subject: How To Document Process Models? [print this page] Business Process Documentation is the second step in process modeling. This is a critically important, but often neglected, step because most people just stop after designing the process diagram. Process documentation is about describing the business rules. This includes information about triggers, workflow tasks, process participants, priorities, due dates, exception conditions, process parameters, input and output documents and general comments.
Process Modeler provides a wizard-driven approach for this that ensures all aspects of documenting a process are covered and the user has not missed some important element of information. This ensures completeness and accuracy for the modeled process documentation.
Here are the steps involved in documenting a business process.
Business users and process participants are interviewed to collect the information about what are all the steps in the process.
Process flow is designed in the modeling tool.
Details about each of the process activities are also identified and documented in the modeling tool, such as: Names of all process participants, what are the inputs to that activity, outputs of the activity, what applications and systems are accessed, any business rules that are applied, what are the possible errors, how are the errors handled, how long does it take to execute that step etc.
Decision nodes in the process model are identified and routing rules are documented.
Free form text can be copied and pasted from other documents into the Comments area to capture any and all information related to the process model.
All this information is entered into the process modeling tool to create a view of as-is process. This helps to completely and accurately document a process.
process documentation software normally comprises a business process summary, detailed process narrative, and a process flow diagram. Most of the leading process documentation tool contains powerful flowchart applications which work well in various business processes. Each flow diagram should comprise a legend of shapes used and other clarifications. In addition, the flow diagram will have a catalog of risks and a separate catalog of recognized controls that associate to them on the process flow. Also, notice the extended horizontal lines that divide the processing departments included in the overall process. These swim lanes represent who is accountable for an action or conclusion.
