Terms of use

Terms of Use

The use of this site and the content contained therein is governed by the Terms of Use. When you use this site you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and that you accept and will be bound by the terms hereof and such terms as may be modified from time to time.

All text, graphics, audio, design and other works on the site are the copyrighted works of nasscom unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.
Content on the site is for personal use only and may be downloaded provided the material is kept intact and there is no violation of the copyrights, trademarks, and other proprietary rights. Any alteration of the material or use of the material contained in the site for any other purpose is a violation of the copyright of nasscom and / or its affiliates or associates or of its third-party information providers. This material cannot be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way for non-personal use without obtaining the prior permission from nasscom.
The nasscom Members login is for the reference of only registered nasscom Member Companies.
nasscom reserves the right to modify the terms of use of any service without any liability. nasscom reserves the right to take all measures necessary to prevent access to any service or termination of service if the terms of use are not complied with or are contravened or there is any violation of copyright, trademark or other proprietary right.
From time to time nasscom may supplement these terms of use with additional terms pertaining to specific content (additional terms). Such additional terms are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use.

Disclaimer

The Company information provided on the nasscom web site is as per data collected by companies. nasscom is not liable on the authenticity of such data.
nasscom has exercised due diligence in checking the correctness and authenticity of the information contained in the site, but nasscom or any of its affiliates or associates or employees shall not be in any way responsible for any loss or damage that may arise to any person from any inadvertent error in the information contained in this site. The information from or through this site is provided "as is" and all warranties express or implied of any kind, regarding any matter pertaining to any service or channel, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement are disclaimed. nasscom and its affiliates and associates shall not be liable, at any time, for any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to, alteration of, or use of information contained on the site. No representations, warranties or guarantees whatsoever are made as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, completeness, suitability or applicability of the information to a particular situation.
nasscom or its affiliates or associates or its employees do not provide any judgments or warranty in respect of the authenticity or correctness of the content of other services or sites to which links are provided. A link to another service or site is not an endorsement of any products or services on such site or the site.
The content provided is for information purposes alone and does not substitute for specific advice whether investment, legal, taxation or otherwise. nasscom disclaims all liability for damages caused by use of content on the site.
All responsibility and liability for any damages caused by downloading of any data is disclaimed.
nasscom reserves the right to modify, suspend / cancel, or discontinue any or all sections, or service at any time without notice.

For any grievances under the Information Technology Act 2000, please get in touch with Grievance Officer, Mr. Anirban Mandal at data-query@nasscom.in.

New

See all

No notification found.

How to Create Effective Business Workflow Diagrams?

DLT Labs

@DLT Labs

February 24, 2022

Collaborations

264

Business documents such as a Scope document or an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) document can benefit from diagramming to allow business users to be able to conceptualize what a future-state solution may look like.

The saying that “a picture can say a thousand words” may be cliché, but the saying holds true, especially in the production of business-facing deliverables.

Why do we need to create effective business workflow diagrams?

An effective diagramming of a business workflow can facilitate a clear understanding of the boundaries of a business process. This allows the reader to see where and when the process flow can leave the business process that is being documented.

Such diagrams convey can complex information to your audience or help elicit nuanced details when performing tasks such as requirements.

Diagramming these process flows can be an effective tool that an analyst uses to shed light into the nuances of the business process that may not have been so evident.

There are 3 ways we can create effective business workflow diagrams

>> Color code your diagram

A concept can be explained easily if it is being communicated to domain experts. But what if a concept needs to be explained to people belonging to diverse backgrounds, say for example executive stakeholders across different business verticals?

You do not necessarily need to be an artist to conceive helpful diagrams, but it helps to have an artistic eye when trying to combine multiple concepts into one image. Employing simple techniques such as color-coding diagram elements can help your audience visualize certain concepts, such as the flow of data to and from different sources.

In my example above, the effective use of colored illustrative diagrams helps, for instance, convey what information is being passed from a data source to the proposed solution and back.

It can allow a business user to see how each element of their existing business systems and external data sources, for example, can be combined by your solution.

>> Keep your diagram simple and concise

Try to make your diagram as concise as required for the audience. The previous diagram contains a lot of information and can be overwhelming for a reader. If you are simply trying to convey a simple concept or a simple flow, keeping the diagram simple and concise is usually best.

>> Utilize numbering to direct your narrative

If you want your audience to follow a certain narrative when looking at your diagram, a simple, but effective tool is to utilize a simple numbering schema.

Since the typical focus for English-language text is from left to right, adding a numbering schema in your diagram can be very helpful in directing how the reader views your diagram, especially if the diagram is not sequentially drawn. This helps in the accurate consumption of information.

Benefits of effective diagramming in Business Process Documents

Frequently, when gathering requirements for an initiative or project, requirements analysts can be presented with descriptions of in-scope business processes by business stakeholders in the form of step-by-step lists or verbal descriptions of the process.

Diagramming these process flows can be an effective tool that an analyst uses to shed light on the nuances of the business process that may not have been so evident.

Graphical depictions of a business process can allow the business stakeholder to visualize their business process and provide value-add information in the form of business rules that may not have been evident with the initial verbal or written description.

For example, the diagramming of decision points in a business flow diagram can help to elicit what business rules should be observed in the event of a negative outcome in the decision process.

On multiple occasions throughout my career, I have seen examples of written step-by-step documentation of business processes that define what to do when everything goes correctly, but are lacking in terms of instructions on what to do if the outcome is negative.

Conclusion

The effective use of diagrams in your business-facing documents can help by leaps and bounds in being able to convey complex information or help elicit nuanced details when performing tasks such as requirements gathering.

Effective diagramming will help you to tell your story to your audience and can help to bring about clarity. You do not need to be an artist, but you need to be concise. A good picture can absolutely help you say a thousand words.

Author — Francis Roque, DLT Labs™

About the Author: Francis is a seasoned expert in the Business Analysis domain whose experiences span Fintech, Financial Regulation, Human Resources, Telecom, Consulting, Managed Services, Freighttech, and Distributed Ledger technology.

#ProjectManagement #stakeholders

Disclaimer

That the contents of third-party articles/blogs published here on the website, and the interpretation of all information in the article/blogs such as data, maps, numbers, opinions etc. displayed in the article/blogs and views or the opinions expressed within the content are solely of the author's; and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of NASSCOM or its affiliates in any manner. NASSCOM does not take any liability w.r.t. content in any manner and will not be liable in any manner whatsoever for any kind of liability arising out of any act, error or omission. The contents of third-party article/blogs published, are provided solely as convenience; and the presence of these articles/blogs should not, under any circumstances, be considered as an endorsement of the contents by NASSCOM in any manner; and if you chose to access these articles/blogs , you do so at your own risk.

DLT Labs

DLT Labs™ is a global leader in the development and delivery of enterprise blockchain technologies and solutions, as well as a pioneer in the creation and implementation of standards for application development. With a deep track record in innovation and one of the world's largest pools of highly experienced blockchain experts, DLT Labs™ enables the transformation and innovation of complex multi-stakeholder processes.

Key Trends in Gen AI Startups: Pivo...

Madhumay

Digital Transfo..

15 Nov 2024

Power of Machine Learning via Data ...

Snowflake

Machine Learnin..

15 Nov 2024