Business process modeling tools. Business modeling tools and features of its application. Functionality of business systems modeling tools

As promised several months ago, we are returning to the topic of business process modeling, bringing to your attention a series of articles devoted to the tools with which this type of activity is carried out. In this series, we will consider tools from leading manufacturers that Russian companies can use to solve problems of modeling and improving business processes without significant risks. But before we begin to consider the first of the tools, I would like to clarify what exactly the phrase “without significant risks” means (and therefore, what are the criteria for including certain tools in this series of articles).

On the criteria for success of modeling tools on the global and Russian markets

On a global scale (primarily for multinational companies and in some cases for American companies), one of the most serious criteria for choosing software for a particular type of activity is the high assessment of the product by analytical companies such as Gartner Group, Forrester Research, IDC and Meta Group.

For national markets (including Russian), the criteria for choosing enterprise software are somewhat different. In this case, when deciding on the use of a product, factors such as the availability on the national market of both the product itself and support services, technical support, training in the national language, and in the case of products intended for end users (simulation tools) come to the fore. business processes belong specifically to this category), - also the presence of a localized version. In the conditions of our country, these factors turn out to be more significant than the recognition of analysts, since, unlike relatively small European countries, we are not so closely connected with the world community as to require users to be fluent foreign languages, organizing tool training for end users abroad and communicating with English-language technical support located in Europe or the United States - the costs of all of the above can be prohibitive even for a very successful Russian corporation from the financial, mining or energy industries. Therefore, manufacturers of modeling tools who are by no means world leaders can become very successful on the Russian market. It is with such tools that we would like to begin our review.

About QPR

Finnish QPR company has been present on the global market for quite a long time - it was founded in 1991 with the goal of creating interactive software that significantly improves the decision-making process at any organizational level. Currently, QPR is engaged in research and development of software designed to manage organizational performance.

Several years ago, QPR was named by the analyst company Gartner Group as one of the leading manufacturers of modeling tools with a vision of the market and its development prospects, largely due to its support of the BSC (Balanced Scorecard) concept, which is very popular in the field strategic planning. However, we will talk about BSC support in QPR products a little later.

QPR ProcessGuide - modeling and documenting business processes

Supported Notations

For business process modeling, QPR supplies the market with the QPR ProcessGuide solution. This product allows you to create multi-level business process models in a notation similar to Swim Lane notation and work flow diagrams - functions (or, in other terminology, process steps) are located on so-called role tracks. Moreover, each process function can be detailed into an independent subprocess, described by a separate diagram, and the number of levels of detail is not limited in any way.

On the one hand, the presence of a multi-level system of diagrams (it is the set of diagrams in QPR terminology that is called a model) allows you to create consistent descriptions of the activities of companies and, of course, is a sign of the maturity of the modeling tool - not every tool used in this area has support for such sets of diagrams on data storage level.

Process model in QPR ProcessGuide

On the other hand, this simulator is no different big amount various types diagrams like those available to users of ARIS Business Architect or Microsoft Visio - in fact, this tool has the only type of models that supports the decomposition of process steps. But in fairness, we note that QPR ProccessGuide allows you to expand the library of symbols - elements of business processes, so any graphic notation can be formally observed, for example, in the case when it is a corporate standard adopted by the company.

Documenting processes

In itself, business process modeling is of little interest to anyone. This type of work is carried out for a specific purpose, mostly in order to find the so-called bottlenecks in the company’s processes and, based on this, optimize the processes, thereby increasing the efficiency of the company’s activities, as well as ensure their documentation and regulation (the latter is often done during certification company for compliance with one of the quality standards).

The possibilities for documenting processes in QPR ProcessGuide are very wide - this product has a programming interface based on COM technology, which allows you to access absolutely any data contained in the models, and the built-in programming language is Visual Basic for Applications. Last fact significantly simplifies the generation of reports in application formats Microsoft Office- if you have installed office applications, you can access the COM interfaces of Word, Excel, PowerPoint directly from the reporting script created for QPR ProcessGuide. In addition, the presence of a software interface of this class allows you to create various application solutions based on QPR ProcessGuide, such as tools for exchanging models with other modeling tools, tools for integration with various information systems, etc.

Note that not every modeling tool has such software interfaces, although, of course, programming skills are required to use them effectively. However, the product package also includes a number of ready-made reporting scripts.

Simulation Modeling and Process Improvement

Improving business processes with QPR ProcessGuide can be done by: quantitative analysis characteristics of processes and their steps, as well as simulation modeling of process execution - simulation tools are included in the product.

Simulation results in QPR ProcessGuide

Simulation modeling is the process of simulating the execution of different instances of the same process. Before performing simulation modeling, the process model is supplied with the data necessary to perform the simulation, for example, the frequencies of occurrence of certain events, the probabilities of one or another outcome in case of branching of the process, the laws of distribution of time for executing various steps of the process, and other characteristics. In the process of performing simulation modeling, random data is generated for each instance of the simulated process in accordance with the selected probabilities, distribution laws and frequencies. If the data for simulation modeling is selected correctly, the simulation results and statistical data obtained on their basis are the information on the basis of which decisions can be made to make changes to the process in order to increase its efficiency, optimize time s x costs, expenses Money and resources.

Publishing models on the corporate intranet portal

QPR ProcessGuide allows models to be published on intranet portals, allowing the user to add and view comments and create action plans related to business processes. To be fair, we note that such access is not unlimited - for those users of the portal who create presentations, a system of tasks and comments in it, it is expected to purchase licenses (albeit, they differ in cost from licenses for model developers).

Publishing models on the corporate intranet portal

QPR ScoreCard - BSC technology support

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC), or balanced scorecard (BSC), is a management tool developed in 1992 by Harvard University professors Robert Kaplan and David Norton that allows you to transform the company's strategic goals into a clear plan for the operational activities of departments and key employees and evaluate the results of their activities in terms of implementing the company's strategy using key performance indicators. The use of a balanced scorecard allows for targeted monitoring of the enterprise’s activities, predicting and anticipating the emergence of problems, and monitoring the most significant financial and non-financial indicators of the enterprise’s activities.

The main idea of ​​the BSC is to formulate achievable and quantifiable strategic goals of the company with their gradual detailing and distribution of these goals into groups, also called prospects, as well as taking into account the mutual influence of these goals.

This management tool is actively used by leading Western companies (namely, 402 of the 500 largest organizations in the Financial Times ranking), and has recently attracted the close attention of top managers in Russia. You can read more about BSC technology in a separate article devoted to this issue, which will be published in one of the upcoming issues of our magazine.

Tree of company goals in QPR ScoreCard

Company strategic map in QPR ScoreCard

To support BSC technology, QPR produces a separate product, QPR ScoreCard, which allows you to build strategic maps, compare planned and actual key performance indicators and publish the results on the corporate portal.

Note that QPR ProcessGuide allows you to link business process steps with key performance indicators created in QPR ScoreCard, and thereby provides company management with the opportunity to assess the degree to which its strategic goals are being achieved at the level of individual processes.

Like QPR ProcessGuide, QPR ScoreCard has a convenient software interface based on COM technology, which allows you to create scripts for generating reports of any complexity, as well as other application solutions based on QPR ScoreCard.

QPR products in Russia

When choosing a business process modeling tool, the issues of technical support and localization are among the most significant. Unlike IT specialists, who for the most part are ready to read English documentation, write letters to European technical support services, and in general are not very capricious, business users involved in describing processes are often extremely dissatisfied when they see the English interface of the application, with which they have to deal with, and technical support for such users requires the presence of people who speak the same language as them.

Russian-language versions of QPR products are available on the Russian market. They are supplied, implemented and supported by Trodos Consulting, the exclusive distributor of QPR Software plc in Russia and the CIS. In addition, this company supplies to the Russian market a number of application solutions created on the basis of these products using data obtained from accounting systems, for example, solutions for automating staffing management, creating a personnel motivation system, budgeting, and planning. At the moment, this company has carried out several dozen successful implementations - both QPR products and own decisions based on them. This means that companies that decide not only to implement QPR products, but also to integrate them with their existing information systems (and modern business users, as a rule, categorically insist on such integration), will not be left with these tasks alone.

We also note that for QPR users, training in the use of the product is available in Russian, lasting from 2 to 5 days, including the joint creation, together with the customer, of a working prototype of the model of his company’s activities, which is, in essence, a consulting service.

QPR products are profitable to purchase with a large number of licenses. Thus, a package of QPR Process Guide licenses for a small number of developers (2-5) and several dozen users (20-100) with annual technical support costs from 12 to 30 thousand euros, while in the case of several dozen developers (20-40) and several hundred users (200-400) the cost of licenses and annual technical support ranges from 60 to 115 thousand euros. However, the main consumers of products of this class are quite large companies - after all, they are the ones who primarily require specialized tools that help improve business processes.

So, today we looked at two products for modeling business processes and supporting strategic planning, which, in our opinion, have good positions and support in the Russian market. Note, however, that QPR is far from the only company with such support. Therefore, in subsequent articles in this series we will talk about modeling tools from other manufacturers.

business process modeling tools

In Russia, the following modeling tools are widely used to model and analyze business processes: Rational Rose, Oracle Designer, AllFusion Process Modeler (B.P.Win) And AllFusion ERwin Data Modeler (ERWin), ARIS, Power Designer. Abroad, in addition to those mentioned, such tools as System Architect, Ithink Analyst, ReThink, etc. are actively used. Table 1 presents a list of tools involved in the consideration. Information provided includes:

• name of the tool;
• information about the supplier and representative in Russia;
• a brief description of tool.

Let us highlight the main criteria that allow us to select from the presented modeling tools those whose use in Russia would be more likely to justify itself. These criteria are:

• stable position of the product on the market(its lifespan, product development program, problem reporting system, set of applications, etc.);
• product prevalence(number of licenses sold, availability, size and level of activity of the user group);
• Availability of vendor support. Such services may include telephone hotline", technical and consulting support through the supplier’s representative in Russia;
• accessibility of training. Training can be carried out on the premises of the supplier's representative in Russia, the user or elsewhere;
• availability of product materials. These may include computer educational materials, teaching aids, books, articles, information on the Internet, demo versions.

From the list of tools given in the table, for a more detailed analysis, we will select those software products that meet the specified criteria. In this case, the scope of our further consideration includes BPWIn/ERWin, Oracle Designer, Rational Rose, Power Designer, ARIS, for which more information is presented below detailed description.

BPWin and ERWin from Computer Associates. Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA) is one of the five leading software manufacturers, offering tools for modeling, backup, enterprise infrastructure management (networks, servers, etc.), information security, business intelligence, etc. The BPWin package is based on the IDEF methodology and is intended for functional modeling and analysis of enterprise activities. The IDEF methodology, which is an official US federal standard, is a set of methods, rules and procedures designed to build a functional model of an object in a particular subject area. The IDEF functional model displays the functional structure of an object, i.e. the actions it performs and the connections between these actions.

BPwin features:

• supports three standard notations at once - IDEF0 (functional modeling), DFD (data flow modeling) and IDEF3 (work flow modeling). These three main perspectives allow us to describe the subject area in the most comprehensive manner;
• allows you to optimize procedures in the company;
• Fully supports volumetric costing methods economic activity(functional cost analysis, ABC);
• facilitates certification for compliance with ISO9000 quality standards;
• integrated with ERwin (for database modeling), Paradigm Plus (for modeling software components), etc.;
• integrated with Arena simulation tool;
• contains its own report generator;
• allows you to effectively manipulate models - merge and split them;
• has a wide range of tools for documenting models and projects.

The ERWin package is a conceptual database modeling tool. Used in modeling and creating databases of arbitrary complexity based on entity-relationship diagrams. ERWin is currently the most popular data modeling package due to its support wide range DBMS of various classes. ERWin features:

• supports the SADT structural modeling methodology and the following notations: standard IDEF1x notation for ER diagrams of data models, IE notation and a special notation intended for designing data warehouses - Dimensional;
• supports direct (creating a database based on a model) and reverse (generating a model from an existing database) design for 20 types of DBMS: desktop, relational and specialized DBMS designed for creating data warehouses;
• integrated with the Computer Associates product line to support all stages of IS development, CASE tools Oracle Designer, Rational Rose, development tools, etc.;
• allows you to reuse components of previously created models, as well as use the developments of other developers;
• possible collaboration groups of designers with the same models (using AllFusion Model Manager);
• allows you to transfer the database structure (not the data itself!) from a DBMS of one type of DBMS to another;
• allows you to document the structure of the database.

Oracle Designer by Oracle. Oracle Designer Toolkit Offers an Integrated Development Solution application systems corporate level for Web and client/server applications. Oracle Designer is involved in every phase of the software development life cycle - from business process modeling to implementation. The use of a single repository makes it possible to use any of its components for the rapid development of scalable, cross-platform distributed applications. The purpose of Oracle Designer is to collect data about user needs and automate the construction of flexible graphical applications. Oracle Designer is used not only to create applications, but also to keep track of changes that inevitably occur during system operation. Graphical project definition models integrated with a multi-user repository make working with Oracle Designer much easier. The tools are built on the basis of generally accepted techniques covering the entire life cycle development and enabling users in a way familiar to their organization. This provides a flexible and open approach to software development by using only those parts of the product that are required for a given task. The development process supports RAD, JAD, information design, waterfall, iterative, and other methods. Using these principles, you can successfully balance organizational needs and technological capabilities, and even effectively manage the risk associated with frequent unavoidable and important changes both in one and in another area. Oracle Designer conceptual modeling tools include:

• ER diagrams (diagrams of the information structure of a subject area, represented in the form of objects and their relationships);
• functional hierarchy diagrams that describe the functions that the system performs;
• diagrams of data flows circulating in the enterprise.

Such models present information needs in a convenient and visual form, which makes them a good means of communication between designers and users in the process of clarifying problem statements. Any developer is interested in the description of the conceptual model being used to create specifications that describe the structure and main components of the future system. In Oracle Designer, all system design specifications are developed based on conceptual level models and ensure that all requirements and constraints contained therein are met. The resulting system components can be converted into real database objects, screen forms and reports. The final part of the project development - automatic generation of server components - is possible not only for the Oracle database server, but also for the Microsoft DBMS SQL Server, DB/2, Sybase and several others. Any changes to business processes can be made to the models and a modified application is immediately generated, based on new business schemes. In this case, everything developed previously will be saved and included in new project. Oxle Designer automatically creates reports that contain all the information about the project and can be used as a set of documents reflecting the current state of the project.

IBM's Rational Rose . IBM Rational Rose is part of the IBM Rational Suite and is designed for modeling software systems using a wide range of tools and platforms. Rational Rose is one of the leading visual modeling tools in the software industry, with full UML support and multi-language team development support. The tool fully supports the component-oriented IP creation process. Any project participants - analysts, modelers, developers and others - can use models built in Rational Rose to create the final product more efficiently. For business analysts, Rational Rose makes it possible to describe and analyze in detail the business processes of a given subject area. System analysts, using the specified descriptions, will be able to develop the necessary IS functionality that will best satisfy the customer’s needs. Architects will find Rational Rose useful in creating powerful and flexible system architectures. For analysts specializing in database development, Rational Rose provides the ability to visually design and generate databases of any size. Thus, you can create Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Anywhere, IBM DB2 and any other databases that support the ability to run ANSI SQL standard scripts. Any models created using this tool are interrelated: business model, functional model, analysis model, design model, database model, component model, and physical system deployment model. It is possible to create templates for architectural solutions that allow you to use the experience accumulated in previous projects. There are Rational Rose extensions that allow you to perform skeletal (round-trip) development of IS created based on the languages ​​C/C++, Java, Smalltalk, Ada, Object Pascal (Borland Delphi), etc. Thus, you can generate a program code framework in any from the specified languages ​​or perform a reverse engineering procedure, which allows you to create a model based on existing code. It is possible to publish the model on the Internet, which serves as the basis for combining the work of remote development teams. Integration of Rational Rose with Rational RequisitePro allows, based on a visual model, to develop a complete set of requirements that must be implemented when creating the final product. Rational Rose integration with Rational TestManager allows you to create test scenarios based on a visual model. Integration of Rational Rose with Rational ClearCase allows you to put the model in whole or in parts under version control. Integration of Rational Rose with Rational SoDA allows you to automate the process of creating documents and reports based on a visual model.

Sybase PowerDesigner. Sybase has traditionally been a leading supplier since its founding. information technologies to the global market of financial institutions: Sybase technologies are used by 90% of the world's securities market companies, 60% of the world's banks and 68% of Wall Street companies. Since 1996, when an office opened in Moscow, Sybase has been actively working in Russia and other CIS countries. In April 2002, the company's offices were opened in St. Petersburg and Kyiv. Sybase offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv provide comprehensive work with clients, including the supply of technology, equipment, development of complete solutions, user training, full-featured technical support and consulting services. PowerDesigner is a comprehensive solution for modeling and designing applications and business processes for organizations that need to quickly, consistently and cost-effectively create or re-engineer business applications. PowerDesigner removes the following barriers to effective project development: differences in vocational training project participants, heterogeneous platforms and an abundance of development languages ​​- what is typical for the majority modern companies. This allows you to focus on the business needs of creating applications throughout the entire development process - from system analysis and design, right down to the actual code generation for the application. Latest version product, PowerDesigner, provides new capabilities for business process modeling, UML-based object modeling, and supports both traditional and emerging modeling technologies within one advanced graphical environment. This allows you to significantly reduce the costs and time of project implementation, which must function on various platforms and tool environments. One of the main benefits of PowerDesigner is also the use of an enterprise-wide repository to store and manage all information related to application modeling and design at all levels of business in the company. This allows you to properly organize the workflow and radically increase the developer’s work efficiency. Key Features of PowerDesigner:

• Business Process Modeling: PowerDesigner allows a company's non-technical team to design and model business processes based on business objectives and terms they know, using a simple and intuitive graphical non-technical model.
• Data Modeling: PowerDesigner allows you to design and generate a database schema through two-level (conceptual and physical) relational database modeling that supports classic database design techniques. It also has built-in data warehouse modeling tools.
• Object Modeling: PowerDesigner offers a complete system analysis and design technology using the UML standard (business process, flow, class and component diagrams). Based on the class diagram, PowerDesigner automatically generates and reverse-engineers code for popular frameworks such as JavaTM (including EJB 2.0), XML, Web Services, C++, PowerBuilder, Visual Basic and others through a custom generator.
• Enterprise Repository: The Enterprise version of PowerDesigner contains enterprise class repository functionality. The repository allows everyone on your team to easily view and share models and other information. The repository is highly scalable and supports user role-based security, version control, search, and reporting capabilities.

ARIS from IDS Scheer AG. Currently, there is a tendency to integrate a variety of methods for modeling and analyzing systems, manifested in the form of creating integrated modeling tools. One such product is a product called ARIS, developed by the German company IDS Scheer. IDS Sheer AG was founded in 1984. Its main focus is software and consulting. Currently, the company serves 4,000 clients in 50 countries through a network of its representative offices and partners. The quality of IDS Scheer solutions was confirmed in June 2005 by the gold medal of the International Poznań Fair, where only the best products are awarded. And also in July 2005, when ARIS 7 software products with completely new web products were introduced to the world market - all of them have common feature- intuitive and expressive interface. The ARIS system is a set of tools for analyzing and modeling enterprise activities. Its methodological basis is a combination of different modeling methods, reflecting different views on the system under study. The same model can be developed using several methods, which allows ARIS to be used by specialists with different theoretical knowledge and configured to work with systems that have their own specifics. The ARIS modeling methodology is based on the theory of integrated information systems developed by Professor August Scher, which defines the principles of visual display of all aspects of the functioning of the analyzed companies. ARIS supports four types of models, reflecting different aspects of the system under study:

• organizational models representing the structure of the system - the hierarchy of organizational units, positions and specific individuals, connections between them, as well as the territorial location of structural units;
• functional models containing a hierarchy of goals facing the management apparatus, with a set of function trees necessary to achieve the goals;
• information models reflecting the structure of information necessary to implement the entire set of system functions;
• management models that represent a comprehensive view of the implementation of business processes within the system.

To build the listed types of models, both ARIS’s own modeling methods and various well-known modeling methods and languages, in particular ER and UML, are used. In the modeling process, each aspect of the enterprise’s activities is first considered separately, and after a detailed study of all aspects, an integrated model is built that reflects all the connections between the various aspects. ARIS does not impose restrictions on the sequence of construction of the above types of models. The modeling process can begin with any of them, depending on the specific conditions and goals pursued by the developers. Models in ARIS are diagrams, the elements of which are various objects - “function”, “event”, “ structural subdivision", "document", etc. Various connections are established between objects. Each object corresponds to a specific set of attributes that allow you to enter additional information about a specific object. Attribute values ​​can be used in simulation modeling or for cost analysis. Thus, according to the results By completing this stage, a set of interconnected models emerges, which represent the source material for further analysis. It is worth noting several features of the ARIS system. The first is the family software products ARIS is process-oriented. The main business model of ARIS is eEPC (extended Event-driven Process Chain - an extended model of a chain of event-driven processes). Essentially, the eEPC model extends the capabilities of IDEF0, IDEF3 and DFD, with all their advantages and disadvantages. The second feature is that the ARIS system has an internal database that allows you to check the model for consistency, integrity, and verify the model. This is not available in other products. Third feature: ARIS is the only system focused on describing a business, where there are different views on the business system that we can evaluate and consider with different sides, which is not found in other software products. Over the past five years, ARIS has been a confident leader among modeling tools.

Let us indicate the main purpose of each product under consideration from its many applications:

• Erwin, Power Designer and Rational Rose tools are more suitable for database modeling;
• Oracle Designer, Power Designer and Rational Rose are more suitable for modeling components of developed applications;
• BPwin, ARIS and Rational Rose are more suitable for business process modeling.

Table 2 below provides a comparison of the functionality and properties of tooling environments designed for modeling business processes.

Table 2. Comparative analysis by basic functions

• Obtaining a holistic picture of the organization’s activities, coordinating different points of view on a constantly developing and changing business.
• Ensuring mutual understanding at all levels of the organization, bridging the gap between the management and executing parties.
• Ensuring reduction of production costs and increasing the level of quality and service.

In the process of business modeling, there is a transition from the concept of “what” should be done to the concept of “how” it should be done. The result of the modeling should be a document that gives the development team a clear understanding of the project boundaries, as well as the customer's software and hardware. The data obtained is reflected in the project specification, which may include the following sections:

• description of the main application data entities;
• formal description of the application specification;
• business logic and business rules;
• functional requirements;
• non-functional requirements;
• application form/page templates;
• glossary or list of abbreviations;
• auxiliary diagrams.

Business modeling tools and their evolution

To create business models, information system design tools and corresponding description languages ​​are used (the most famous among them is UML - Unified Modeling Language). With the help of such languages, graphical models and diagrams are built that demonstrate the structure of an organization’s business processes, the organization of interaction between people and the necessary changes to improve the performance of the organization as a whole. Business modeling tools are under constant development. Initially, with the help of such tools it was possible to describe only the business functions (work) of the company and the movement of data in the process of their implementation. Moreover, if the same business function was used when executing various types work, it was difficult to understand whether the same business function was meant or a different one. The inability to explicitly define the hierarchy of business processes (e.g., “value chain,” “business process,” “subprocess,” “job,” “function”) created problems when using such descriptions. The descriptions themselves were simply a set of pictures. Later, tools began to appear that made it possible to describe the organization not only from the side of business functions, but also from other sides. Thus, it became possible to create separate diagrams reflecting the organizational structure of the company, data flows in the organization, the sequence of execution of business functions that make up a single business process, with the ability to use logic symbols, etc. Due to the continuously increasing requirements for business modeling tools, it has become More and more diagrams were appearing to describe various aspects of an organization's activities, making model creation increasingly complex. In this regard, the next important stage in the development of business modeling tools is associated with the idea of ​​​​using a single repository (storage) of objects and the idea of ​​​​possibly reusing objects in different diagrams. Whatever tool is chosen, it is necessary to ensure the interaction of local information systems with each other. Today, the most modern and at the same time generally accepted standard for organizing business process management is BPEL (Business Process Execution Language). Based on this product, you can create a single integration platform for all used applications. After modeling the processes, special translators are used in one of the modeling tools to bring the model to the BPEL standard.

Examples of business modeling and its results

• Cost reduction. The business model will give you an idea of ​​where you can avoid extra costs and how to optimize the use of resources. Based on the business model, a functional cost analysis is carried out to calculate the cost of a product or service and a budget management system is built that allows you to control the costs of the enterprise.
• Increased efficiency. Possibility to reduce costs for adaptation and training of personnel. Regulatory documentation based on the prepared business model corresponds to the current state of affairs of the organization, distributes responsibilities, and builds a hierarchical system of career growth.
• Expanding the sphere of influence, increasing the network, organizing branches. The presence of a business model will reduce costs and make it possible to describe the structure of the arrangement of new branches of the enterprise.
• Adequacy of investment. Using business modeling, you can determine the amount of capital investment with a sufficient degree of accuracy, reduce risks and financial losses at the start-up stage of a new project.
• Implementation of EDMS. The business model of an enterprise standardizes the composition of enterprise documents and establishes the routes for the movement of documents.
• Automation and implementation of ERP, SCM, CRM or other software class systems. Based on the business model, you can formulate better requirements for the system and select the optimal solution in terms of cost and functionality.
• Quality management system certification. Development business models enterprise allows you to significantly reduce the time and costs for the development, implementation and certification of a quality management system and obtain a set necessary documents to successfully complete certification, reduce the cost of maintaining a quality management system.

Features of business modeling

Creating, implementing and maintaining a business model is an expensive investment project. And like any project, the creation of a business model must be preceded by an analysis of the feasibility and possibility of its implementation. Large projects require powerful business modeling tools with well-developed functionality: with the ability to store information in a single repository, collaborate on a modeling project and check the created model for integrity, semi-automatic generation of diagrams, integration with other software, analysis and documentation of the model - while In smaller projects, for cost reasons, it might make more sense to use less capable tools. To analyze activities and develop the existing structure, an adequate business model must first be built. That is, initially the theory, and only then its implementation.

Solutions

Today there is a large number of software products that are designed to describe the architecture of an organization. According to reports from the analytical company Gartner, the following companies can be classified as leaders in this segment.

The VRM offer on the Russian market today is quite complete - both domestic and major foreign developments are presented here, including subsystems of “heavy” complex products from large vendors. While Russian software is still more focused on describing processes, foreigners gravitate toward execution. Before choosing a product, you must immediately clarify what needs to be described, to what extent and how execution will be controlled. Next, the system is selected based on a very different set of criteria - from ergonomics, hardware requirements, software to technical support and cost.

As an enterprise grows, its management system becomes more complex. In organizations, a description of this system and ongoing business processes, if it exists, is presented in most cases in disparate and disparate formats and is out of date. As a result, employees do not understand what processes generally take place in the organization, and the degree of staff participation in these processes decreases. The gap between the actual actions of employees and the overall strategy of the company is growing. This leads to a slow response to changes in external conditions, which affects the efficiency of the business and, as a result, its profit. In the current economic situation, this is an unforgivable luxury.

Optimization of such costs is an obvious internal reserve for increasing the efficiency of the organization. And here modern technologies for describing the organization’s activities, the result of which is an information model, can come to the aid of companies. As a rule, the development of an organization's information model is carried out "from top to bottom", starting with the formation of the company's mission, corporate goals, and the development of a strategy that determines the necessary set of functions to achieve the goals. A complete information model becomes a management system for an enterprise.

“BPM offers a methodology and tools that connect the constructed process models with the company’s operational activities, provide mechanisms for controlling and monitoring processes,” notes Liana Meliksetyan, Director of Business Development, Software AG in Russia and the CIS (the company recently announced the acquisition of IDS Scheer AG). - The latter is especially valuable when building a quality management system or when improving business processes based on quantitative indicators significantly affects business efficiency.

Niche offer

Today on the Russian market you can find a certain number of software products that help simplify the process of describing the activities of an organization. Among the Russian developments here we can highlight Business Studio (“ Modern technologies management"), "Business Engineer" ("Bitek"), "Intalev: Corporate Navigator" ("Intalev"), "ORG-Master Pro" ("Business Engineering Group"). Among the most popular foreign software products, ARIS should be noted Business Performance Edition (IDS Scheer AG), CA ERWin Process Modeler, formerly BPWin (CA), Hyperion Performance Scorecard (Oracle), IBM WebSphere Business Modeler (IBM), SAP Strategic Enterprise Management (SAP).

“You should pay attention to the fact that Russian developments are primarily intended for describing/designing the company’s activities. They, as a rule, provide the ability to describe almost any subject area. Foreign manufacturers are more focused on execution. In most cases, their products are one or more modules in a line of software provided by the manufacturer,” comments Alexey Fedoseev, CEO group of companies "Intalev".

Business modeling systems in Russia

*Prices are as of May 2009.

Source: Abis Soft, CNews Analytics, 2009

How to choose a business modeling system

Before you start choosing a software product, you need to understand three main points: what needs to be described; to what extent; how execution will be monitored. When answering the first question, it is necessary to determine which areas of the control system are to be described and whether a comprehensive description of the entire system is necessary. The answer to the second question should give an idea of ​​whether the management system will be described for an individual business, a division, or for the entire organization as a whole. The third question will determine the restrictions that may be imposed on the software product so that its integration with the executive system can be carried out in the future.

Having answers to these questions, you can significantly narrow the range of possible software products. Next, you should choose a product based on criteria such as the possibility of multi-user work, methods of presenting results, interface and ergonomics, availability of documentation and technical support, hardware and software requirements, and cost.

Review of the capabilities of some business modeling systems*

* - The table below indicates only the presence/absence of a particular functionality. It must be taken into account that the declared functionality is implemented in different products with varying degrees of elaboration.

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