Process Analysis Agenda  Multiple methods & perspectives There are lots of ways to map processes  Useful in many situations not just HRIS design  Preparation for prototype projects Like the resume database, except you design it

Why focus on processes?  Surveying user needs & priorities is a good start, but is not adequate  Process analysis is good for HR Set up efficient/effective processes Be responsive to changing needs  Necessary for system design, outsourcing decisions, etc.

Multiple views  Functional: what is done?  Organizational: who does it?  Behavioral: how it is done?  Informational: what data are required?  Physical: what materials are flowing?  Political: whose interests are being served?  No single view is complete

Some Process Redesign Heuristics  Maximize value to the customer  Minimize coordination costs  Sounds good, but there are problems: How to analyze existing process? How to identify value-added activities? How to identify coordination problems? How to foster a creative design? How to get there from here?

Processes are tricky!  Processes are hard to see and describe Distributed in space (physical and organizational) Distributed in time Contingent on context May not be the same way twice  Bounding a process can be difficult  How much detail is enough?

Data Collection Techniques  “Ethnographic” interviews Standard technique for systems analysis Descriptive questions (what and how)  Observation Needed to corroborate interviews Can be time consuming  Iterative verification and triangulation

"Analysis Paralysis" "One of the most frequently committed errors in reengineering is that... reengineering teams try to analyze a process in agonizing detail rather than attempting to understand it. People are prone to analyze because it is a familar activity. We know how to do it. It also feels good, because analysis gives us the illusion of progress." -- Hammer and Champy, Reengineering the Corporation, p. 129

Flow Charts (handout)  Basically a behavioral view, but can be augmented to show: organization: who space: where time: when  Standard symbols make it widely accessible  Shows decisions made to accomplish a task  What is actually flowing?

Data flow diagrams (handout)  An informational/functional view  Creation, storage and movement of data “Miracles” -- data emerging from nowhere “Black holes” -- data that goes nowhere Essential tool for integrating humans/computers  Does not show how work gets done  Can also be augmented to show other info

Prototype Project  Verbal description of the process  Simple flow chart  Enhanced flow chart, showing actor or location  Data flow diagrams (context diagram and one level down)  Process decomposition tree (as many levels as you want)  Analysis of user requirements  Discussion of interfaces and other system requirements  Working prototype (probably in MS Access), similar in scope to the resume database

Exercise: Job/Internship Search  Assumptions There is a central office that helps match students and job opportunities. You are redesigning their process. Many students and many employers must be served Adopt the student point of view  In groups: Try to draw a flow chart and a DFD  Keep a list of issues and questions that emerge

The Process Handbook  “A Tool for Inventing Organizations”  Several objectives Redesign existing processes Invent new processes Generate software to support processes  A functional view

Representation in the Handbook  A Process Taxonomy using 3 key concepts Decomposition: "Steps in..." Specialization: "Ways to..." Dependencies: "Coordination opportunities"  Not really a “map” -- more of an analysis  Not intended as a cure-all -- human creativity and insight are still neccessary

Decomposition: "Steps in..."  Generic supply chain Get order from customer Get product Ship product to customer Receive payment  Question: How much detail is enough?  Answer: Enough to uncover key dependencies

Specialization: "Ways to..."  For standard orders: Get order Get product from warehouse Ship product to customer Receive payment  For custom orders: Get order Procure product Order product from supplier Receive product from supplier Ship product to customer Receive payment

Dependencies require coordination  Three kinds of dependencies: Shared input (e.g., staff, budget, etc.) Flow (e.g., information, materials) Sequence, usability, and transport are aspects Shared output (e.g., design)  Generally want to minimize cost of coordination in a process

Process Mapping and Organizational Change  Important vehicle to surface problems  Process maps can be highly political Maps can elicit polarized reactions: the map is either “exactly right” or “totally wrong” Maps may show that some people aren’t doing their jobs Can thereby create conflict, hinder change  Some techniques have cult followings, and are seen as the “one right way”

Some Final Thoughts  Never confuse the map with reality! Do road maps show how the streets “really are”? Multiple maps reflect multiple views  Never show a client just one map Too much risk of being taken literally and polarizing the discussion  Avoid analysis paralysis An approximate map is better than no map