Business Process

Definition

    Business Process is a series of activities conducted by a business which includes the initiation of the input, the transformation of the information, and produce output. Output can be of value to business customers or markets, may also be of value to other processes (within the organization). A business process can be broken down into a number of subprocesses, each of which has its own attributes that contribute to achieve the objectives of its parent process. Subprocesses can be broken down into activities, which is the smallest subprocesses which may consist of one or more steps (steps) that must be included in the business process.

     Davenport, define business processes as:
"Measurable and structured activities to produce a specific output for a particular customer circles. There is in them a strong emphasis on "how" the work was carried out in an organization, not as the focus of the product focused on the aspect of "what". A process is therefore the specific sequence of work activities across time and space, with a prefix and suffix, and clearly defined inputs and outputs. "

    Definition of Hammer and Champy's, can be considered a derivative of the definition of Davenport. They define a process as
"A collection of activities that takes one or more input and produce output useful / valuable to customers"

          Some common characteristics are considered to be owned by a business process is :

• Definitive: A business process must have limits, input and output pins.
• Sequence: the business process should Consist of sequential activities According to time and space.
• Customer: A business process must have a process result receiver.
• Value added: The transformation that Occurs in the process should add value to the recipient.
• Linkage: A process can not stand alone, but must be related in an organizational structure.
• Cross Function: A process is generally, though not necessarily, include some functions.

          There are three types of business processes:

1. Management process, the process that controls the operation of a system. Examples such as the Strategic Management
2. Operational processes, ie processes which includes the core business and create the primary value stream. For example, processes such as purchasing, manufacturing, advertising and marketing, and sales.
3. Supporting processes, which support the core processes. Examples such as accounting, recruitment, help center.

          Sources :

• Wikipedia
• Paul Harmon (2007), Business Process Trend, MK Press
• Thomas Davenport (1993). Process Innovation: Reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business School Press, Boston
• Michael Hammer and James Champy (1993). Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, Harper Business