Part 1: MIS and You
Application Extension
2a
Introduction to Business
Process Modelling with
Microsoft Visio
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
AE2a-1
Study Questions
1. What is business process modelling, and
why is it important?
2. What tools can be used to create business
process models?
3. How do you create a data flow diagram in
MS Visio?
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What is business process modelling,
and why is it important?
 Business process modelling refers to the
creation of a diagram and/or text that provides
an overview of the flow of events that occur in an
organization as a result of an important stimulus
 The primary goal of business process modelling
is to create a description of a process that
enables people from different parts of an
organization to understand and communicate
effectively about the entire business process
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Conceptual Modelling
 Business process modelling is part of a larger
area of modelling sometimes referred to as
conceptual modelling
 Understanding of how the complicated “real”
world can be simplified into models that
“facilitate our developing, implementing,
using and maintaining more valuable
information systems”
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Are You Process Aware?
 Process aware
 Creating new value requires improving process
knowledge in people involved in the process
 Process models create value when they help
individuals develop an improved
understanding of the process as a whole and
become more process aware
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What tools can be used to create
process models?
 Modelling tools are applications that support
the development of business process models
 Examples: Visio (Microsoft), Rational Rose
(IBM), and Together (Borland)
 Each of these applications provides
diagramming features that include shapes
and templates that support the development
of a number of process models
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Process Modelling Techniques
 Techniques include data flow diagrams (DFDs),
systems flowcharts, workflow diagrams, use
cases from the Unified Modeling Language
(UML), and business process diagrams from the
Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)
 An important first question to consider is which
techniques are used most often by practitioners
 Studies suggest that data flow diagramming
remains a useful technique for process
modelling
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Process Modelling Applications
 When deciding on an application for creating
process models, it is recommended that an
application with transferable skills be selected
 When investing in learning an application, it is
usually a good idea to find the market leader
and learn to use tools that other
organizations are also using
 Data flow diagrams drawn using MS Visio are
our tool of choice to introduce business
process modelling
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How do you create a data flow diagram
in MS Visio?
 Microsoft Visio is an application that is built to
help people create diagrams
 It has a more sophisticated graphics engine
compared with presentation software, such
as MS PowerPoint
 It comes loaded with shapes and diagram
templates to help you create diagrams
quickly
 One of the templates provided in Visio is the
“Data Flow Diagram (DFD)” template
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Choosing a DFD Template in MS Visio
[[CATCH: Insert Figure AE2a-1 from page 50]]
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DFD Shapes
 Take a look on the top left-hand side of the
screen, you will see the title “Gane-Sarson”
 It includes four simple shapes including:
1. process
2. interface (entity)
3. data store
4. connector (or data flow)
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Rules for Combining Shapes
 Rule 1: Every process should have at least
one data flow connector coming into it and at
least one data flow connector out of it
 Rule 2: An external entity cannot be directly
connected to a data store
 Rule 3: A data store cannot be directly
connected to another data store
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Levelling
 The DFD model uses the concept of levelling
to slowly reveal increasing amounts of detail
 The lowest amount of detail is provided by
what is called a “ Level 0 Diagram ” or a “Top
Process”
 To draw the Level 0 DFD, find the “Interface”
shape at the top left of the screen, drag the
shape, and drop it near the top left corner of
the drawing area
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Making a Connection between Two
Shapes
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Creating a Level 1 DFD
 The Top Process or Level 0 diagram does
not provide us with much detail about the
process
 Our next step is to create a Level 1 diagram
 To do this, we first have to insert a new
diagram into the Visio file
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Adding and Naming a New Page in an
Existing Visio file
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Drawing the Event Application
Process
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Drawing the Employee Scheduling
Process
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Level 2 Anyone?
 Now that you have created a Level 1
diagram, you are probably aware that you
can go into even more detail in a Level 2
diagram
 Each of the processes in the Level1 diagram
could be opened up and examined in more
detail in a level 2 diagram
 The main goal is always to improve our
knowledge of processes and provide a wider
perspective
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Active Review
Q1 What is business process modelling,
and why is it important?

Explain what is meant by business process
modelling. How does process modelling add value
to an organization? What does it mean to be
process aware? Describe how being process
aware can make you more valuable to an
organization.
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
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Active Review
Q2 What tools can be used to create
business process models?

Define the term process modelling technique. Can
you name three different process modelling
techniques? Which techniques are most popular
among practitioners? What process modelling
applications are most -popular?
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Active Review
Q3 How do you create a data flow diagram
in MS Visio?

What are the four main shapes used in a DFD?
What are the three rules for combining DFD
shapes? What is meant by the term levelling?
What does a level-0 diagram contain?
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
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