Using Relaxed Layout to Improve Line Routing

Blueprint has been designed to allow the system to do much of the line routing and layouts for your process so you can focus more on your process vs the layout.

Occasionally, the default positioning may not have the results that you expected to see. As a trick, in some cases you may use Relaxed Layout to help position your process more to your desired layout and to help change line routing to be more as expected.

First I want to describe what Relaxed Layout is. Relaxed layout is the ability to move one object to a relative position around a 2nd object.

Take a look at this example (Click on Image to Enlarge)

Notice the process is written as

A > B > C

where > represents a line drawn from one Activity to Another

The rule for relaxed layout is you are allowed to move Activity2 around Activity1 if a line directly connects Activity1 to Activity2.

So in this example

• One can position Activity B ABOVE or BELOW Activity A because a line directly connects A to B
• One can position Activity C ABOVE or BELOW Activity B because a line directly connects B to C
• One CANNOT position Activity C ABOVE or BELOW Activity A because a line does NOT directly connect A to C

To observe this, click on B and drag it BELOW A. Notice a grey dropline bar appears. The grey dropline bar appears telling you that the drop is allowed. If a position is in use, then a drop may not be allowed. Seeing the dropline tells you that are allowed to position an object relative to another object the dropline appears around (in this example Activity A). 

 After you let go, the diagram in Relaxed Layout appears as this

Notice now how you have moved Activity B to have relative position to be BELOW Activity A. This is called Relaxed Layout because the positioning changes the behavior of the layout of the diagram from it’s default positioning. Seeing the dropline appear when you reposition objects on a diagram shows you that you are invoking relaxed layout on your diagram.

In this simple example, the Relaxed Layout demonstrated how you can position objects relative to each other. If you had wanted to make C have some relative position with A, you could have draw a line from A to C, position C appropriately and then delete the line from A to C.

Here is another example of a more complicated process now where it may not seem obvious how Relaxed Layout may be able to change line routing in your favor.

Before you perform Relaxed Layout, as a BEST PRACTICE, always take a MANUAL snapshot BEFORE you do relaxed layout in complicated processes. In case the layout is not working as you want it to, it will be easier to revert back to an original snapshot. You can also press UNDO within the same session, but a manual snapshot is safer to have before beginning the edits.

Here is a part of a process that is using ALL default layouts from Blueprint

Notice on this process that the “End” event comes out from A1 Activity. In this example, I want to delete the End Event. When I do, this change occurs

As you can see from the image above, by deleting the End event, the line from A1 is now crossing over the other line that goes to A2. This would not be the desired result here.

Each process will require your own “trial and error” tests, which is why having the “original snapshot” is good so you can revert changes if you want to.

Looking at this process, I can see that IF I made A2 have relative position under A1, that the line from A1 may be drawn more directly to A2. By making A2 have relative position BELOW A1, it will make the default line go under A1 to A2.

To do this I will do these steps

1)  Make a manual snapshot of my process (“v1 – original layout”)

2) Now I drag A2 so it is in the same swimlane / milestone cell as A1 is, just so I can do the positioning.

3) Position A2 so it is explicitly positioned under A1. You will see the grey dropline appear showing this re-positioning is possible

4)  After you let go, the diagram will look like this

5)  What this now does is it has added a relative position for A2 to be BELOW A1. When you move A2 out now it keeps some of that relativity in between swimlanes and milestones. This is what will allow the line to get a more direct path to A2.

Move A2 back to its original position

 6)  Now delete the End event again from A1. Notice now the line doesn’t overlap with the line for A2 because a relative positioning was added.

Using relaxed layout can be a powerful trick to get your processes to look more like you want them to.

In closing here is a summary of what to keep in mind when using this trick

• Always make a manual snapshot of the process BEFORE you do relaxed layout. For very complicated processes, relaxed layout may be tricky to get as you want after your 1st attempt, so having a manual snapshot to revert your changes is a good practice
• Getting your results will require a “trial and error” approach, so you may have to try a few tests to see if the layout is what you wanted. Using UNDO during ONLY the same editing session is a good way to quickly back out the changes you made (DO NOT refresh your page, or your undo stack will be lost and you won’t be able to undo your steps anymore)
• Always try to create as much of your process using Blueprint’s default layout 1st before using relaxed layout. Using relaxed layout will be best used when you are just tweaking the final layouts of your diagram vs using from the BEGINNING of creating your process or when you have  a lot of your process left to create.
• Be patient. When you initially shuffle things around especially with very complicated processes, your process may start to look “messed up”. You may need to move things around a bit to eventually get the layout that you desire.

Hope this may help you in some of your layout issues. With some patience, you can usually get a layout that you want in most cases.

Announcing the August 2010 Blueprint Release

The August 2010 update is now live on blueprint.lombardi.com! In this release we’ve made some enhancements that improve your Blueprint experience through the use of avatars. Avatars are a great way to identify users within Blueprint by associating a picture with a particular user.  Once thing we have learned at IBM it’s easy for communications to become impersonal in an organization, especially when you are working in a globally distributed team. The ability to “Put a face to a name” can really help bridge that gap.  That’s why we are introducing avatars today. Anywhere a users information appears in Blueprint such as the Feeds, Chat, etc. the avatar will now appear alongside their user name, making it easier to “Put a face to a name!”  Check out the screen shot below for an example.

So go ahead and upload your picture today and let us know what you think!

As always, this release also features improvements based upon what we’ve heard from you such as

• Ability to restrict inviting users as an admin security feature
• Improving the export to Microsoft Word to use headers better to support the creation of a table of contents in the Blueprint Microsoft Word Export

Log in now and try it out for yourself! If you don’t have an account yet, just sign up for a free 30 day trial. And if you want to hear the latest inside info on what’s coming next, make sure you follow us on Twitter.

Understanding Ordering of the Documentation View

Ordering of the Documentation View depends on whether you have a diagram created or not.

No Diagram Created

If no diagram is created for your process, the ordering on the diagram view is more predicatable. You can see this from the example of the image below

On the Discovery Map for a process with no diagram one can see this (Click on the image to enlarge)

On the Documentation View it looks like this (Click on the image to enlarge)

Notice how the order seems pretty reasonable going down each Milestone.

Diagram Created

The complexity occurs when you create a diagram in your process.  Once a diagram is created, the order on the Discovery Map and Process Diagram are no longer linked together. The reason for this is because the Discovery Map does not display some objects like in the Process Diagram like (events, decisions) which may make the ordering not logical if they were still linked together.

Once a diagram is created, the ordering for the Documentation View is controlled by the Process Diagram and not the Discovery Map. You have to go to the Process Diagram to change the order on the Documentation View once a diagram is created for the process.

The numbering on the Documentation View will follow a single path through a Milestone to the next milestone 1st. If there are decisions that cause branches  in a milestone, the 2nd branch will be numbered next out of the milestone first before numbering will start on the 2nd Milestone. All the paths / branches will be followed out within one Milestone before the numbering begins for a 2nd milestone.

Look at the example below

On the Process Diagram for a process one can see this (Click on the image to enlarge)

The corresponding Documentation View will look like this (Click on the image to enlarge)

Notice in Milestone 1, that the order is like this

A1 > A2 > Decision >A3 > A4

then there is a branch in the Decision that is

Decision > A7 > A8

In Milestone 2 the order is this

A5 > A6

When you look at the Documentation View,  the ordering is like this

A1

A2

Decision

A3

A4

A7

A8

A5

A6

The ordering for the milestone occurs like this because in Milestone 1, the 1st thing that happens is a simple path is made from the one end of the milestone to the end of the Milestone

This is why A1 > A2 > Decision A3 > A4 is in a logical order.

After A4, one may think A5 in Milestone 2 would come next. This doesn’t happen because the Decision in Milestone 1. Before the numbering will start in Milestone 2, all flows out from Milestone 1 must be traversed. The ones not traversed yet in Milestone 1 is A7 and A8. This is why these come next in the numbering vs A5 and A6 in Milestone 2

The trick to keep in mind is to be aware that numbering is going to have to finish everyting in a Milestone 1st before it will start numbering things in the 2nd Milestone.

So if your process is being logical across Milestone and a Decision exists, you need to be aware that the order may not be as you expect.

Some recommendations to make, is if a process diagram is not necessary for your discovery, try not to create one. This will make the order more predictable on the Documentation View.

If you need to have a diagram, then you have to be aware that numbering is grouped by Milestones with all the paths traversed 1st BEFORE it will start numbering in the next Milestone.

Creating a Join in Blueprint

This post will demonstrate how one can create a join when diagramming a process in Blueprint.

One can also see an example with in Blueprint using the Template library. To find this example

1. Click on Template Library grouping on the left side
2. In the drop down select Process Patterns
3. Click on Parallel Flow with a Simple Split

This shows an example of a join.

Look at the following video to show how one can create a join when diagramming in Blueprint.

Announcing the Blueprint June 2010 Release

The June 2010 update is now live on blueprint.lombardi.com! In this release, we’ve made it easier than ever to focus in on the parts of your processes and your business that matter the most to you. We’ve added the ability to follow any object in Blueprint, whether it is an entire project or process, an individual input or output, or role associated with a particular activity.

Let’s take a look at the enhancements in detail:

• Follow Me: Unfortunately, our responsibilities usually don’t fall neatly within the bounds of a single process. If you’re the owner of a critical IT system, how do you know what are all the processes that depend on you? How do you know when they change? Similarly, if you’re in a role that often has cross functional responsibilities, how do you know when there’s a process change that requires your attention?

  The solution: follow the items that you’re responsible for or interested in inside Blueprint.

  Let’s take a look at how it works:
  

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Blueprint Best Practices – Import From Visio

Check out the latest edition of the Blueprint Best Practices Webinar Series on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 10:00 am, CST (Chicago, GMT-06:00).

Some of the topics we will cover include:
· What to do before you import the Visio file
· What to do during the file transfer
· What to do after importing the file to ensure quick and successful importing of processes

Blueprint is the most simple and intuitive way for your team to map and collaborate on business processes. Click here to register for the webinar.

Live from Forrester!

This week, Lombardi has been at the Forrester IT Forum 2010 – The Business Technology Transformation: Making it Real.  The conference is taking place at the Palazzo Hotel Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

So far it has been great, in fact, we just wrapped up our Guest Executive Forum where we had Lincoln Trust Company speak on our behalf about their successful implementation of Lombardi BPM.  Speakers included Bonnie Lewis, VP of Business Operations and Bill Garner, Senior IT Director of Solutions and Innovation.

Lincoln Trust Company (LTC) took advantage of our BPM capabilities to go beyond their main challenges of standardizing their document management and workflow processes,  to bridging the gap between their IT and Business side of the house.  Session attendees learned not only about the great results achieved by LTC (120% ROI in year 1 and 90% reduction in customer complaints),  but also about the lessons learned by LTC throughout their BPM journey (don’t over analyze, build the right team capabilities), along with tips on how to get started on the BPM journey.

As you have heard from us time and again – the success of our customers is what drives us to innovate and deliver products that can help solve crucial business problems.  Special thanks to Bonnie and Bill for a wonderful presentation as well as to the session attendees for the insightful questions!

Lombardi: Driven to Impact 2010

We are extremely excited to have had such a tremendous presence at Impact 2010.  The impressive conference of more than 6,000 registrants took place at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada May 2-7, 2010.

Welcome Keynote

We kicked off the week with Lombardi Day, a special Lombardi Driven event specifically for Lombardi customers and partners. Lombardi and IBM leaders  were on-site to provide an executive update on the state of Lombardi as well as a status on the acquisition and how Lombardi will fit within the IBM WebSphere portfolio.

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The May 2010 Update: IBM BPM Blueprint

Kicking It Off … Lombardi Style!

Kickoff 2010 was hosted by Lombardi February 22nd-26th.  Kickoff is an annual, company-wide conference in Austin, Texas that has been a wonderful tradition at Lombardi since 2004.  This year, not only did we have all world-wide Lombardians come to downtown Austin, but we also had a large number of IBMers attend.  This week-long conference was definitely valuable for the successful integration of Lombardi into the IBM family – we were able to meet, enjoy each other’s company and learn about one another throughout the different meetings and events.

It all started Monday evening at the Austin Music Hall with an interesting presentation by Phil Gilbert at the Opening Reception.  This was followed by the 2010 Lombardi Science Fair, an event that has been at Lombardi for 5 years now and is something we hope IBM will continue well into the future.

Phil's presentation during Science Fair

Science Fair Passport and Program

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