¤ Review documentation on processes:
Review the documentation generated as a result of BAA (Analyze Process Logic task and Produce Process Model task) to confirm understanding of the process. The process description, process logic diagram and process action diagram describe what the process is. The process decomposition diagram and process dependency diagram identify dependencies and relationships that may influence the type of mapping to be used.
¤ Identify technique to be used:
Some Possible Techniques
For each process, select the most appropriate technique or techniques to implement it. The following partial list illustrates some of the possible techniques:
Computer supported
* On line: single exchange, conversational
* Batch: transaction driven, monolithic
* Generalized facility: end user query language, end user report writer, spreadsheet
Manual
* Entirely manual
* Machine supported (non-computer)
To determine the best technique, you will need information on:
* Time constraints for the process
* Volumes
* Type of user
* Design objectives of the project
* Technical context (e.g., hardware and software available)
A procedure may use more than one technique; each different technique would be treated as a separate procedure step. For example, the Check Booking procedure may consist of an on-line step to receive the booking, and a background batch step to print a confirmation slip.
¤ Attempt one-to-one mapping:
To start, try to map each process to a single procedure. Later steps will consider whether an alternative mapping is more appropriate. One-to-one mapping is most desirable because:
* Each elementary process is a complete activity from the user's point of view; the procedure will therefore be meaningful to the user and will leave the database in a consistent state.
* A change in an elementary process, due to a business change, will require a change only to the single procedure.
¤ Consider alternative procedures:
Decide whether it is appropriate to provide more than one procedure to implement a process (i.e., to allow for more than one method of executing the same process). Consideration of fallback procedures (i.e., when the system is not available) may also lead to the definition of alternative procedures, but this step is undertaken after the primary procedures have all been defined.
Alternative procedures may be required if the same process is performed:
* In different processing environments (e.g., telephone sale versus sale by mail order)
* By users with different levels of experience or familiarity with the system
* In different hardware or system software environments
¤ Consider serial procedures:
Decide whether a process should be broken down into two or more procedures that are performed one after the other. These are called serial procedures. Both alternative and serial procedures are cases of a one-to-many mapping from a process to procedures.
¤ Consider compound procedures:
Decide whether several processes are best performed by one procedure, also called a compound procedure. Compound procedures are sometimes a good solution when:
* Two or more processes are always performed in series (e.g., two processes could be performed as one procedure in a batch job)
* Several similar processes involve the same entity type (e.g., the processes Increase Employee Salary and Change Employee Work Location are included in a single procedure, Maintain Employee Details)
* Procedures are generalized (e.g., a generalized procedure is written to maintain various tables of codes and meanings)
¤ Define procedures:
Define each procedure by recording the following details:
* Procedure definition including: Procedure name, technique used, frequency/timing constraints, brief description of the procedure
* Elementary processes supported
» Creates deliverable D4.1.1 Procedure Definition.
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