Systems Modeling for Business Process Improvement

Rating:
Summary: Technology oriented collection of essays
Review: This book is technology-focused with an emphasis on software-to-business alignment from the perspectives of quality and fit. It's a collection of papers that cover the range of related topics, including systems dynamics, object-oriented business process modeling, exploiting knowledge in adaptive workflow systems and modeling and metrics techniques.

Process improvement strategies are related to software quality and are highlighted in two chapters: (1) ISO 15504, SPICE (Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination) and FEAST/1 (Feedback, Evolution And Software Technology), which was sponsored by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The material on FEAST/1 has been superseded by FEAST/2, but is still valid. Both SPICE and FEAST/1 chapters provide evaluation frameworks for determining software processes, which in turn is an indicator of how well systems modeling aligns to aspects of business processes.

The chapters which I felt were especially useful dealt with requirements and modeling, including:
- "Information Systems Specifications within the Framework of Client-Led Design"
- "Developing a Business-IT Co-Evolutionary Change Plan"
- "Relating Organizational Symbiotics, Process Modeling, and Stakeholder Viewpoints to Elucidate and Record Requirements"
- "Modeling Organizational Communication: Top Down Analysis & Bottom Up Diagnosis"

These reflect my current professional interests; however, I also gained insights from the chapter on FEAST/1 and "Modeling Information System Requirements for Complex Systems", both of which were thought provoking and addressed subtle issues that I hadn't previously thought of.

This book is not a primary text on business process modeling. It is most useful to experienced process improvement and requirements analysts and modeling professionals. Also not that much of the material needs to be force-fit to approaches such as UML, but does supplement UML and Unified Process methodologies if you keep an open mind and extract the key ideas presented.

Rating:
Summary: Technology oriented collection of essays
Review: This book is technology-focused with an emphasis on software-to-business alignment from the perspectives of quality and fit. It's a collection of papers that cover the range of related topics, including systems dynamics, object-oriented business process modeling, exploiting knowledge in adaptive workflow systems and modeling and metrics techniques.

Process improvement strategies are related to software quality and are highlighted in two chapters: (1) ISO 15504, SPICE (Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination) and FEAST/1 (Feedback, Evolution And Software Technology), which was sponsored by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The material on FEAST/1 has been superseded by FEAST/2, but is still valid. Both SPICE and FEAST/1 chapters provide evaluation frameworks for determining software processes, which in turn is an indicator of how well systems modeling aligns to aspects of business processes.

The chapters which I felt were especially useful dealt with requirements and modeling, including:
- "Information Systems Specifications within the Framework of Client-Led Design"
- "Developing a Business-IT Co-Evolutionary Change Plan"
- "Relating Organizational Symbiotics, Process Modeling, and Stakeholder Viewpoints to Elucidate and Record Requirements"
- "Modeling Organizational Communication: Top Down Analysis & Bottom Up Diagnosis"

These reflect my current professional interests; however, I also gained insights from the chapter on FEAST/1 and "Modeling Information System Requirements for Complex Systems", both of which were thought provoking and addressed subtle issues that I hadn't previously thought of.

This book is not a primary text on business process modeling. It is most useful to experienced process improvement and requirements analysts and modeling professionals. Also not that much of the material needs to be force-fit to approaches such as UML, but does supplement UML and Unified Process methodologies if you keep an open mind and extract the key ideas presented.