Systems Modeling for Business Process Improvement Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is technology-focused with an emphasis on software-to-business alignment from the perspectives of quality and fit. It's a collection of papers that cover the range of related topics, including systems dynamics, object-oriented business process modeling, exploiting knowledge in adaptive workflow systems and modeling and metrics techniques.
Process improvement strategies are related to software quality and are highlighted in two chapters: (1) ISO 15504, SPICE (Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination) and FEAST/1 (Feedback, Evolution And Software Technology), which was sponsored by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The material on FEAST/1 has been superseded by FEAST/2, but is still valid. Both SPICE and FEAST/1 chapters provide evaluation frameworks for determining software processes, which in turn is an indicator of how well systems modeling aligns to aspects of business processes.
The chapters which I felt were especially useful dealt with requirements and modeling, including:
- "Information Systems Specifications within the Framework of Client-Led Design"
- "Developing a Business-IT Co-Evolutionary Change Plan"
- "Relating Organizational Symbiotics, Process Modeling, and Stakeholder Viewpoints to Elucidate and Record Requirements"
- "Modeling Organizational Communication: Top Down Analysis & Bottom Up Diagnosis"
These reflect my current professional interests; however, I also gained insights from the chapter on FEAST/1 and "Modeling Information System Requirements for Complex Systems", both of which were thought provoking and addressed subtle issues that I hadn't previously thought of.
This book is not a primary text on business process modeling. It is most useful to experienced process improvement and requirements analysts and modeling professionals. Also not that much of the material needs to be force-fit to approaches such as UML, but does supplement UML and Unified Process methodologies if you keep an open mind and extract the key ideas presented.

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The effective application of information technology (IT) can be the key to achieving organizational change and improvements that directly impact your company's success in today's highly competitive business. This manual provides approaches for developing system models that bridge the traditional gap between information systems and software engineering and allow you to manage change and outcomes effectively. With contributions from researchers and practitioners in the field - including Ian Somerville, Wendy Currie, Frank Stowell and Dave Bustard - the book examines change from business, information systems and software engineering perspectives, and addresses major concepts and issues in systems engineering and business process improvement.

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