EPC - chain diagram

EPC Diagrams

Vesna Bosilj Vuksic & Ljubica Milanovic

Faculty of Economics and Business

University of Zagreb

Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning, Second Edition

Presentation Overview• Process Modeling• Event Process Chain (EPC) Diagrams• Extended Event Process Chain (eEPC) Diagrams• Assignments


Process Modeling• Business processes are complex, and require people

with various skills and abilities to work in a cooperative fashion

• Processes will not be efficient and effective unless:• They are clearly defined• Individuals are adequately trained in their roles• Individuals understand how their roles fit in the

overall process• Process Modeling tools provide a way to describe

business processes so that everyone involved in the process can understand the process


Event Process Chain (EPC) Diagrams• SAP has developed EPC representations for many

of the business processes its software supports• the EPC modeling technique is available in the

IDS/Scheer ARIS Toolset• ARIS: Architecture of Integrated Information System

• a "lean" modeling approach, • a purely chronological procedural sequence of

process steps (i.e. functions) and events


Event Process Chain (EPC) Diagrams



• A function is a technical task, a procedure, and/or an activity performed on an object to support one or more company goals.

• The function is a carrier of times and costs.• Functions represent where change occurs in the

process.• Functions are named using VerbObject

Verb ObjectPrepare Expense reportReview Expense reportMail Refund check

Give us your example….



• An event describes a business-relevant occurrence at an object which either controls or influences the continuation of a business process.

• Events represent a state or status in the process• Since an event generally has something to do with a

"piece of data", i.e. a status description, events are originally assigned to the data view.

• Events act as triggers for activities, but are also based on preceding functions and therefore describe an event.

• Events are named using ObjectPast Participle

Object Past ParticipleExpense IncurredExpense report ApprovedHard copy Filed Give us your example….


EPC components

PrepareExpense Report

Verb

Object

ExpenseIncurred

Object

Past Participle

Event

Function


Event Process Chain (EPC) Diagrams• EPC Diagrams follow an event-function-event

structure• EPC Diagrams must begin and end with events

• Logical branches in the chronological flow of the process are represented by rules in the form of logical operators (AND, OR, XOR)

• ¸Branching is done with three types of connectors:• AND• OR• XOR (exclusive OR)


Basic EPC layout

ExpenseIncurred


Expense ReportCompleted

MailExpense Report

Expense ReportReceived


Receiptbookingrequest Event

Event

Checkbookingrequest Function

Function

Bookingrequestchecked Event

Event

Createflight

booking FunctionFunction

Flightbookingcreated Event

Event

Offeralternative

flight

Alternativeflight

offered

Events trigger functionsEvents trigger functions

Functions generate eventsFunctions generate events



OR connector

ProcessPayment

SalespersonNotified

Sales ManagerNotified

OR connector


AND connector

AND connectorEnter

Expense Report

Expense ReportRecorded

Hard CopyFiled


XOR connector

XOR connector

ReviewExpense Report

ApprovedNot

Approved


OR connector with two triggering events

TripCompleted

WeekEnds



Possible connector and triggering combinations

Event

Function

>

Event

Event

Function

>

Event

Event

Function

x

Event

Event

Function

>

Event

Event

Function>

Event

Event

Function

x

Event

Function

>

Event

Function

Function

>

Event

Function

Function

x

Event

Function

AND

OR

XOR

Event

Function>

Function

NotAllowed

NotAllowed

Event Trigger Function Trigger

Single Multiple Single Multiple


Splitting and consolidating process paths

ExpenseIncurred

CheckInternet

Availability

InternetAvailable

InternetNot Available

PrepareOnline Report

PreparePaper Report

ReportSubmitted

ReportMailed


Must use same connectorto split and consolidate a path


Combination of connectors




Extended Event Process Chain (eEPC) Diagrams

• integrate objects of static views in EPCs• model the processes with additional information• data, information and organization views


eEPC Diagrams


eEPC Diagrams

Client data

DataData

Flight data

DataData

Receiptbookingrequest

Checkbookingrequest

Bookingrequestchecked

Offeralternative

flight

Createflight

booking

Flightbookingcreated

Alternativeflight

offered

Client data

DataData

Flight data

DataData


Checkbookingrequest


Offeralternative

flight

Createflight

booking


Alternativeflight

offered

Data is processed in functionsData is processed in functions


eEPC Diagrams

Mrs. Miller

EmployeeEmployee

Mr. Green

EmployeeEmployee

Mrs. Walker

EmployeeEmployee


Checkbookingrequest


Flight data

Client data

Offeralternative

flight

Createflight

booking


Alternativeflight

offered

Employees are responsible for functionsEmployees are responsible for functions


eEPC Diagrams

Flightdisposition

Organi-sational

unit

Organi-sational

unit

Callcenter

Organi-sational

unit

Organi-sational

unit

Flightdisposition

Organi-sational

unit

Organi-sational

unit


Checkbookingrequest


Mrs. Miller

Mrs. Walker Mr. Green

Employees are assigned to organisational unitsEmployees are assigned to organisational units

Offeralternative

flight

Createflight

booking


Alternativeflight

offered

Flight data

Client data


eEPC diagram

ExpenseIncurred

PrepareExpense Report Salesperson

SalesManager

UnapprovedMulti-copy

Expense Report

Salesperson

UnapprovedMulti-copy

Expense Report

Expense ReportCompleted

MailExpense Report

Expense ReportReceived


OrganizationalElements

DataElements


eEPC diagram

PlaneticketService

Service

Alternativeflightoffer Service

ServiceBookingrequestService

Service

BookingformService

ServiceReceiptbookingrequest

Checkbookingrequest


Callcenter

Flightdisposition

Flightdisposition

Functionsgenerate andprocess services

Functionsgenerate andprocess services

Offeralternative

flight

Createflight

booking


Alternativeflight

offered

Flight data

Client data

Mrs. Miller

Mrs. Walker Mr. Green


Assignments EPC Modelling - Quiz EPC with Errors

Questions ??

Thank You !

Documents

EPC - chain diagram