Signavio Process Manager Tips: QuickModel (Part 1), a cool feature to use in process discovery

[JD_WongLoera]

Intro:

Signavio Process Manager's Quick Model, is a feature that can be useful when a Process Owner/Developer is interviewing or holding workshops with SMEs and other stakeholders for initial process brainstorming and discovery, when information is being captured in a general sequence and with the most important tasks, which can later be turned into a more accurate and perhaps more complex BPMN 2.0 diagram.

You can read more about Quick Model it in this official article from SAP Signavio Team https://community.sap.com/t5/technology-blogs-by-sap/how-to-use-the-quickmodel-in-sap-signavio-and-w...

QuickModel - a great feature for initial process discovery

Sample scenario:  

• You are working with a team of 3 stakeholders that participate in a process triggered by a customer
• Customer has complained 😠 that they find lack of alignment on information shared by team.
• The process requires back and forth information to flow between customer and team 🔍
• The 3 stakeholders are very busy, and you only  get 30 minutes with them 😬 to capture their current way of working.
• The 3 stakeholders don't agree in decisions and approvals internally yet ❗, but at least they agree the moments when each one needs to communicate or receive information from the customer.

Tip 1 - Use QuickModel to track process discovery sessions and information capture

Define a folder structure that will support you as a Process Manager/Developer to keep track of information collected in different phases of a Project or Transformation taskforce

Although SAP Signavio Process Manager provides the helpful feature of diagram revision comparison (to be discussed in a later article), it is also helpful to group diagrams in stages of information capture and aligned with their design lifecycle. 

QuickModel diagrams have a very specific lifecyle and they will never be published to Collaboration Hub, thus it is strongly adviced that a folder structure represents  that.

Here is an example

In this example the process would be to use the Quick Models folder to store and keep a reference of all models that created initially via QuickModel interface in process discovery interviews or workshops

Folder 2 would serve as storage and working folder once a QuickModel diagram is being adjusted and manageed in full BPMN 2.0 notation and folder 3, as its desciption points, would be used to store all diagramas that have been approved for publshing into the Collaboration Hub

In Collaboration hub, only the names of the folders that have files that are published are visible (Note, in this example I used numbers to suit the explanation purpose of the article)

In Process Collaboration Hub the structure would like this after you published Diagrams in folder 3

Tip 2 - Use a naming convention to distinguish the diagrams started via QuickModel

Try to name your quick models accordingly and with a significant description. 

For example, you  might know in advance that you will have only the tree stakeholders togehter only for 30 minutes to discuss process 1, and then you will have another session with one stakeholder separate the next day.  If relevant for stakeholder management, manage your QuickModel diagrams to start to "glue" process information together 

 ‼️During process discovery, it is important to keep track of the contradictons/discrepancies between stakeholders points of view, which always impact Business Process Improvement.

Below is a sample Diagam name and description

Remeber! thanks to the folder structure you created in the editor, you can keep the original quick models before being copied to a folder for Work in Progress (WIP)

In the example screen below, you can see other diagrams already created via QuickModel. 

Lets us imagine that another Process Manager is ready to work in more detail with diagram "QuickModel Process 2_Second Workshop" in the Full BPMN Diagram Editor to use more complex elements and notation

❓How would she ensure that she keeps a reference Quick Model file after  that 2nd workshop with all stakeholders/SMEs?

Within the above folder she would create a copy of the file, then move it to the WIP folder and then update the name and work in the BPMN 2.0 design ✔️

Note: From a stakeholder management prespective (not a purely data management perspective) I recommend not to choose the "Copy all revisions of the diagram" in this step, and to start to track the new changes per revision from scratch in the WIP folder. Since many more elements will be added which will make the comparisons (to be explained in another article) more complex.  You can always reference the Quick Model file for comparisons during process discovery

The file can later be renamed in it is destination folder ✔️ as shown below

TIP 2 - Prepare the Activities Table with the roles of the stakeholders that you are aware are participating in the process so far. 

This will help you save time in having to select them in the workshop, especially if it is a short session (time is money! 💰)

Another point of doing the above is that it serves as a reminder for the stakeholders of the Roles involved, and this will support the Process Manager/Process Developer to guide the interview or workshop ensuring there is even participation and collaboration

In the initial scenario, it is know that 3 stakeholders who are active participants in the process will be part of your discovery interview, you can prepare the table in a simple way with enough lines per Role.

The table could like like this

By preparing the Activities Table in advance, you would also have a blank QuickModel diagram ready, which once you start the Workshop or Interview, can be shown on a larger screen as you start to add Activities/Task descriptions, Roles, Notes on "How" it is done, Input Documents, Output documents, etc

The preview appears in the second have of the screen in the QuickModel interface and it can be pinned to be static if desired.👍

Now you have a blank diagram prepared to be used in the next workshop with the stakeholders. This will save you time and will send the signal that "You Mean Business" when you invite anyone to design or improve a process.😃

End of Part 1

Sneak Preak of Part 2

In the next article different tips and recommendations for the same scenario will be shared along the journey of ending with this QuickModel diagram

Summary

These are the first set of Tips related to QuickModel as a feature in SAP Signavio Process Manager. 

I chose to start with QuickModel because it can be very useful tool in Process Dicovery, or in Business Areas that have not been good at following any structured processes before (even if other areas in the organization have).

QuickModel is a feature that can support the interaction with stakeholders that have no experience (or inclination)  with/towards Process Management nor Process Modelling and at the same time educates them on the capability and the importance of process managment.

Moreover it can support Business Architects and Process Management Consultants in collecting as much unstructured data from stakeholders as they deem relevant for process discovery phases or, before getting into more detailed and complex BPMN 2.0 notation.

Process improvement has a lot to do with stakeholder management, and Process Management practitioners need to ensure the level of detail collected from stakeholders is at a similar level for execution and reach, that will suit the BPMN 2.0 diagram.

The QuickModel´s interface, if used intelligently, can support Process Management practitioners in structuring smaller sets  of activities/tasks by creating QuickModels diagrams first,  that can later be grouped into a more complex BPMN 2.0 diagram as longer and more complex process, or as subprocesses within it. 

About the author:

JD Wong-Loera is a Stockholm/Toronto based Project Manager, Business Architect and Process Managament consultant who enjoys supporting others in understanding the Businesss Architecture and Business Process Management Capabilities. In his free time he enjoys camping, reading and Thai boxing