Introduction to
Workflow
Overview
What is workflow?
What is business process management?
Common workflow and process problems
The functional organizational structure
The role of enterprise systems
Introduction to SAP R3
What is Workflow (1)?
Workflow is a depiction (model) of a
sequence of connected steps
Many see workflow as an abstraction of
actual work
Examples:
The route you take to work
The exact steps to make a Twinkie
The steps to procure raw materials for
manufacturing
What is Workflow? (2)
We model workflow in terms of
what steps are performed
who performs those steps
what dependencies (relationships) exist between
those steps
what external resources (information, materials,
etc.) are required to complete the set of steps
Modeling Workflow
We have tools to model workflow and
implement workflow-based software systems
BizAgi models business processes
UML and UML tools (Visio) model workflow and
various types of processes
There are several tools and there are different
models too
We will use BizAgi in this course and a bit of
Visio
Modeling Workflow (BPMN)
The Business Process Modeling Notation
(BPMN) is used to depict business processes
There are formal symbols to depict the actors in
the process, the tasks performed, and the
relationships between those tasks
A First Workflow Diagram
Modeling Workflow (Visio)
Visio supports several modeling tools for
workflow
Data Flow diagrams model the flow of data
through an information system
UML diagrams model process state, sequence,
and structure
What is Business Process
Management?
I like this definition:
Workflow is concerned with the applicationspecific sequencing of activities via predefined
instruction sets, involving either or both
automated procedures (software-based) and
manual activities (people work)
BPM is concerned with the definition, execution
and management of business processes defined
independently of any single application
Non-normative Definitions?
But let’s not get bogged down in formal
definitions
I can find several definition of the following
terms:
Workflow
Business Process
Business Process Management
Common Workflow
and Process Problems
Lack of workflow integration across functional
units
This leads to a silo effect
Workflow that is not well understood
The Functional
Organizational Structure
Purchasing
Production
Warehouse / distribution
Sales and marketing
Finance and accounting
Human resources
Information systems
Research and development
The Role of Enterprise
Systems
Enterprise Systems (Enterprise Planning
Systems) ERPs
Use best practices to implement cross-functional
workflow systems for various industries
We try to
Eliminate information silos
Create a real-time or near real-time view of an
organization
Establish strong internal controls over data
who can access it and who can change it
Common ERP Systems
Oracle (JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, Siebel)
SAP
Microsoft Dynamics
IBM
BAAN
Sage Group
Sage, Accpac ERP, Peachtree
There are also open source solutions
Introduction to SAP
SAP R3 (System Analysis and Program
Development) is a client-server application
made up of core business modules and
optional add-on modules
A central relational database sits behind the
server ( SAP HANA, Oracle, SQL Server, …)
The SAP Business Suite
SAP
SAP
SAP
SAP
SAP
SAP NetWeaver supplies the client user interface
Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP ERP)
Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM)
Customer Relationship Planning (SAP CRM)
Supply Chain Management (SAP SCM)
Product Lifecycle Management (SAP PLM)
SAP – The Company
SAP AG
Founded in Walldorf, Germany in 1972
World’s Largest Business Software Company
World’s Third-largest Independent Software Provider
Company Statistics
Over 45,000 employees in more then 50 countries
1,500+ Business Partners
95,000+ customers in more then 120 countries
12 million users
100,000+ installations
SAP – Industries (1)
Designed to satisfy the information needs for all
business sizes (small local to large all international)
Multi-lingual
Multi-currency
Multi-balance (parallel G/L Accounting)
SAP – Industries (2)
Aerospace & Defense
Automotive
Banking
Chemicals
Consumer Products
Defense & Security
Engineering, Const.
Healthcare
High Tech
Higher Education
Industrial Machinery
Insurance
Life Sciences
Logistics Service Prod.
Media
Mill Products
Mining
Oil & Gas
Pharmaceuticals
Postal Services
Professional Services
Public Sector
Railways
Retail
Telecommunications
Utilities
Wholesale Distribution
SAP – Architecture (1)
Client/Server Environment
Client – hardware/software environment that can
make a request for services for a central
repository of resources
This is the NetWeaver program that you see
Server – hardware/software combination that can
provide services to a group of clients in a
controlled environment
This is the back-end server that you connect to
through NetWeaver
SAP Architecture (2)
Three-Tier Architecture
GUI
Graphical User Interface (NetWeaver) or Web
Interface (WebDynpro)
Application Server
One or more, help distribute work load
Database Server
One single data repository
SAP ERP Components
And get used to all of these codes!
Core
Financials (FI) (“Track”)
Materials Management (MM) (“Buy Materials”)
Sales and Distribution (SD) (“Sell Goods”)
Production Planning (PP) (“Make goods)
Human Resources (HCM)
Add-on
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Supply Chain Management (CRM)
SAP Database
It’s huge (over 25000 tables)
There is little or no data redundancy
Terminology and data definitions are
consistent and accurate throughout the
database
SAP R3 Implementation
PCs, Laptops, etc.
Browser Client
Network
Internet
Transaction
Server
Presentation
Application
Web Server
Application
Servers
Database
Database
© SAP AG - University Alliances and The Rushmore Group, LLC
2008. All rights reserved
SAP Configuration vs.
Customization
SAP is configured by editing various
configuration tables
Configuration does not require software code
changes
Customization is possible through a
programming language called Advanced
Business Application Programming (ABAP)
Customization is a contested practice
