What’) mapping you will generally have to relax or bend some of the stricter rules and conventions that must normally be observed to enable the automated workflows that might be expected as a deliverable output of lower-level (i.e. ‘How’) mapping.

But, so long as you do it intelligently this should not be an issue.  The top-level process maps found in a business architecture are really core meta-processes and organisational context setters rather than detailed workflows that could be automated and executed as such!

So in a nutshell, we have provided you with a completed generic, cross-industry process model document to which you can make your own adjustments to any extent you like!  You can find this process model document by following the Source Material link towards the bottom of the Architecture main page of this website.

Also found there are a version of the process model in IDEF process flow format as well as a mapping of some of the lower-level Order Management, Purchasing, Production, Logistics and related supporting subprocesses, depicting a basic but typical interpretation of some key IDEF Level 4+ subprocesses (i.e. beginning to detail the ‘How’ of processes 4.3-4.4, 5.1-5.2, 5.3-5.4), in BPMN format.

As to other ideas for modifying our process model to your own requirements you can also reference the excellent APQC or SCOR Models for which links are provided on our Resources page……each of these organisations has material covering both generic, cross-industry processes as well as industry specfic ones.  We have been swayed by these and other influences in constructing our own process model.

In particular we would point out that the we have cross-referenced our process model against the APQC Process Classification Framework (PCF) and its OSBC unique serial number.  This can be found at the end of each process item title in the format (PCF No. / OSBC No.).  We did this for each process for which there was an APQC equivalent or near-equivalent (i.e. no cross-reference, no equivalent).

This will enable any reader using our process model to also make use of the APQC benchmarking database (a paid subscription membership service) should they choose to do so.

Which brings up one further point about the APQC PCF ……its organising diagram looks like a top-level process model and the content is free for non-commercial use……so why not just use that instead of the Biz4ge version?  You could try to do this, but what you would quickly discover as you looked at it more closely is that the APQC PCF is a CLASSIFICATION framework…….in other words it is designed as a vehicle to put every process into a particular class or category, along fairly functional lines.

This is exactly what you might do if your main goal was to a build a framework used mainly for classifying, recording and retrieving industry benchmarks in a database….which is what the APQC states quite clearly is what the PCF is for!  Why does this matter?

Well, for a number of reasons, but perhaps most obviously because functional groupings are not processes!  For example, if you examine the PCF (e.g. in the distribution class) you will find processes in that PCF area relevant to forecasting, planning, scheduling and execution……all in the same class having to do with distribution.

In a process model these processes would typically be spread across different processes with the different time horizons and trigger points relevant to those processes (i.e. forecasting activities are not generally performed in the same process as execution activities)!

This is not a negative reflection on the APQC, which offers what is in our opinion an excellent resource….it is just a case of horses for courses……and the Biz4ge process model is the right horse in terms of process modelling!

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