TPPI - Definition - Document the Process Context

Process Definition

Contact: Craig Westbury (ABS)

Purpose
To document detailed information about the current Process in Scope to understand how the process is performed and provide a basis for analysing how the process can be improved.

The key output from this step is the creation and documentation of a Process Model describing the components of the As-Is process.

Often the activity of interacting with the stakeholders to determine the Process Component information can contribute more to the overall success of the Process Project than the documented processes themselves.

Inputs - Process Activities - Outputs
Determine Process Components Using the selected methodology for facilitation and Process Modeling the analyst will commence a series of activities to engage with stakeholders and determine the component make-up of the process.

The following list of components is a guide to the information, if collected, that will provide a good model of the current process. Depending on the methodology used by the analyst, the components and how they are determined may be varied.

Determine Inputs, Outputs, Guides and Enablers

Determine and Document the basic components of the process are;

Inputs - Materials or Information that is consumed by the process. Outputs - Materials or Information that is created by the process and made available to a stakeholder or another process. Guides - Information that is used to guide the execution of the process. Enablers - Capabilities that are utilised in the execution of the process.

Determine Sources and Destinations

All materials or information used and produced by the process are either sourced from, or delivered to another person or process.

Determine and document what each of these Sources and Destinations are and how they are related.

Determine Relationships and Roles

Obtain an understanding of the nature of the relationship between the components of the process, other processes, stakeholders and roles.

An example is to use the ARCI matrix, determining the Accountability and Responsibility of each role and if the relationship requires Consultation or Information to be maintained.

Determine Constraints and Risks

Determine the constraints and risks involved in executing this process.

What are the general issues with execution of this process? (More specific issues with components will be looked at in Process Definition step 3) What is the probability of failure and likely impact of such an event?

Document the strategies that are used to handle variation in the process execution and mitigate risk.

Document Existing Process Metrics

Determine and document the metrics that are currently collected and used to represent the sucess of the process.

How are the metrics collected, by whom and how do they relate to determining the Effectiveness, Efficiency or Adaptability of the current process?

Methods and Tools
There are various facilitation methods (Face to Face or Virtual) to determine and document the required information about the process from its stakeholders and users.

Various Process Modelling techniques can be used to capture the required information and will often dictate the format of the facilitation methods used.