Discuss about the Orchestration and Service Oriented Architecture.
Dijkman, et al (2014) use the following words to define BPA. It refers to, “organized overview of primary business processes and how they relate with one another” (p. 130. A number of guidelines that assists in indicating the manner of organizing all the processes should also support the process. The process serves two roles. Management can adopt process architecture to determine the nature of available processes as well as where one process starts and ends for the start of another process. It also provides overall processes that occur within a business. However, the article fails to acknowledge other roles of BPA such as providing employees and executives with a common understanding and perception of all primary activities that makes a company deliver value to customers (Dehondt, 2012). It also decomposes all processes in logistics to allow a company receive, confirm products, and store goods process. Furthermore, Dehondt (2017) explains that organizations design BPA to improve their operations and increase efficiency. Consequently, this helps lowers operational costs.
The article notes that businesses can adopt different approaches to design their process architecture. After reviewing a number of studies, Dijkman, et al (2014), identified five difference approaches in terms of class approach, structure, organizing concept, as well as relational concept. Besides, they point out that the approaches should not be considered mutually exclusive on the basis that in case one approach fits different classes, one can as well apply a class that fits describes the approach. All approaches should begin from a single principle of structuring.
Goal-based approach starts from the point where a business designs a relationship between goals and relations. The definition of a process should depend on a collection of associated actions required to achieve a given goal. The article uses figure 1 below to illustrate an example of goal-based process architecture. They point out that any business that adopts this type of design can easily associate goals with processes. Beckmann (2010) also notes that it can assist in determining why some processes are essential. Juric and Pant (2008); Dijkman, Vanderfeesten and Reijers (2016) contend that a business that designs different goals could translate them into different processes. Furthermore, goal-based approach has the capability of distinguishing types of relations that occurs between goals.
Action-based approach of process architecture requires that a business start by defining actions and the nature of relationship. Juric and Pant (2008) refers to a business action as an activity loop that allows an individual to carry out some work for either external or internal customers. Even though this could be similar to a business process, a business action theory maintains that all business actions must be conducted using standard phases and patterns. Hence, as noted by Beckmann (2010), is that a business action theory becomes applicable or identifying, demarcate (determine specific points where a process starts and stops), and drive a process into other smaller processes. Hence, as indicated in figure 2 above, it is apparent that every action could go through several phases. Nonetheless, Dijkman, et al (2014) posits that action-based approaches differ from other approaches because of the capability to perceive the role of a business process concept. Most of the actions lack the capability to differentiate actions and processes.
Dijkman, et al (2014) reviewed the work of Laliwala (2014); Cardwell (2008) and note that key organizing concepts of object-based approaches is a business-object. A business can use permanent, case, or other objects. A business can use a relationship between the permanent and case object to come up with a logical group of processes as shown in the figure below. While a relation between varying, states of objects can play a role of delimiting or showing relationship among processes. According to the work of Cardwell (2008), permanent objects refers to long-life business objects such as the need to register new clients, deliver products to customers, or make sales. While a case object refers to objectives that give guidelines on execution of a process such as application or making an order.
The reference-based approach relies on an already existing business process to help redesign a new business process. As indicated in figure 4 below, the article illustrates that an organisation could save much time when management adopts existing model. Similarly, Laliwala (2014) maintains that that making reference to the present model could offer best practices that make designers come up with best designs.
The above model shows that a better design could cut down on the number of processes from two to three by combining sales and logistics into sales.
The fifth model identified by the article is the function-based approach. In this case, a business uses hierarchy to design its processes. Dijkman, et al (2014) uses figure 5 below to illustrate that a business could consider functions that occurs at a given level in a hierarchical form and change the format of operation. The need to do this could involve showing a flow relationship between different functions. In overall, therefore, business functions become the main organizing concept. Besides, Dijkman, et al (2014) recommends that the best way to derive a function to decompose available functions into sub-functions to make up processes. The second approach would involve organizing functions and processes to make hierarchical structures.
As indicated above, the reference model shows a functional hierarchy and a new BPA. Similar to the previous work of Muller, Linders and Pires (2010), Dijkman, et al (2014) reiterates that the advantage of using functions to help identify processes is because of simplicity and stability in functions. Functions focus on what companies do instead of how they accomplish. Furthermore, they are a better starting point to designing of BPA.
The results from survey-based organisations revealed that reference-based approach remain most easy, useful, and popular among organisation. For example, among the surveyed organisations, 67% agreed that they found the model to be easy while using. A slightly more than 62% agreed that they found the model useful. While another 56% indicated that, the model was popular. These findings support of other previous findings from Cardwell (2008); Dehondt (2017)
The second comparison focuses on four cases to identify popular combinations of approaches, structuring, and guidelines. Dijkman, et al (2014) applied maximal variation principle of Runeson and Höst (2009) to select cases. Two major assumptions included a consideration that organisations use goals and industry of operation when designing their BPA. The four cases were selected from transportation, manufacturing, service, and public. The results from content analysis revealed that businesses design their process architecture using decomposition in both object and functional processes. While on the other hand, hierarchical decomposition on at least three levels of functions.
Dijkman, et al (2014) applied the results from the case-study as well as from survey to create a framework that explain the best structural principles to consider when designing appropriate BPA.
The article notes that organisations could organise their processes in terms of hierarchical decomposition or classify them depending on permanent business objects. Besides, businesses should adopt the use of primary and support functions to conduct first-level decomposition. They also caution that such decomposition should only occur at two to three levels. Management can then use functions to categorise processes needed to execute all processes.
Our individual ideas fail to acknowledge that even as there has been advancement in information technology (IT), a majority of companies are still struggling to understand ways to create value as well as create business processes. We failed to acknowledge that process models serve important roles such as understanding the current nature of operations and as a foundation to make some improvements. However, they note that whenever a business seeks to design own processes, several questions are likely to come up such as, what is the type of process that exists, where should the process begin and end, and what is the nature of details to collect. Besides, it is critical to understand that while several scholars have focused on understanding ways to design business processes Runeson and Höst (2009), none of these studies succeeds in identifying the best applicable BPA.
References
Beckmann, J. A. (2010). Business Process Modeling: Software Engineering, Analysis and Applications. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Cardwell, G. (2008). The influence of Enterprise Architecture and process hierarchies on company success. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 19(1/2), 47-55
Dehondt, R. (2017). Business process architecture: Measuring and improving strategic fit. Received from https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/7971/file/eid-sabbagh_diss.pdf
Dijkman, R., Vanderfeesten, I., & Reijers, H. A. (2016). Business process architectures: overview, comparison and framework. Enterprise Information Systems, 10(2), 129-158
Gromoff, A., Kazantsev, N., Kozhevnikov, D., Ponfilenok, M., & Stavenko, Y. (2012). Newer Approach to Create Flexible Business Architecture of Modern Enterprise. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 13(4), 207-215.
Juric, M. B., & Pant, K. (2008). Business Process Driven SOA Using BPMN and BPEL: From Business Process Modeling to Orchestration and Service Oriented Architecture. Birmingham, U.K.: Packet Publishing.
Laliwala, D. (2014). Activiti 5.x Business Process Management Beginner’s Guide. Birmingham: Packet Publishing
Muller, R. M., Linders, S., & Pires, L. F. (2010). Business Intelligence and Service-oriented Architecture: A Delphi Study. Information Systems Management, 27(2), 168-187
Runeson, P., & Höst, M. (2009). Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Case Study Research in Software Engineering. Empirical Software Engineering14 (2): 131–164
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