Value-Focused Business Process Engineering : a Systems Approach: with Applications to Human Resource Management

270 Pages·2009·2.264 MB·English

by  Dina Neiger, Leonid Churilov, Andrew Flitman (auth.)

Value-Focused Process Engineering: a
Systems Approach

with Applications to Human Resource Management
INTEGRATED SERIES IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Series Editors
Professor Ramesh Sharda Prof. Dr. Stefan Voß
Oklahoma State University Universität Hamburg

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Value-Focused Process Engineering: a
Systems Approach

with Applications to Human Resource Management

Dina Neiger
Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

Leonid Churilov
National Stroke Research Institute and
the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Andrew Flitman
Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

with the assistance of Kristian Rotaru

1 3
Dina Neiger Leonid Churilov
Swinburne University of Technology National Stroke Research Institute and
Melbourne, Australia the University of Melbourne
[email protected] Melbourne, Australia
[email protected]

Andrew Flitman
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne, Australia
[email protected]

ISSN: 1571-0270
ISBN-13: 978-0-387-09520-2 e-ISBN-13: 978-0-387-09521-9
DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-09520-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008933509

© 2009 by Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
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We live on shifting sands where all the signposts point in a disparate array. We are
surrounded by so much ‘stuff’ – ideas, trends, inventions, auto-proliferating information.
We need people who can make sense of all this by uncovering a common wholeness
about it, by finding the point where they all converge.
Freeman (2000, p. 229)

To our families
Contents
1 Introducing Value-Focused Process Engineering............................................1
1.1 Introduction: Motivation and Context..........................................................1
1.2 Value-Focused Process Engineering: an Integrated Approach to Goal-
Oriented Process Design....................................................................................3
1.3 Systems Defined..........................................................................................5
1.4 Systems perspective on Integration of Business Objectives and Business
Processes............................................................................................................7
1.5 Scope and Contribution...............................................................................8
1.7 Book structure............................................................................................10
2. Business Systems Modelling: Principles and Practices................................15
2.1 Introduction................................................................................................15
2.2 Systems Modelling as Design: Fundamental Principles and Assumptions16
2.3 Integration of Multiple Business Views through Systems Modelling.......19
2.4 Business Objectives Modelling..................................................................21
2.5 Business Process Modelling......................................................................22
2.6 Exploring Systems Modelling Practices Through Wand and Weber
Conceptual Modelling Framework..................................................................26
2.7 Summary....................................................................................................28
3 Human Resources Management Context.......................................................31
3.1 Introduction................................................................................................31
3.2 Context and Background...........................................................................32
3.3 Summary....................................................................................................48
4 Business Objectives Modelling........................................................................50
4.1 Introduction................................................................................................50
4.2 Quantitative Objectives Modelling............................................................50
4.3 Qualitative Objectives Modelling..............................................................66
4.4 Desirable Properties of Objectives Models................................................71
4.5 Summary....................................................................................................74
5 Business Process Modelling with EPCs..........................................................77
5.1 Introduction................................................................................................77
5.2 Business Process Modelling Context.........................................................78
5.3 Event-driven Process Chain.......................................................................79
5.4 Decomposition...........................................................................................87
5.5 Extending EPC Script to Include Objectives.............................................92
5.6 Desirable Properties of Business Process Models from a Value-Focused
Process Engineering Perspecitve.....................................................................94
5.7 Assessment of the EPC Modelling Environment.....................................103
viii
5.8 Summary..................................................................................................106
6 Requirements for a Value-Focused EPC: the “WHAT” Dimension..........109
6.1 Introduction.............................................................................................109
6.2 Review of Goal-Oriented Approaches.....................................................110
6.3 Comparative Assessment of Modelling Methodologies..........................113
6.4 Analysis of Hereditary Property Requirements.......................................118
6.5 Linking Requirements.............................................................................124
6.6 Shared History Requirements..................................................................127
6.7 Emergent Properties Requirements..........................................................128
6.8 Summary..................................................................................................129
7 Building a Value-Focused EPC: the “HOW” Dimension...........................131
7.1 Introduction.............................................................................................131
7.2 Modifications to the VFT Model.............................................................131
7.3 Formalising the Link between the VFT and the EPC..............................138
7.4 Synchronized Decomposition..................................................................141
7.5 Setting up the Example............................................................................162
7.6 Flow Decomposition................................................................................166
7.7 Components Decomposition....................................................................168
7.8 Implementation Framework.....................................................................171
7.9 Evaluation of the Combined Model.........................................................173
7.10 Summary................................................................................................175
8 Application of Value-Focused Process Engineering to HRM Context......177
8.1 Introduction.............................................................................................177
8.2 HRM Values, Fundamental and Means Objectives (Phases 1, 2 and 4a) 178
8.3 HRM Processes (Phases 3 and 4b)..........................................................186
8.4 Reconciling EPC and Objectives Structures (Phase 5)............................201
8.5 Summary..................................................................................................205
9 Decision-Enabled e-EPC................................................................................207
9.1 Introduction.............................................................................................207
9.2 Decision vs Decision...............................................................................207
9.3 Relationship between Business Decision and Business Process Modelling
Tools..............................................................................................................212
9.4 Integration Model....................................................................................215
9.5 Benefits of Decision-Enabling.................................................................223
9.6 Summary..................................................................................................228
10 Conclusions and Future Directions.............................................................231
10.1 Introduction...........................................................................................231
10.2 Desirable Properties of Business Objectives and Process Modelling....231
10.3 Properties of Value-Focused Process Engineering................................234
ix
10.4 Linking Existing Models to Satisfy Requirements of Value-Focused
Process Engineering.......................................................................................235
10.5 Application within the HRM Context....................................................236
10.6 Future Directions and Conclusion..........................................................237
References..........................................................................................................241
Appendix 1. Decomposition of the means network.........................................253
Index...................................................................................................................257
Abbreviations Used in the Text
AML – ARIS Markup Language
ARIS – Architecture of Integrated Information Systems
BPM – Business Process Modelling
BPR – Business Process Re-engineering
BSC – Balanced Scorecard
CL – Causal Loop
CSF – Critical Success Factors
DFD – Data Flow Diagram
EMPL – EPC Markup Language
EPC – Event-driven Process Chain
e-EPC – extended EPC
de-EPC – decision enabled e-EPC
ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
GED – Goal-Exception-Dependency framework
GIM – GRAI Integrated Methodology
HR – Human Resources
HRM – Human Resource Management
IDEF – Integrated Definition
IR – Industrial Relations
KPI – Key Performance Indicator
MCDA – Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
MS – Management Science
MAUT – Multi-Attribute Utility Theory
OO – Object Oriented
OR – Operations Research
RAD – Role Activity Diagram
RE – Requirements Engineering
SD – System Dynamics
SSM – Soft Systems Methodology
SFD – Stock and Flow diagram
UML – Unified Modelling Language
VFT – Value-focused Thinking
Abbreviations Used in the Diagrams
Ad – Advertise, advertisement
DA - Decision analysis
HR – Human resources
HRM – Human resource management
IR – Industrial relations
Max – Maximize
Min – Minimize
Mngt – Management
Obj(s) – Objective(s)
Org – Organization, organazational
ROI – Return on investment