Swinburne University of Technology Faculty of Business and Law
INF30035 Business Process Management
Semester 2, 2023
Assignment Three Analysing and Designing To-Be Process Modelling
Assignment 2 Due Friday 27th October @ 9:00am AEDST
Assignment 2 weight = 40%
The Group assignment can be completed individually or within a group (2, 3 to 4 members in each group). Your submission should include:
• Submit one copy of the report per group (The report should include all necessary information required. All model copies, tables and contribution form should be in the appendix).
• Submit your group report via Canvas Assignment 2 on INF30035 Canvas Assignment Assignment 3 Report Submission Links.
• Submit the modelling file (by using process modelling software, e.g. Bizagi file) through the modelling submission link on the Canvas Assignments Assignment 3 Submission links.
• The Contribution Form MUST be included in the report appendix; all members must sign it. If you have any issues completing it, members should make an appointment with your tutor or convenor to discuss it before the submission. Without the contribution form, we will not mark your assignment (if you have any issues with the contribution, please contact the teaching staff).
• Team Charter has to be submitted through the team charter submission link on the Canvas Assignments Assignment 3 team charter Submission links.
Please read the ‘Submission Requirements’ section for details. If you have any queries, you may address them in the discussion threads or with the teaching staff.
Assessment 3 Requirements
If students need more details about the business, you should conduct your own research.
As a team, you must review each member’s proposals (Assessment 1) for submission. You need to discuss each proposal’s merits and decide which one will be best suited to use as your foundation for this assessment (Assessment 3)*.
*Note that forming an assignment 3 group should be made before the results for Assessment 1 are released so that the selection of group members is not biased by results and feedback from the INF30035 marking (this does not include those students who have not submitted assignment 1). If you did not submit Assignment 1, we will delete your name from the groups.
Outline
Assignment 3 will continue with the Assignment 1 case (the case description is in the Assignment 1 specification appendix). Focus on analysis and redesign the current business processes.
This assignment requires you to continue working on the models for assignment 3. As mentioned in the case description, the current process does not work efficiently, and management is considering improving the process. This assignment aims to improve the process in a way that addresses the issues.
Firstly, the process project team needs to consider ALL key problems faced by the business and the process. Based on the issues mentioned in your assignment 1, now is the time to attempt to solve all that you believe to be the most important problems/issues by using the best practices, methodologies and technologies/automation. Please keep in mind that technology and automation do not suit all businesses, and they cannot solve all problems; sometimes, the best practices can also improve the efficiency of the processes. In assignment 1, each individual student had already discussed 3 issues and best practices applied to these issues. In assignment 3, you should apply best practices (this time, you should consider technologies and automation) to all key issues for the current process. To ensure that management agrees with your decisions, you need to discuss those selected key issues/problems and why your solutions can solve the problems. You must be realistic and consider business capabilities when you provide suggestions and solutions.
Your Tasks
Your work should include three parts.
Part 1: A brief literature review on Business Process Management and Improvement
Select and read academic journal papers (more recent and at least 3) related to Business Process Management, process analysis, design and development. You must provide an overview for the management team on BPM trends and why process analysis, design and development are important to their business (no more than 500 words). The brief literature can be put in the Introduction.
Part 2: Business Process Improvement Recommendation
You are required to provide recommendations for the possible changes to the business process or to the way they are managed, which you consider will add value to their business and why they are more efficient and effective compared with the existing model.
You should carefully read the diagrams and link them to the key issues and consider if there are possibilities to alter the diagrams based on your recommendations for solving problems (for example, combine the tasks, reduce double handling, loops, communications, logical flows…). You must provide the new to-be process diagram(s).
Resources and Performance
For solving problems/issues, you also need to consider the resources and performance. For example:
1. Where is the process bottleneck?
2. How to better organize staff and allocate jobs to achieve 80% utilization?
You don’t need accurate numbers; general discussion and analysis will be efficient.
Best practices
In assignment 1, for each selected issue, you have stated the Best Practices you will apply. In assignment
3, you should review each member’s discussion in assignment 1, and firstly list all key issues (not the only 3, you should go through the processes and identify all key issues), secondly apply best practices to each issue. If you have already discussed in Assignment 1(s), you can use them as references and quote Assignment 1(s) as reference(s) in the report. Your selected best practices should be summarized in the table provided. The best practices should be presented in the TO-BE models. Please remember that many best practices might be used for one issue or problem. Also, for one issue/problem, you may need to adopt multiple best practices. So, group members should discuss and select one or more than one which best meets the requirements. Use the following table to summarize your discussion. Please note that industry best practices also can be considered. You can also consider technologies and automation best practices at this stage. The table can be put in an appendix.
a) Best Practice employed. Choose from the Best Practices discussed in the lesson overview.
b) Please describe how the Best Practice is applied to the process and how it addresses the problems.
c) Describe the possible advantages and any other issues addressed.
d) Any disadvantages.
a. Issue b. Best
Practice/ c. Application Description and/or Solution Explanation d. Advantages e. Disadvantages
Note: The table can be put in an appendix. A detailed discussion should be in the report.
Methodologies:
In the report, you must consider and discuss approaches (methodologies), Lean, Six Sigma & Lean Six
Sigma. Which of them is best suited for substantially improving the case business Process(es), and why? You will need to provide a discussion summarising how the case business Processes will be impacted and changed after adopting the methodology of how the processes are operated. Also, briefly discuss a relevant adoption plan of the methodology.
Part 3: Level 2 Business Process Modelling (please note that all models and tables will be in the appendix):
Model the current process using the Level 2 BPMN diagram(s). Correct, as needed, the Level 1 BPMN diagram(s) selected from one or more than one of your group members.
• Correct the Level 1 AS-IS BPMN diagram(s) you drew in the previous assignment based on the feedback. (You don’t need to re-submit level 1 AS-IS models, but correct level 1 models is an important step before you transfer models to level 2).
• Convert Level 1 AS-IS BPMN diagram(s) from assignment 1 into Level 2 AS-IS BPMN diagrams. This time, you should add all features you could not present using level 1 BPMN in assignment 1 (A set of level 2 AS-IS models should be in the report appendices).
• Design new process(es) (TO-BE models) using BPM level 2 modelling, which addresses the problems your group identified, and the best practices suggested should be feasibly implemented. (A set of level 2 TO-BE models should be in the report appendices). Please note that level 2
TO-BE models are not automation models. In this set of TO-BE models, you can adopt task automation (RPA) but not automation by using BPMS.
• All level 2 models should be labelled correctly in the model file (for example, a Bizagi file includes all models).
Advice on modelling format:
The following requirements are for the as-is and to-be model(s).
• Model the process in BPMN using the modelling software. You have to copy all models into your report appendix. The original modelling file also required to submit through the modelling submission link.
• Each diagram should occupy no more than one page, Landscape!!!.
• All models in the file must be printable as they are, within margins and all diagram elements legible. Layout your diagrams to ensure all contents are readable when your submission is printed on A4 paper. Check the final result is readable. Indecipherable content cannot be assessed and will attract a mark of zero.
• The models must be formatted logically and elegantly. The models should adhere to the qualities mentioned in lectures.
• You must have a clear layer of processes, which should include the main and a set of subprocesses.
• The process modelled should match what you have described in your analysis report. If the suggested solutions do not impact how your models look, you need to provide a brief explanation.
• The views of models must be consistent, enabling the whole analysis to make sense.
Part 4: A logical automation model by using BPMS (please note that all models and tables will be in the appendix):
Your task is to select and transform one of the TO-BE BPMN level 2 subprocess model(s) into a logical automated model that shows how the process can be automated by a process engine
(BPMS). It should clearly show how each participant communicates with the process engine (BPMS) and what data (by using message flows) is transmitted. You only need to consider ONE of the sub-processes.
Advice for logical Automated Design
• The automated design model must contain exactly one Executable pool (for the process engine). In the executable pool, there can be no user or manual tasks. There may be service tasks. All parties should communicate with the BPMS. You should use BPMN level 2 symbols.
• The automated logical design model will generally have many non-executable pools (one for each internal participant, generally human). Non-executable pools may contain just process fragments. Some of them may have no start or end events.
• A non-executable pool interacts with the executable pool (BPMS) by Message Flows. A Message flow will connect with a Message Event in the executable pool and a task in the non-executable pool. Both level 1 & level 2 symbols are acceptable.
• The logical automated design model will have many white-box pools, one for each external participant. An external participant may interact with either an internal participant in a non-executable white pool or directly with the process engine in the executable pool via an interface, such as a website.
Group Assignment Submission Requirements
Just submit a single MSWord. Archives with multiple files and subfolders will not be accepted.
• A word-processed report of around 3000 +/-10% words which includes:
o Executive Summary (not included in the word count) o Table of Contents (not included in the word count)
o Introduction (a brief literature review on business process management and improvement)
o The main body, which includes:
? Your analysis of identified solutions for the key problems
? Your recommendations (as described in Part 2)
? A summary provides a holistic picture of how you have approached the problems or opportunities and how the case process will improve if your recommendations are implemented.
? Limitations: what you cannot achieve in this project.
? A change management plan (how you manage changes).
o Conclusion
o References (not included in the word count)
You MUST use the Harvard Referencing style throughout your report and include an accurate list of references at the end of the report. You can access the correct style from the library: Harvard System (http://www.swin.edu.au/lib/guides/harvard_system.pdf )
o Appendices: All models and model explanations (not included in the word count)
• Pages of the report should have appropriate headers and footers and should include printed page numbers and the number of pages in the document (i.e. page number/total number of pages)
• Size 12 and 1.5 line space
• The cover sheet which includes:
o All members’ full names and student IDs o Your tutor’s name and time of the tutorial class.
o Unit code and name, assessment number, due date and % weighting
Late assignments may result in a lower grade regarding the University’s Extensions and Late Penalties policies. Please refer to the unit guide for further details.
Any request for an extension must be directed to the convenor via email before the assignment due date. You must include appropriate supporting documentation(s) such as a doctor’s certificate or others relevant to support your situation. Please note that a doctor’s certificate must provide a doctor’s review, not just the statement of ‘the student came to see me and indicate that he/she was sick on …..’, this statement will not be considered. These documents MUST be scanned and emailed to the convener. Members have the responsibility to discuss within the group before submitting any request.
Please note that any work-related extension requests will not be considered. You should work on the assignment by following the schedule suggested. Starting early and better manage your time are