Module 3: Process Modeling Methodologies and Advanced Techniques
Glossary
Welcome! The alphabetized glossary contains many of the terms you'll find within this module. This comprehensive glossary also includes additional industry-recognized terms not used in the videos. These terms are important for you to recognize when working in the industry, participating in user groups, and participating in other certificate programs.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Agile | A flexible and iterative approach to project management and software development that focuses on collaboration, customer feedback, and rapid delivery of small, incremental improvements. |
| Business process management (BPM) | A systematic approach to improving, optimizing, and automating organizational processes to enhance efficiency and achieve business goals. |
| Business Process Model and Notation(BPMN) | A standardized graphical representation used to model business processes, allowing businesses to visualize workflows, understand process logic, and communicate processes across teams clearly. |
| Business process reengineering (BPR) | A strategy that involves the radical redesign of core business processes to achieve significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, and quality. |
| Complex data | A complex, detailed, and often interrelated information that requires careful analysis to fully understand and interpret due to its multifaceted nature. |
| Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | A system or strategy used by businesses to manage interactions with customers and potential clients, aimed at improving relationships, increasing customer retention, and driving sales growth by organizing, automating, and synchronizing customer service, marketing, and sales processes. |
| Data Flow Diagram (DFD) | A visualization tool that depicts how data moves through a system, highlighting inputs, processes, data flows, outputs, and data storage, thereby helping analysts understand information flow and processing within the system. |
| Data modeling | A technique that involves creating a data object's visual representation, their relationships, and rules. It helps in understanding data requirements and designing effective data management solutions. |
| Entity-relationship diagram (ERD) | A visual representation of the relationships between entities in a database, illustrating how data is structured and how entities such as people, objects, or concepts interact within a system. |
| Flowchart | A visual representation of the sequence of steps and decisions in a process, using diagram shapes connected by lines and arrows to show the flow. |
| Gantt chart | A horizontal bar chart used to visually represent a project schedule. |
| Lean | A methodology focused on maximizing value and minimizing waste in processes by continuously improving workflows, commonly used in manufacturing, project management, and software development. |
| Lucidchart | A cloud-based diagramming and visual collaboration tool that allows users to create flowcharts, process maps, entity-relationship (ER) diagrams, and other visual representations to simplify complex ideas and processes. |
| Microsoft Excel | A powerful spreadsheet application developed by Microsoft that allows users to organize, analyze, and manipulate data through functions, charts, and formulas, making it essential for tasks ranging from simple data entry to complex financial modeling. |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | A presentation software that allows users to create, edit, and display slideshows consisting of text, images, videos, charts, and other media, often used for business, education, and personal presentations. |
| Microsoft Project | A project management software designed to help teams plan, schedule, and track the progress of projects, allocate resources, and manage tasks across multiple projects. |
| Microsoft Teams | A collaboration platform that integrates workplace chat, meetings, file sharing, and app integration, enabling seamless communication and teamwork across organizations. |
| Microsoft Visio | A diagramming and vector graphics application that helps users create detailed flowcharts, organizational charts, network diagrams, and other visual representations of complex processes or systems. |
| Process map | A visual representation of a process, showing the sequence of steps and the flow of information or tasks from one step to another. |
| Process modeling | A business process management (BPM) technique that visually represents business processes to help stakeholders understand their current and future states. |
| Robotic process automation (RPA) | A technology that automates repetitive, rule-based tasks by using software robots or “bots” to perform processes that were traditionally carried out by humans. |
| Scope creep | The uncontrolled expansion of a project's scope due to changes or additional requirements being introduced without proper management, leading to delays, increased costs, and potential project failure. |
| SIPOC diagram | A high-level view of a process by outlining its suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers, helping to visualize material or data flow and improve processes affecting customer experience. |
| Six Sigma | A data-driven methodology aimed at improving processes by identifying and eliminating defects or inefficiencies, using statistical tools and techniques to achieve near-perfection in quality and performance. |
| Structured System Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) | A methodology used in system development that provides a structured approach to analyzing and designing information systems through stages such as requirements gathering, system modeling, and implementation planning. |
| Supply chain management (SCM) | The management and oversight of the flow of goods, information, and finances related to a product or service, from the acquisition of raw materials to the delivery of the finished product to the end consumer. |
| Swimlane diagram | A type of flowchart that depicts who is responsible for each step in a process. |
| SWOT analysis | A strategic planning tool used to evaluate an organization's internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats, to informed decision-making and strategy development. |
| Unified Modeling Language (UML) | A general-purpose visual language that provides standard notations for designing systems through use cases, classes, and sequence diagrams. |
| Use case | A key component of Unified Modeling Language (UML) that depicts specific functions or actions that the system performs in response to an actor's interaction. It summarizes the system's users (actors) and their interactions with the system. |
| Use-case diagram | A type of UML diagram that models system behavior, capturing high-level functions, scope, and interactions between the system and its actors. |
| Wireframe | A simple visual outline of an app or product layout that shows how it will function and how users will interact with it. |