Process modeling

Process Modeling refers to a model of production, responsibility, interaction, and control consisting of the terms Process, Resource, Work Product, Input/Output, and RACI+Supports.

Meanings of Key Terms

The meanings of the key terms are as follows:

1. Process: The engine that gets work done.
2. Resource: The fuel a process consumes to get work done. The agents that perform the work.
3. Work Product: The "product of work". Anything a process produces.
4. Input/Output: The relationships between work products and processes. A work product can be an input to a process, or an output from a process
5. RACI+Supports: The relationships between resources and work products, processes, and other resources. RACI is an acronym for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed.

As such, Process Modeling can be defined as a methodology that lends clarity to how work gets done, the organizational structure surrounding the work environment, and the actual work performed.

History

Process Modeling has its roots in the simple system flowchart. With flowcharts, the primary focus is flow of control. The utility of a flowchart is that it provides a graphical representation of an algorithm. Processes, such as Clinical Support Processes, are by their very nature algorithmic and are commonly represented in a graphical form depicting decisions, calculations, input/output steps, and flow-of-control interaction with other processes. Despite the ongoing enhancements made to Process Modeling since its inception as the lowly flowchart, the key terms as stated remain at the heart of Process Modeling and are basic to the comprehension of any complex process.

As systems became more complex, the complexity of the processes required to support those systems followed suit. The processes that modern day Clinical Information Systems need to support, coupled with the intricacies of modern day Clinical Information Systems themselves, are excellent examples of this ever increasing complexity. To shed light on such complex processes, it becomes necessary to model not only their algorithmic structure, but the agents responsible for performing the work, the details of the actual work performed, and how the organizational elements of the process relate to each other; hence the introduction of Resources, Work Products, and Input/Output and RACI+Supports relationship concepts.

Resources fall into two general categories, people and systems. When a resource is used by a process, it is typically said that the resource has been "allocated" to that process. When the process is done with the resource, it is said that the resource has been released by that process. During the period of time that a resource is allocated to a process, the process is said to be consuming that resource, which implies that the resource is (somewhat) unavailable and cannot be allocated to another process. For example, at this very moment you, as a resource, are allocated to a Reading process and are being consumed in that your time (or at least part of it) is fueling that process. An input to that Reading process is this Process Modeling wiki page itself.

Work Products are, quite literally, the "products of work" and represent the things processes produce. This Process Modeling wiki page is a work product that was output by a Writing process. While it was being written, the author was allocated to that process. The Process Modeling wiki page" work product is now an input to your Reading process.

The RACI+Supports relationships can be introduced to lend even further clarity to the model. Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed are used when the resource is a person, and Supports is used in all cases when the resource is a system.

Given this, the author's laptop Supported the Writing process, and your computer system is Supporting the Reading process. The author was both Responsible and Accountable for the Writing process, as well as the Process Modeling wiki page" work product itself. According to course guidelines, no one was Consulted during the Writing process, but various external systems Supported the Writing process. The course TA requested to be Informed when the Writing process was completed, the author was released from that process, and the Process Modeling wiki page work product was complete. You, dear reader, are both Responsible and Accountable for your Reading process. The act of reading creates yet another work product, represented by the information you now understand. In the future, this information may serve as an input to a future process. And so on.

Technical Advances

Flowcharts were introduced as early as 1921 by Frank Gilbreth to members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The concept of the basic flowchart continues to be extended; the Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams of today are extensions of basic flowcharting principles.

Since the act of Process Modeling is itself a process, as computer systems advanced have in power and utility, various tools have been developed to assist in the Process Modeling process itself. Today's Process Modeling tools are highly graphical in nature with features that automatically reroute connection lines around graphical elements, support the use of swimlanes to denote cross-functional or interdepartmental process steps, manage the creation of enhanced relationships among process elements, and produce detailed analysis-specific reports. Process Modeling has evolved into Enterprise Modeling, which takes into account additional concepts such as the overall requirements, goals, and risks intrinsic to a system and its interfaces to the outside world.

Process Modeling And Clinical Information Systems

In order for Clinical Information Systems to be effective, they must integrate well and not disrupt the clinical processes they claim to support. Process Modeling, even in its basic form, provides a means of communication between CIS authors and their clients. Such communication facilities this desired integration. In addition, Clinical Information Systems are themselves complex and must interface to other external and often legacy systems, which are often in and of themselves complex. Process Modeling is an effective means of communication that can be used by the authors of such systems to facilitate their design, architecture, implementation, deployment, training, and support.

Tools v.s The Thought Process

It is worth noting that the thought process intrinsic to Process Modeling is distinct from the Process Modeling tools themselves, just as, say, the thought process intrinsic to accounting is distinct from spreadsheet programs used to manage said accounting information. Thinking in Process Modeling terms provides a basis for the understanding of any complex system, especially those required to support complex processes with a wide range of users and legacy interfaces, such as CIS.

Don't get hung up on not having a tool, or on the procurement and subsequent training and support requirements of that tool. Start the thought process first, and when you feel you could use some help in managing your thoughts, then seek out the tool that best supports your thought process.

References

1. Flowchart. [Online] 2011 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowchart
2. Workflow and Process Mapping. [Online] 2010 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:https://himsscpoewiki.pbworks.com/w/page/20977172/Workflow-and-Process-Mapping
3. Edraw soft vector-based graphic design. [Online] 2011 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://www.edrawsoft.com/flowchart-examples.php
4. Microsoft Office Visio. [Online] 2001 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio/
5. The practical guide to the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2000). [Online] 2006 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://info.kp.org/communitybenefit/assets/pdf/about_us/global/KP_Community_Weight_Management_Guide.pdf
6. Enterprise modeling. [Online] 2011 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_modeling
7. Responsibility assignment matrix. [Online] 2011 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_assignment_matrix
8. Sorgie C. Process modeling, simulation, and TRIZ: an innovative and symbiotic solution. [Online] 2004 [cited 2011 Nov 16]; Available from: URL:http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2004/05/01.pdf

Submitted by Charles Sorgie