Business Activity Modeling Nick Lambrou University of Westminster 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling 11/29/2018 Business Activity Modeling The technique provides a pictorial representation of the business which helps tease out the requirements, focus on the areas of concern, put the system into perspective, inform the clients of what is possible and what is in the realm of ‘science fiction’, while never alienating them in any way. 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling 11/29/2018 Business Activity Modeling When used properly, Business Activity Modelling can increase user participation and encourage users to build a sense of ownership for the future system. 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Business Events Business Tasks Activities Tasks 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Business Events Business Events Trigger the Activities of one Business Task Business event Activity A Business task Activity D Activity B Activity C 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Activities An Activity is a self contained action that usually is achieved in one sitting 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Tasks An Activity can be broken-up into tasks. The tasks involved in completing an activity may vary according to different conditions. When an activity is complicated, we may analyse the activity by breaking it into tasks and then reconstructing these tasks. 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Notation 11/29/2018 Business Activity Modeling Notation A business activity 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Notation 11/29/2018 Business Activity Modeling Notation The phrase describing the activity should contain a verb which shows what happens from the business point of view. Thus ‘Customer Appointment’ won’t do since it is verbless. Similarly, ‘Ask For Appointment’ won’t do either since it depicts the customer’s point of view. 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Salon Example 11/29/2018 Business Activity Modeling Salon Example 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Salon Example In typical pictorial fashion we can display all the business activities on a page large enough. We can then link those activities with arrows indicating associations which show, in some loose form, which activities have to precede which. 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Salon Example For example, the following activities regarding a single appointment are evident in our Salon: a receptionist takes the appointment and if the customer is new a customer record is set-up; close to the day of the appointment the receptionist makes sure a stylist is allocated to the appointment; on the day of the appointment a stylist attends to the customer where, as part of the job, alternative treatments may be suggested. 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Salon Example Take Customer Appointment Set Up Customer File Appointment’s Arrange Stylist Attend To Appointment Recommend Alternative Treatments 11/29/2018

Business Activity Modeling Setting the Boundary Take Customer Appointment inside Set Up Customer File Appointment’s Arrange Stylist outside Attend To Appointment Recommend Alternative Treatments 11/29/2018

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Work Practice Modeling While the BAM defines the business activities in terms of what, when, how and why, the WPM specifies who will carry out each activity and where The products of Work Practice Modelling include the User Catalogue, Task Models, Task Scenarios, and User Roles 11/29/2018

Work Practice Modeling v e s t i g a o f C u r E m B u s i n e S y t m O p o Work Practice Modeling D e v l o p B u s i n A c t y M d P e r f o m I n i t a l U s A y P r o p s e A l t n a i v O u W k c M d A g r e u t o m a i n B d y D e f i n t o R q u r m s I d e n t i f y U s r R o l I d e n t i f y T a s k P r o t y p i n g D e v l o p R q u i r d T a s k M D e v l o p T a s k S c n r i D e v l o p R q u i r d T a s k M 11/29/2018

Work Practice Modeling The receptionist 11/29/2018

Work Practice Modeling The stylist 11/29/2018

Work Practice Modeling Work Practice Modelling entails the allocation of responsibilities to humans. To do so successfully, experience is needed plus the full backing of the affected organisation. 11/29/2018

Hierarchical Task Modeling A task model describes the human activities that take place as a response to a business event. The BAM, which is after all just a network of activities, provides the starting point of activity identification. Each activity may then be broken down into smaller tasks which have to be performed to complete the activity. These tasks can be arranged in a hierarchy using a Hierarchical Task Model (HTM). 11/29/2018

Hierarchical Task Modeling Set Up Customer Record 14 List Available Slots 183 Arrange Appointment 10 Take Down Appointment Details 18 Record Appointment 186 plan (18) : 186,189 or 183,186,189 or 183 plan (10) : 18 or 14,18 Inform Stylist 189 11/29/2018

Hierarchical Task Modeling Task Scenarios One way of understanding and controlling the tasks involved in the successful completion of an activity is to provide concrete examples of real life situations which describe from beginning to end the actions needed to complete the activity. 11/29/2018

Hierarchical Task Modeling Task Scenarios Each business activity is influenced by certain happenings and conditions to which users of the system have to react in order to complete the activity. Each set of such conditions represents a task scenario for the activity. For example, each different plan of the HTM represents a Task Scenario 11/29/2018

Hierarchical Task Modeling Task Scenarios Task Scenarios are very helpful in validating Task Models. Usually, the task scenarios precede and drive the creation of the Task Model, but, as with all other diagrammatic tools of system analysis, the tables are soon turned and the Task Model generates ideas for Task Scenarios which can be validated with the users 11/29/2018

Hierarchical Task Modeling Hierarchical Task Modelling originated in the 50’s when sociologists were trying to dissect peoples’ jobs in order to analyse them fully. The dissection of jobs into separate tasks led to a better understanding of these jobs and provided, almost as a side-product, tighter job descriptions and clearer training manuals. Their use in a computing environment will hopefully lead to similar benefits. 11/29/2018

The System Development Template Investigation Specification Decision Structure User Organisation Policies and Procedures Construction 11/29/2018

The System Development Template Investigation Specification Conceptual Model External Design Decision Structure User Organisation Policies and Procedures Internal design Construction 11/29/2018

The Place of Business Activity Modeling Investigation BAM RD Specification WPM Conceptual Model External Design Decision Structure User Organisation Policies and Procedures Internal design Construction 11/29/2018