Business process architecture is a blueprint that allows a company to create a fixed design for outlining the specific tasks necessary to complete a task or activity. Basic steps covered in the architecture include determining the task’s purpose, who completes the task, the information needed to complete the task and where the company desires to complete the task. The overall purpose for creating business process architecture is to have a plan that is repeatable for future job tasks or activities.
When defining the purpose of a business task or activity, owners and managers can review the firm’s corporate governance. The governance typically includes information about why the company has a set group of tasks in its business operations. Outside of the corporate governance, companies can also define a purpose for a task in the business process architecture. Defining a new purpose occurs when a company enters a new market, creates a new product line or changes its operations for improving quality or reducing costs associated with business processes.
Another piece of an architectural frame in business is listing who or how many individuals are necessary to complete a task or activity. This part is necessary because many companies will need to increase their labor force when expanding business operations. Additionally, new tasks or activities may require a shift from unskilled labor to skilled labor. This can increase the company’s operating costs. As costs increase, the business process architecture must be able to increase the firm’s revenue, creating an offset that justifies the increase in operating costs.
Information is often an essential part of any business architecture. Advancements in technology allow a company to capture date and other information in real-time or near real-time capacity. The business process architecture must also define how information flows through the tasks within the process. Like the flow of water, information must have an inflow and an outflow. Without these, the company may experience information stagnation, which can result in the company’s inability to properly manage or control the business process.
The architecture also outlines the place or places where a company will complete tasks and activities. This place can be within the company’s current location or at a separate location necessary to house new operations. The company’s management team may make this decision based on the operational costs associated with the facility. These considerations may need to include some level of flexibility to ensure that future growth will not hinder the completion of tasks and activities.
