BPM: The Next Step in the Evolution of Workflow

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BPM The Next Step in the Evolution of Workflow

• Nancy King
• Christina Douglas
• May 4, 2005

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Project Overview
Phase 4 Process Improvement
Phase 3 Implementation
Phase 2 Develop Test
Phase 1 Infrastructure

• Increased integration and automation

• Replace WAF
• Implement other system requirements
• Implement workflows

• In-tray
• Workflows
• Support processes
• Integrating WF into BEST, Archiving, Metrics
• Batch applications

• Implement new imaging solution Content Manager
• Create model office

2006
2005
2004
2003
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History of Workflow _at_ OTPP

• IBM WAF and Image Plus Fall 1992
• Case and queue oriented
• Customized the base product
• In-tray, create, pend, re-route cases
• Integrated with BEST application
• Batch applications

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Why do Workflow now?

• Existing technology obsolete
• Inflexible and costly
• preventing the business from moving forward
• Incorporate new channels of communication into
  existing processes
• Opportunity to stream-line processes

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Benefits

• Integration
• Channels of communication
• People and systems
• Automation
• Workflow routes work automatically
• Tasks are created automatically
• Tasks appear only when they are ready to work
• More detailed information at a glance ie. which
  step in the process
• Workflow eliminated from batch applications
• Process Optimization
• Opportunity to stream-line processes
• Process changes can be made more easily

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Challenges

• Magnitude of the project
• Touches every process, every department,
  virtually every user (200)
• Replacing 47 case types/70 business processes
• 15 batch systems, BEST, AS400 programmes,
  metrics systems and reports etc..
• New and complex technology
• Communication
• Implementation
• Cultural impact

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Key Decisions

• Replacement Project
• low hanging fruit
• Phased Implementation
• Integrated browser
• 2nd In-tray evolve over time
• Wrap-ups
• Model Office
• Verify usability and completeness
• Cases will run their course in the old systems
  no conversion

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Release Strategy

• Phased Roll-out
• Replace batch applications first with increasing
  complexity
• Forced us to get technical environments up and
  running early with few users impacted to start
• Gradually add required functionality to BEST
• Allows us to stagger training

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Workflow Architecture
Archive DB
SQL
SQL
Workflow Agent
Workitem Archive
XML- RPC
MQ-Audit
XML-RPC
API
MQWF Server
MQ-UPES
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Process Manager

• New role for the organization
• Link between IT and the business
• Responsible for gathering and maintaining
  business process information
• Responsible for maintaining all flows

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Business Processes

• 47 case types which represented approximately 70
  business processes
• Very little was documented about the process
  movement
• Worked with the business for each individual
  process to gather information
• WBI Modeller

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Gathering Business Processes

• 2 people from each department - 1 expert user
  and 1 average user
• Had group direct the facilitator on how to draw
  the flow
• Each process took about an hour to work through
  with the business
• Found inconsistency within departments on how
  work is processed

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Lessons Learned

• Most areas of the business have relatively little
  information about what other departments do
• Valuable to have everyone in one room to work out
  the process
• Low tech worked better than documenting in a tool
  while discussing with group

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Developing Workflow Processes

• Key Decisions
• Combine all similar business processes into 1
  workflow process
• Identify all possible re-usable sub-processes to
  be used across multiple workflows

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Workflow Processes

• Originally we had 30 workflow processes (from 70
  business processes)
• As we progressed they were reduced to
  approximately 20
• Currently we have approximately
• 10 sub-processes that are re-used

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Workflow Processes

• Re-using sub-processes has advantages in that we
  only need to make changes once, but disadvantages
  in that the sub-process must be generic enough to
  handle every situation
• We went back to the business a few times and
  asked for process changes to make things
  consistent

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Model Office

• Physical Location - lab
• Extension of our traditional test cycle
• Real users processing real requests in a test
  environment
• Verification of assumptions
• Validation of flows for accuracy and completeness

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Model Office 1

• Objective of this round of Model Office was to
  ensure we were in the ballpark
• 1 hour sessions with 3-5 users
• Users walked through scenarios on the computers -
  all information was hard-coded
• Testers did not attend these sessions
• Held debrief sessions with the development and
  testing teams afterwards
• Took 2.5 months

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Model Office 2

• Objective was to derive as many scenarios as
  possible for each process
• 1 hour sessions with 2-3 users
• Users were asked to come prepared with one-off
  situations
• Sessions were done without computers
• Testers attend
• Based on new information, Testers re-tested the
  flows to make sure they could handle every
  possible scenario identified
• Took 3 months

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Model Office 3

• Objective is to determine if process is
  production ready
• 1-2 hour sessions with 3-4 users
• Users test random scenarios using the system to
  ensure that all flow logic is correct and all
  functionality exists
• Testers and Trainers attend
• Scheduled for 3 months

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Lessons Learned

• Having a separate space (Model Office) has been
  invaluable
• Sessions require two people (a facilitator and
  scribe) to be run properly
• Send notes back to users for validation after
  each session
• Getting in the right ballpark was the most
  difficult part
• Processes continue to change in production and
  staying informed is difficult

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Releasing Workflow

• Currently we have 3 processes in production
• Releasing slowly at first and then will speed up
  for the similar processes
• Requires a great deal of monitoring and
  maintenance in the first few weeks to ensure the
  processes move properly through the business

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Releasing Workflow

• Getting metrics captured correctly and in a
  timely manner is difficult
• Some form of training was required for almost
  everyone in the business

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Process Owners

• Process Owners reside in the business
• Responsible for the end to end process
• As each flow is released they watch it, identify
  problems and suggest improvements
• Culture change from product focus to process
  focus
• Role will evolve over time

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Going Forward

• Process Optimization
• Organizational shift to a Process orientation

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Questions?