Author Topic: Help on Modeling standards (Read 3172 times)

hippo · « **on:** November 16, 2011, 01:35:55 am »

I am looking for advice on what modeling standard to choose. We have modeled our software package using some form of UML and it has been suggested that we change this to BPMN. The space that we play in does not have any enterprise architects and only need a visual representation of their business processes aligned to their strategy. Does anyone have any thoughts out there!

qwerty · « **Reply #1 on:** November 16, 2011, 04:23:28 am »

It depends on what you want to achieve not on what dialect to focus. First things first.

q.

Geert Bellekens · « **Reply #2 on:** November 16, 2011, 06:06:03 pm »

Quote

I am looking for advice on what modeling standard to choose. We have modeled our [highlight]software package[/highlight] using some form of UML and it has been suggested that we change this to [highlight]BPMN[/highlight]. The space that we play in does not have any enterprise architects and only need a visual representation of their business processes aligned to their strategy. Does anyone have any thoughts out there!

BPMN is for Business Processes, not for software packages. AFAIK plain UML is still the preferred standard for modelling any software intensive system.

Geert

hippo · « **Reply #3 on:** November 16, 2011, 10:36:05 pm »

Our aim is to have a easy to use tool for our VARS when implementing our software. We want visibilitu for the customer to see there business processes aligned with their strategy and lastly we need to be able to produce sign off documentation and procedural guides.

qwerty · « **Reply #4 on:** November 16, 2011, 11:14:02 pm »

Call me rude but you should start looking for a consultant/company to set these things up. You're talking about the whole development process. God knows how many variants are meaningful in your case. You'll definitely not be able to clarify these things via a couple of posts.

q.

hippo · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2011, 06:10:06 am »

Thanks for your input, but as to your comments we have already modeled our software packing using UML (consulting with experts). However, they are now suggesting we change t BPMN and we are not sure of the value of doing this hence my post.
I am not an enterprise architect and I am not familar with best practice.

qwerty · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2011, 08:35:08 pm »

Maybe there is some misunderstanding. BPMN is very useful to show business processes. It is not uncommon to use BPMN in conjunction with use case scenarios. So likely what your consultants propose is to use BPMN in this context. And that makes pretty much sense.

q.

Geert Bellekens · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2011, 09:12:38 pm »

If you don't see the value of changing from UML to BPMN then there is a good chance there isn't any.

If you are starting a new business modelling project I could understand the choice to use BPMN.
If you already have a UML model and the suggestion is to translate that to BPMN then I have doubts about the cost/benefit ratio.

BPMN is no slowly getting accepted as the business modelling standard, but it is still a young language, and only recently taken over by OMG.
If I were you I would wait it out a little bit. I think that in the long run BPMN is going to become just a profile on UML iso a completely separate modelling language.

Geert

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