Improving Business Services and Processes

Question 1

Describe the business process hierarchy and models used on each stage

Answer 1

• Enterprise Level: Value stream of high level activities to deliver a service/product (Value stream, Value chain, Value proposition)
• Event-repsonse Level: Organisation’s business process response (UML activity diagrams with Swimlaners or BPMN)
• Actor task level: Actions performed by one actor in one place at a point of time (Text and UML diagrams)

Question 2

Describe the SIPOC

Answer 2

• Supplier
• Input
• Process
• Output
• Customer

Question 3

Name the parts of Porter’s value chain

Answer 3

• Firm infrastructure
• Human resource management
• Technology development
• Procurement
• Inbound Logistics
• Operations
• Outbound Logistics
• Marketing and Sales
• Service

Each activity must be profitable

Question 4

What are the elements of a value proposition and how can an organisation differentiate itself?

Answer 4

• Price
• Functionality
• Quality
• Choice
• Availability
• Image
• Relationship

An organisation can differentiate itself by
* Being the most efficient
* Having the best products
* Providing the best customer support

Question 5

Describe the types of business events

Answer 5

• External inputs
• Internatl Triggers
• Scheduled points in time

Question 6

Describe characteristics of the BPMN

Answer 6

• Industry-standard
• Unambigious
• Can be used to specify business logic
• More comprehensive than swim lane diagrams
• Can be directly translated by case tools and business rules engines into automated process workflow execution

Question 7

Name the areas of considerations for analysis on an actor-task level

Answer 7

• Actor
• Event
• Input
• Output
• Costs
• Performance Measures
• Steps

Question 8

Name Sources of inefficiencies and inconsistencies

Answer 8

• Duplication
• Redundancy
• Lack of standardisation
• Inefficient work practices
• Inappropriate work measures