Function

In response to a recent post I got a comment from a reader suggesting that what I called a Function was a Capability. In this post I explain how I align Capability with the standard English meaning of the word, i.e. what an enterprise is capable of doing. Capability actually couples a Function with elements that increase its depth, scope, productivity, etc. These elements could include knowledge, technology, product portfolio, geography, and many others.

Have some Data Quality practitioners lost the plot? When recently reading an article by a DQ practitioner I was tempted to think so. “You have amassed all of this master data and you must now make sure that you totally organise your whole business around feeding and maintaining it.” It’s a bit like all of the bees in a hive being expected to be totally dedicated to feeding and protecting the queen bee; to be an unquestioning and dedicated collective. Data is everything! Data must be served! Well, and this may shock some people, data is not everything!

Is This a Silly Question?
Before we can say what business process modeling is we need to know what a Business Process is! This may seem like stating the obvious, however, “process” is one of the most widely misunderstood and misused terms in business and business modeling! Managers and analysts alike often use the term “process” [...]

Most Process Improvement Projects Fail.
Around the world businesses spend vast amounts of time and money trying to tune their existing processes and procedures in order to make their businesses more efficient.
Sadly, in far too many instances their efforts result in no improvement at all or, worse still, in an actual degradation of performance - and always in a huge bill.
All of this can be avoided by first building a Function Model for the business.

Each business model helps portray a different aspect of a business.
For this reason it is important to select the most appropriate business model to portray the specific facet in question.

Quality Essentials
If your business is software production, whether for in-house or external clients, then it is essential that you have the following elements and structures in place.
Each of the elements listed below are essential, whether you are building a one-off application for a specific client or a package for mass distribution.
System Development Cycle
This should be [...]

I was recently invited by the team at DataQualityPro to put together a tutorial on the basics of function modelling. The team are familiar with the power of the Integrated Modelling Method and how it puts Business Functions at the core of the Corporate Business Model.
The tutorial summaries the IMM Function Modelling process.  It starts [...]

[I wrote the following comments in response to a blog that was advocating starting off by modeling the "as is" processes in the business as the starting point for business improvement.]
One of the major errors taken in business analysis and modeling is that of modeling the “As Is”, then the “To Be” and then trying [...]

[This post also comes as a Podcast - Please scroll to bottom of page]
One of the greatest areas for confusion in the world of business systems modeling is the terminology used to name the activities performed by a business.
Are these activities Processes, Functions, Mechanisms or Procedures?
The answer is “all of the above”.  Does this mean that these terms are synonyms? No [...]

[This post also comes as a Podcast - scroll to bottom of page][Youtube video here]
Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is one of the more common process modeling notations currently being promoted in the world of Business Process Modeling.
Is it any good?  Well as a modeling notation it is pretty good.  It falls about mid way between a Procedure Modeling notation, [...]

Many commentators are beginning to incorrectly use the term “normalisation” when they are talking about removing duplication from Service-oriented architecture (SOA). This a practice to be avoided, not just with SOA but in all communication, as it creates confusion and error.