The Business Process Model

An introduction to the terminology and icons used in the Business Process Model. Provides a quick
introduction to some Unified Modelling Language (UML) concepts and how they are applied in
Enterprise Architect's Business Process Model.

Business process:
1. Has a Goal
2. Has specific inputs
3. Has specific outputs
4. Uses resources
5. Has a number of activities that are performed in some order
6. May affect more than one organizational unit. Horizontal organizational impact
7. Creates value of some kind for the customer. The customer may be internal or external.

Process Models
Business Process
A business process is a collection of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular
customer or market. It implies a strong emphasis on how the work is done within and organization,
in contrast to a product's focus on what. A process is thus a specific ordering of work activities
across time and place, with a beginning, an end, and clearly defined inputs and outputs: a structure
for action.

Connections
• Supply link from object Information. A supply link indicates that the information or object linked
to the process is not used up in the processing phase. For example, order templates may be
used over and over to provide new orders of a certain style - the templates are not altered or
exhausted as part of this activity.
• Supply link from object Resource. An input link indicates that the attached object or resource is
consumed in the processing procedure. As an example, as customer orders are processed they
are completed and signed off, and typically are used only once per unique resource (order).
• Goal link to object Goal. A goal link indicates the attached object to the business process
describes the goal of the process. A goal is the business justification for performing the activity.
• Stateflow link to object Output
• Stateflow link from event Event. A stateflow link indicates some object is passed into a business
process. It captures the passing of control to another entity or process, with the implied passing
of state or information from activity to activity.

Thx to: http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/downloads/whitepapers/The_Business_Process_Model