Business process modelling demonstrates a company’s current process. Business process modelling tools are visual aids that represent the timeline of a process. They’re essential for creating an effective analytical representation or illustration of a business process.

To produce a comprehensive illustration, you first need to understand business process modelling. This article discusses business process modelling and the best tools for it.

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What Is Business Process Modelling?

Business process modelling (BPM) is a technique that improves effectiveness and reduces costs. It demonstrates the current or future state of a business process. BPM includes steps, participants, and decision logic throughout the process. This technique is a combination of several processes such as process mapping, process discovery, process simulation, process analysis and process improvement.

With BPM, you can understand the essential business functions. Flowcharts and diagrams generally represent these. When necessary, you can add some documentation to give more details. Besides, these models provide important insights into the steps that form a process.

BPM involves IT (information technology)  processes alongside people (departments and teams) processes. If it is beneficial, external company processes can also participate in BPM. Due to scale and complexity, larger businesses have more detailed BPMs.

There are many modelling tools out there, but it can be challenging to choose which one to use. Especially, if you are new in the field, you might need guidance. Below are the most effective tools you can use in modelling.

What Are The Best Business Process Modelling Tools?

Flowcharts

A flowchart is a diagram that visualises business progress. It uses simple shapes and arrows to show the steps. While shapes refer to activities and events, arrows indicate sequential flows. You can create different flowcharts with software. They must contain a starting and an ending point. Flowcharts are generally the first step in more complex modellings.

Gantt Charts

Gantt charts have been used for years to visualise process flows. To illustrate a project schedule, such as the duration of tasks and parts of tasks, they use a bar style. If you are dealing with specific deadlines or time-sensitive processes, Gantt charts are the best option. Break down the tasks into sub-tasks with these bar charts, and you can easily see if the project is ahead or behind schedule.

Control Flow Diagrams

Control flow diagrams can describe normal flows with limits and constraints. These diagrams illustrate how some factors, such as additional data, or alternative inputs influence the flow of the process. Each node in a diagram represents a part of the flow. These diagrams are process-oriented.

Functional Flow Block Diagrams

These diagrams are essential for business process modelling. They involve sequential order of blocks, where tasks that are required for an outcome are called blocks. Functional flow block diagrams identify equipment, software, and training. If you are representing nested functionality, these diagrams are better than flowcharts. Unlike flowcharts, they are function-oriented.

Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN)

BPMN is a flowchart technique that illustrates the steps of a process from end to end. It provides a detailed sequence of business activities and flows. Therefore, it is a key tool in business process modelling. The aim of this tool is to represent ways to advance efficiency and clarify new conditions. There has been a standardisation for BPMN, and it is recommended to use standardised BPMN. However, you can also use it with your own visual language and symbols.

Unified Modelling Language Diagrams (UML)

Software developers created UML diagrams to visualise systems design and interactions. This is an object-oriented tool, and it represents the relationship between actors and systems. Using UML software makes processes easier to document, and it’s simple to understand. However, you need a strong knowledge of UML. However, you need a strong knowledge of UML.

The Bottom Line

To stay viable, businesses must evolve and grow. There is no future for your business if you remain the same. So, you should be able to adapt to changes quickly. This requires a good strategy. Business process modelling takes the stage at this point. It helps you find opportunities to improve. 

Process modelling breaks down your current process and analyses the elements. So, you can understand whether your business is doing well or needs improvement. Since modelling is about improving efficiency, you can use tools to help you perceive things more easily. These tools play a significant role in clarifying the factors in a business process.