Developing an IT ApplicationUsing Advantage:Gen

Activity Modeling

Objectives of Activity Analysis

To understand the processes of the firm independent of organization structure, existing IS, and technology

To verify the understanding with users To lay the foundation for system design

Business Activities

Function – a high level process, a group of activities that together completely support one aspect of furthering the mission of the business (e.g., AMP of Resources, Conversion, MSC of Products/Services)

Process – a group of related events Elementary process – an event, and

maintenance of RALs (CRUDE)

Processes

Results from the decomposition of a function

A process is a lower level activity (or activities) that does one of:– produce outputs necessary outside the business– gathers new information for the business– produces new information for the business– controls things in the business

Naming a Process

Processes (events) are named using a verb (action) plus a noun (an entity type or attribute), e.g. TAKE ORDER, STAFF PROJECT

Process versus Procedure

Process - what the business does, a specific action the business requires, e.g. CHARGE CUSTOMER

Procedure - how the action is carried out, e.g. PRINT INVOICE

Activity Analysis Techniques

Decomposition - Functions decompose into smaller functions or processes, processes into smaller processes. This is represented in the Activity Hierarchy Diagram

Dependency Analysis - This shows the conditions necessary to enable one process/event to execute and thus the dependency of one process/event on another. This is shown in the Activity Dependency Diagram (ADD confirms the AHD).

Hierarchy Diagramming

ROOT

FUNCTION A

FUNCTION B

PROCESS X

PROCESS Y

Decomposition Rules

Functions may be decomposed into sub-functions or processes

Processes may be decomposed into sub-processes, and ultimately, elementary processes

An activity that is decomposed must be broken down into two or more activities (parent has at least two children)

An activity is totally described by its subordinates (sum of children should explain entire parent)

Functions and processes may exist at the same level, but only as decompositions of different parents

FUNCTION A

SUB-FUNCTION F

SUB-FUNCTION G

FUNCTION B

PROCESS X

PROCESS Y

A is a more complex function than B

Decomposition Using Business Events

Identify process that follows an important business event

Event - Customer returns defective product Subsequent events (making up the process)

- Give customer an exchange, Refund money, Return defective product to supplier

Elementary Processes, the Lowest Level of the Hierarchy

Achieves a useful business result Leaves the business in a consistent state,

i.e. preserves referential integrity, data integrity of attribute values, and integrity of the business transaction

In general performed by one person, in one location, until complete

Integrity of the Data

The two events should be modeled as one elementary process, because executing only one means that the value of inventory is inconsistent with the sale recorded.

These would be sub-elemental

SELL PRODUCT

REDUCE INVENTORY

Can users trust the data stored in the database?

Activity Dependency Analysis

Determines the conditions necessary to enable the execution of a process (lowest level process is an event or maintenance of RALs).

Since one process (or event) can supply the conditions necessary for another process to execute, this shows dependencies between processes (events).

Activity Dependency Diagramming

Verifies the process decomposition Adds to business understanding by identifying

data needed to execute a process and the information that it provides

Activity Dependency Occurs When

The post condition of one process is the necessary precondition of another process

REVIEWINVENTORYITEM

LOW STOCK PLACE ORDER

Dependency Types

Sequential Dependency

SELECT PRODUCT

SELECT DISTRIBUTOR

NEGOTIATEPRICE

Dependency Types

Parallel Dependency

RECEIVEORDER

INSTALLASSET

PLACE IN WAREHOUSE

PAY FORORDER

Prerequisite event

Dependent events

Dependency Types

Mutually Exclusive Dependency

OINTERVIEWAPPLICANT

MAKE JOBOFFER

REJECTAPPLICANT

Activity Dependency Diagram for “Acquire and Pay for Fixed Assets”

Sequential dependency

Mutually exclusivedependency

Parallel dependency

Events and External Objects

An external or temporal event is something that occurs which then triggers some response, e.g. End of Month can trigger INVENTORY REVIEW

External objects (agents) provide data to a process or receive some results from the process e.g. CUSTOMER, VENDOR, GOVERNMENT AGENCY

Both (1) external events and (2) external objects can be depicted in ADD’s