
Modelling a process
After structure comes execution. By means of 8 icons a process can be visualized unambiguously on the level of activities. These are linked by arrows to indicate the process flow. Clear and well-organized for everyone who uses it.
This process management approach is developed by Sensus process management
- How am I going to reach my objectives?
- Concretize the execution
- Organizing: Who does what?
- Sharing tasks and responsibilities
- Modelling a process in a clear way
- Look at processes from different points of view
Table of contents
Organizational description with eight Icons
A common mistake the average professional makes is that his/her drawings are to complex for the people they write them for. Our advise: Keep it simple, the people who read your processes are focused on the job not on Modelling a process in a technical way .
By using these recognizable eight icons of the process-modeller everybody can read the process-flows and you as a process-modeller have all the information you need. Fast and easy.
In this paragraph the eight Icons on which the Sensus-method® depends will be explained extensively. These Icons are:
Activity
The “Activity” Icon is the most important. Processes are primarily built on Activities. Activities are all things that have to be executed by humans. This sounds simple, but when defining an Activity people often wonder how to count or display this Activity.
In the Sensus-method® the borders are defined by describing the Activity as simple as possible. This means the Activity has to be described by a single verb and possibly a noun.
In this paragraph the eight Icons on which the Sensus-method® depends will be explained extensively. These Icons are:


Input Documents and Output Documents
Using documents when Modelling a process is easy with Sensus process management. Within the Sensus-method® two similar red Icons exist, but their uses are very different. These are the Input documents and Output Documents. The shape of the Icons is the same, but they are 180 degrees turned with respect to each other.

Input Documents contain information needed within the Process for the following Action(s).
Output Documents are made in the Process and therefore contain information gathered in the preceding Action.
A Process can never start with an Output Document, and never finish with an Input Document. Documents in process description are given the same names as the documents in the actual organization. This is essential for the recognizably of the described process.



Computer activity
A Computer Activity is comparable to a normal Activity , although a computer is used. So for describing the Activity a verb and possible a noun are used, which in this case concern a computer. A computer action represents the interface between the user of the computer and a data processing application, such as a customer database, a production database or an administrative application. Computers are growing ever more important in any organization. This makes them more important in describing processes.

Choice / (Gateway)
A Choice is a technical crossroads in process description. To visually show that the process can go in multiple directions after a choice, a Choice Icons is added. A Choice basically is a yes or no question. The question often consists of a single word. A Choice is often called a decision or evaluation.







Continue modeling processes in your browser and use the powerful features of Sensus BPM Designer.
Click to register the fully functional trial!
Process (reference)
The Process reference (connector) is used to link Processes and to delimit them, which can be quite complex. It is possible that, whilst running a Process, another Process is started. This second Process is run to completion, and it has an effect on the first Process, which is then completed. Processes can take place consecutively. The Process reference can be used in three ways to modeling a process.



Preceding example is relatively easy; a short process is added by means of arrows. However, in modelling a process that is larger or more complex, it may be more useful to not add the Process completely Instead, the Process reference Icon is added.



Archive
The last and probably the simplest Icon is the Archive Icon. An Archive is an official location where employees can store and retrieve Documents (information). This makes an Archive the exchange point of information. An Archive can be tangible or digital.
An Archive is an object such as a map or a piece of furniture, or a location such as a location on a digital network where Documents are stored. When giving a name to an Archive the type of archive (map, rack) or the title or contents can be used.


Clarification: An Archive can be a tangible object, or a digital storage medium.

Documents can be put in an Archive, and they can also be retrieved. A Document can leave a Process by entering an Archive, but it may also enter a Process when it is retrieved from an Archive.

The Icons are connected with arrows. These arrows indicate the order in which the Activities and Computer activities take place. But they also indicate the direction of the information flows. When a Document is situated before the Activity it means the information is needed to perform the Activity. If an archive is placed after a Document it means the Document is stored in the Archive.



Continue modeling processes in your browser and use the powerful features of Sensus BPM Designer.
Click to register the fully functional trial!