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.

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.

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.

What separates a good university masters degree program from a great one?  I believe it can be summed up in 3 key factors:

1. Expert instructors, who are actively working in their field.
2. A curriculum with a strong practical focus.
3. Perspectives drawn from a broad range of real world experience.

These same 3 key factors were core design principles for our Level 2 BPM Developer course – which takes good BPM Developers and helps them transform into master BPM Developers.

Most of our customers have learned how to build successful process applications, but they are still unclear on how to best leverage Teamworks to address their more complex application requirements.  They want to know how to design, architect and implement very robust process applications … how to master the use of Teamworks. 

That’s why Lombardi field mentors lead the instruction of our Level 2 class.  Lombardi mentors are highly experienced implementation consultants that work shoulder-to-shoulder with customers – but as mentors their focus is on teaching the customer how to build the solution, rather than building it for them.  Their mission is to build self-sufficiency in our customer teams and transfer knowledge about BPM best practices and implementation techniques.

Our mentors and consultants helped design a Level 2 BPM Developer curriculum with a strong practical focus.  Through 6 half day instructional modules, we teach the most common complex requirement patterns encountered in the field and the best practices for addressing those patterns.  The course topics and hands-on exercises are based on experience gained by Lombardi field delivery teams across hundreds of customer projects.

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In case you missed it, we published an article in the latest issue of Workforce Management that might be of interest. The article is entitled “A Simple Approach to Documenting your HR Process” and it is filled with statistics and tips for getting your HR processes documented and streamlined.

A recent study by Staffing.com revealed that 70% of applicants and 28% of hiring managers are dissatisfied with how their hiring processes work; and that is just one of the many critical processes in your company. Effective documentation of your HR processes can lead to impressive savings and a large reduction in your company’s overhead.

Optimizing your HR processes is critical for saving time, avoiding errors and reducing company overhead. The absolute best way to save time and money is through process documentation. If you are interested in finding out how to quickly document and streamline your key processes, there is a simple next step. Just click the link below to download the full white paper.

Get the White Paper: A Simple Approach to Documenting Your HR Process

Ready to start documenting your processes now? To effectively document your processes, you will need the right tool. Click here for a free trial of Lombardi Blueprint, the easiest process documentation tool on the market.

As the manager of our BPM Consultants, I get to see literally dozens of interesting customer use cases. One particularly interesting insurance customer recently described an example of their business processes where the decision being made within the process is as important (actually even more important) than the speed at which the work is being done. That is quite an amazing testament to power of BPM when you think about it.

At Lombardi, we say this all the time. Obtaining useful data about the quality of decisions being made – as well as the patterns that drive those decisions – is the first step in realizing the promise of BPM.

However, in order for data to be turned into “wisdom,” I think it is important for companies to realize that it has to be viewed through three primary filtering principles. They are:

1. Visibility – Show me information in a human-consumable format. It needs to provide details that can be understood by mere mortals.
2. Analysis – Allow me to ‘twist and turn’ and ‘slice and dice’ the information views so that I can extrapolate information from the data and deduce higher-level knowledge as necessary. 
3. Control – Once I’ve seen, analyzed, and judged what the data is telling me, allow me to take some immediate action on the source of data (the process) in a way that lets me materially affect the outcome. 

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Yesterday, Phil Gilbert spoke about the human aspects of BPM as an invited guest on the well-known Internet talk radio show, CIO Talk Radio.

It’s obvious BPM has come of age when mainstream media programs are starting to weigh-in on the topic.

The hour-long show featured ‘HIM: Handling the Human Side of BPM,’ and focused on whether the new Human Interaction Management (HIM) framework  is necessary given that BPM already addresses most of the same issues and is a mature discipline. 

In addtion to Phil, the other invited guests were Clay Richardson (senior analyst at Forrester) and Howard Smith (BPM author and CTO of CSC’s European Group).

If you are interested in hearing how BPM can help your organization,  or if you need a better way to explain its benefits to your executives, you should listen to the replay. You can access the replay here (not required to register).

Recently the Foreign Currency Exchange Corp. (FCE) recorded a webinar with TechTarget discussing the experiences that they have had with BPM.

FCE, which is a subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland Group, provides a broad range of currency conversion products and services to wide range of industries and uses both Blueprint and Teamworks as an alternative to traditional application development. Using BPM lets them deliver projects an eye-popping 50% faster than traditional  approaches.

Some important take-aways discussed in the webinar include:

• How they became self sufficient after their very first project
• How they gather business requirements in a much more collaborative way
• How they recevied valuable feedback during development, not waiting until after it’s 80% built
• How to engage the business to take ownership in their business applications

To listen to the FCE webinar, go here (you will need to register) or alternately you can listen to a podcast version of the interview here.

For those of you looking for hard metrics to help you justify your own BPM initiatives, I recommend you read the July 23rd issue of Campus Technology Magazine (CTM). It includes an extensive interview with Stewart Mixon, the COO of Medical University of South Carolina.  

The article, “MUSC cuts error rates and improves efficiency with automation” discusses the financial grants management process that MUSC implemented in Lombardi Teamworks. It also points out the reasons why they elected NOT to go with an ERP system to accomplish this project, and and how they incorporated some legacy systems into the process.

Some nice ROI figures that MUSC achieved:

• [Teamworks] has reduced the per-grant error rate dramatically, from 85 – 90 percent down to just 20 - 25 percent initially, then finally 2 percent to 3 percent as users learned to use more efficient processes.
• “human touches” during the grants allocation process, traditionally a source of errors in any process, have dropped 65 percent.

You may read the whole story here

Recently, two Lombardi customers were interviewed by SearchCIO’s Manufacturing News as part of an article that discusses how manufacturers are using BPM [i.e., Lombardi Teamworks] to assist with making their supply chain more effective.

The article, entitled “BPM tools help firms bridge communications gaps in supply chains,” provides some interesting insight into how manufacturers can receive value from BPM. 

One of the customers is El Araby, an air conditioner manufacturer based in Cairo, Egypt. They had this to say:

 “Before Lombardi Software [BPM] was in place, all we could do for a customer was recommend them to the nearest service center and that was the end of it… We had no clue what happened next until the monthly report came out afterwards. Now, the Lombardi BPM software system handles all of the details of the repair process, even down to what technician is working on what appliance in what service center.”

We’re pretty proud that Teamworks customers around the world like to share such great testimony!

You can read the whole story here.