A

Abstract syntax The abstract syntax is a system of rules according to which permitted constructions are formed from the basic terminology of a language.

Activity An activity is a step in a ⇒ business process that has no further details.

Activity (BPMN) An activity describes a job within a ⇒ business process.

Activity type (BPMN) An activity type describes a special behavior of an ⇒ activity, and can be identified using a custom symbol. Predefined activity types are ⇒ loop task, ⇒ multiple instance, ⇒ ad hoc subprocess, ⇒ transaction, and ⇒ compensation.

Ad hoc subprocess (BPMN) The ad hoc subprocess comprises ⇒ activities that are executed randomly—without a predefined sequence.

American Productivity and Quality Center American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) is a nonprofit organization that offers assessments and best practices for business processes. APQC is the publisher of ⇒ Process Classification Framework.

Appraisal team (BPMM) The appraisal team determines the conformity of a ⇒ business process on the maturity level of the ⇒ BPMM.

APQC American Productivity and Quality Center

Artifact (BPMN) An artifact is a graphical element that contains additional process or element information, but doesn’t influence the flow directly. Artifacts include ⇒ groups and ⇒ text annotations.

Assessment (BMM) The assessment assesses the neutral ⇒ influencers on goals and the ⇒ means used.

Association (BPMN) The association connects ⇒ artifacts with other model elements.

B

Balanced Scorecard The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a ⇒ management framework that compares key figures with the ⇒ vision and ⇒ strategies of an enterprise.

BAM Business Activity Monitoring

Best practice A best practice is the best approach to implement something based on experience.

Black Belt Black Belt is a role in a ⇒ Six Sigma project, and titles an experienced Six Sigma user who usually manages Six Sigma projects.

BMM Business Motivation Model

BPEL4WS Business Process Execution Language for Web Services

BPM Business Process Management

BPMI Business Process Management Initiative

BPMM Business Process Maturity Model

BPMN Business Process Model and Notation

BPR Business Process Reengineering

Break-even analysis The break-even analysis calculates the ⇒ break-even point.

Break-even point The break-even point describes the quantity of a product where the sales revenues cover the production costs (the intersection of the quantity-dependent cost line and the revenue line). If more products are sold, this results in profit. If less products are sold, this results in loss.

BSC Balanced Scorecard

Business Activity Monitoring Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) refers to the computer-aided collection, formatting, and presentation of business process data in real time.

Business administration Business administration entails the governing and organizing of business activities.

Business function The business function is a group of related tasks of an enterprise.

Business Motivation Model The Business Motivation Model (BMM) is a standard of ⇒ OMG and describes, on the one hand, the ⇒ desired results of an enterprise with a superior ⇒ vision and, on the other hand, the associated implementation strategies and tactics with their superior ⇒ missions.

Business policy The business policy is a set of ⇒ organizational policies. Synonym: Business policy.

Business process A business process is a business flow.

Business Process Analysis (BPA) The Business Process Analysis (BPA) detects implicit process knowledge and provides it.

Business Process Engine A Business Process Engine is an application for executing processes. Here, the engine executes a defined sequence of ⇒ activities.

Business Process Execution Language for Web Services A Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS) is an XML-based language for describing ⇒ business processes, whose individual ⇒ activities are implemented by web services.

Business Process Management Abbreviation BPM

Business Process Management (BPM) Business process management comprises coordinated tasks to record, improve, and integrate processes of the organization. In this context, the organization is considered as a system of linked processes.

Business Process Management Initiative A Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 with the goal of developing standards in the business process area. In 2005, BPMI merged with ⇒ OMG.

Business Process Management Suite A Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) is a collection of IT applications for supporting ⇒ business process management.

Business Process Maturity Model The Business Process Maturity Model (BPMM) is a five-level ⇒ maturity model for ⇒ business processes of ⇒ OMG.

Business Process Model and Notation Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a graphical modeling language of ⇒ OMG for describing ⇒ business processes.

Business Process Reengineering Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a radical approach that propagates the new development of ⇒ business processes instead of their adaptation. It was presented by Michael Hammer and James Champy in the 1990s.

Business strategy The business strategy defines the direction into which an organization develops.

C

Capability Maturity Model Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a ⇒ maturity model for software development processes.

Capability Maturity Model Integration Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) replaced CMM in 2003 and addresses further disciplines, such as systems engineering, in addition to software development.

CMM Capability Maturity Model

CMMI Capability Maturity Model Integration

COBIT Control Objectives for Information and related Technology

Collaboration business process The collaboration business process describes the orchestration of an interaction, that is an exchange, like in public business processes, and additionally describes the detailed process steps, if required.

Collapsed subprocess (BPMN) The collapsed subprocess refers to a separate diagram that contains the detailed flow of the ⇒ subprocess.

Compensation (BPMN) Compensation is an explicit reverse action of ⇒ activities that were performed successfully.

Complex gateway (BPMN) In a complex gateway, the sequence flow runs along one or more borders, depending on the complex branch condition.

Concrete syntax The concrete syntax is the (textual or graphical) representation of an ⇒ abstract syntax. Synonym: notation.

Conditional sequence flow (BPMN) The conditional ⇒ sequence flow is a sequence flow that comes directly from an ⇒ activity and has a condition.

Connecting object (BPMN) The connecting object is either a ⇒ sequence flow, a ⇒ message flow, or an ⇒ association that connects ⇒ flow objects.

Control objective The control objectives are areas that must be considered in a process in order to achieve the process goal.

Control Objectives for Information and related Technology Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT) is a ⇒ governance framework of ⇒ ISACA that links enterprise-wide governance frameworks with IT.

Corporate governance Corporate governance is the set of all applicable rules, provisions, values, and principles for designing, governing, and monitoring the enterprise.

Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entails the corporate responsibility toward society, which goes beyond the statutory requirements.

Critical path The critical path is the sequence of activities in a ⇒ network plan with the highest cumulated duration. If an activity in the critical path is delayed, the finish date of the network plan is delayed as well.

Critical Success Factor The Critical Success Factor (CSF) is a property that is necessary to achieve a specific goal.

CRM Customer Relationship Management

Crossover analysis The crossover analysis compares different scenarios with regard to ⇒ fixed costs and ⇒ variable costs.

CSF Critical Success Factor

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

CTX CTX is a quality characteristic in ⇒ Six Sigma. CT stands for critical to, and the X is in the place of the characteristic.

Current assets The current assets are the assets that are available at short notice.

Current liability The current liabilities include all debts that must, or will be, cleared within 1 year.

Customer Relationship Management Customer Relationship Management (CRM) refers to the systematic design of customer relationship processes.

D

Data association A data association connects a ⇒ data object with a ⇒ flow object (⇒ activity, ⇒ gateway, or ⇒ event) or a ⇒ sequence flow.

Data object (BPMN) A data object is a business object that can be generated, required, changed, or destroyed by an ⇒ activity. Moreover, it can have a specific state.

Data Warehouse A Data Warehouse is a central, integrated data storage.

Data-based exclusive gateway (BPMN) The data-based ⇒ exclusive gateway decides, depending on the conditions in the ⇒ sequence flow, how the ⇒ token migrates.

Decision tree The decision tree is a hierarchical visualization of decision rules and paths.

Default sequence flow (BPMN) The default sequence flow receives the ⇒ token whenever no condition of the other outgoing ⇒ sequence flows is met.

Defects per Million Opportunities The quality methodology of ⇒ Six Sigma defines the quality measure, Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO), which indicates the number of possible errors in one million opportunities.

Desired result (BMM) The desired result is a superordinate for ⇒ goals and ⇒ objectives.

E

EDM Enterprise Decision Management

End (BPMN) The end describes the ⇒ vision of the enterprise, and the goals and objectives derived thereof.

End event (BPMN) The end event ends the execution of the process and marks the process end.

Enterprise Decision Management Enterprise Decision Management (EDM) refers to the design of partly automated decision rules of an enterprise with reference to customer, employee, and supplier relationships.

Enterprise Resource Planning Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the targeted deployment of enterprise resources for an optimal flow of ⇒ business processes.

Enterprise Service Bus Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) is an information technology for integrating a distributed application landscape into an enterprise.

EPC Event-Driven Process Chain

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

ESB Enterprise Service Bus

Event (BPMN) An event is something that happens during a ⇒ business process and starts, ends, delays, or interrupts the flow.

Event-based exclusive gateway (BPMN) Depending on the incoming ⇒ event, the event-based ⇒ exclusive gateway decides which flow is continued.

Event-driven process chain The Event-Driven Process Chain (EPC) is a flowchart from the ARIS tool and methodology.

Exclusive gateway (BPMN) An exclusive ⇒ gateway restricts the ⇒ sequence flow in such a way that exactly one alternative is selected from a set of alternatives at runtime.

Expanded subprocess (BPMN) The inside of the expanded subprocess includes the detailed flow of the ⇒ subprocess.

F

Fixed costs Fixed costs are costs that are constant within a specific period of time, and are independent of the production volume or quantity of sales.

Flow object (BPMN) The flow object is an ⇒ event, ⇒ activity, or ⇒ gateway.

Framework The framework is a conceptual structure that supports the solution of complex problems.

G

Gateway (BPMN) The gateway controls how the ⇒ sequence flow spreads and merges within a process.

Goal The goal elaborates the ⇒ vision of an organization, that is, it describes the long-term goal that must be achieved in order to enhance the vision.

Governance framework The governance framework specifies how processes can be governed.

GRC Governance, Risk, and Compliance

Green Belt Green Belt is a leader in a ⇒ Six Sigma project.

Group (BPMN) The group combines multiple elements that logically belong together.

Guideline The guideline is a set of ⇒ principles.

H

Heat Map The heat map shows volatile data in a two-dimensional graphic, in which the values are displayed in different colors.

I

Inclusive gateway (BPMN) In an inclusive ⇒ gateway, the ⇒ sequence flow runs along one or more borders depending on the branch conditions.

Influencer (BMM) The influencer describes a condition that can result in changes to the ⇒ end, or ⇒ means of, an enterprise. An influencer can be internal (from within the enterprise) or external (from outside the enterprise boundaries).

Information Systems Audit and Control Association The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) is an international, noncommercial organization that supports the examination, monitoring, and security of information systems.

Intermediate event (BPMN) The intermediate event occurs between the ⇒ start event and the ⇒ end event, and influences the flow.

ISACA Information Systems Audit and Control Association

ISO 9000 ISO 9000 standards specify a set of ⇒ guidelines for quality improvement.

IT Governance Institute The IT Governance Institute (ITGI) was founded by ⇒ ISACA in 1998 to advance the development of international standards for the administration and control of enterprise-internal information systems.

IT Infrastructure Library IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a collection of ⇒ best practices for the implementation of an IT service management.

ITGI IT Governance Institute

ITIL IT Infrastructure Library

K

Key Performance Indicator The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a business ⇒ metric that measures the degree of fulfillment of a goal or a ⇒ CSF.

KPI Key Performance Indicator

L

Lane (BPMN) A lane structures the ⇒ activities within a ⇒ pool.

Loop task (BPMN) The loop task, or loop subprocess, describes executions that are repeated until the loop condition is met.

Lower Control Limit (LCL) (Six Sigma) The lower control limit defines the lower limit of a quality characteristic that differentiates between normal and abnormal deviation.

M

Management The term management describes the process of letting things happen by others.

Management framework The management framework specifies ⇒ best practices, ⇒ guidelines, and tools that support ⇒ the management in its management and monitoring tasks.

Manager The manager is a person who organizes, plans, supports, defines, and assesses the work of others.

Marketing Marketing is the market-oriented realization of enterprise goals, and the alignment of the entire enterprise in the market.

Master Black Belt Master Black Belt is an experienced ⇒ Six Sigma expert who works as a coach and trainer of the Six Sigma project.

Maturity model The maturity model is a model for assessing the quality of something.

MDA Model-Driven Architecture

Means (BMM) Means describe what the enterprise deploys to meet the enterprise object. This does not refer to employees or money, but to ⇒ missions, ⇒ strategies, and ⇒ tactics.

Message flow (BPMN) The message flow symbolizes the information that is exchanged between ⇒ participants.

Metric Metric refers to a measure system for the quantification of something.

Mission (BMM) The mission describes what an enterprise does to achieve a ⇒ vision.

Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) The model-driven architecture refers to a software development approach that separates the subject matter knowledge to be implemented from the necessary technology.

Multiple instance (BPMN) The multiple instance represents multiple parallel or sequential execution with different data.

N

Net income The net income is the remaining profit after tax and other charges.

Network plan The network plan is a graphical, network-like presentation of sequence-dependent and sequence-independent activities (including duration and the earliest and latest start and end date).

Notation Concrete syntax

O

Object Management Group Object Management Group (OMG) is a consortium of international enterprises that creates and publishes standards in the area of modeling and interoperability.

Objective The objective quantifies ⇒ goals. In other words, it makes them measurable.

OCEB2 OMG Certified Expert in Business Process Management 2

OMG Object Management Group

OMG Certified Expert in Business Process Management 2 OMG Certified Expert in Business Process Management 2 (OCEB2) is a person who acquired a certification from the five-level OCEB certification program of ⇒ OMG.

Organizational control Organizational control is an activity which ensures that a directive, such as an ⇒ organizational policy or a ⇒ guideline, is adhered to.

Organizational policy The organizational policy is a formal document that describes the organization’s attitude toward a specific aspect.

Organizational procedure An organizational procedure is a step-by-step instruction on how to implement a task.

Overhead costs Overhead costs are costs that can only be allocated indirectly to a cost unit (product, service).

Owner’s equity The owner’s equity is the part of the company assets that is left after the deduction of debt capital (noncurrent and ⇒ current liabilities).

P

Parallel gateway (BPMN) A parallel ⇒ gateway divides the ⇒ sequence flow into two or more parallel flows and then joins the parallel flows again. The synchronization waits until all incoming sequence flows have arrived. Only then is the flow continued.

Participant The participant is an enterprise, a customer, or a business partner, and is responsible for the execution of a process. In ⇒ BPMN, participants are mapped using ⇒ pools.

PCF Process Classification Framework

PEST analysis STEP analysis

Pool (BPMN) The pool represents a ⇒ participant, and serves as a container for the ⇒ sequence flow between ⇒ activities. Pools can contain ⇒ lanes.

Porter’s Five Forces Porter’s Five Forces support an enterprise in selecting a suitable strategy to gain a competitive advantage.

Principle A principle is a generally acknowledged rule.

Private business process The private business process contains only process steps that are executed within the organization.

Process Classification Framework Process Classification Framework (PCF) is a category model that categorizes a wide range of processes.

Process control plan (Six Sigma) The process control plan presents the process input parameters relevant for quality. See also ⇒ process management summary.

Process diagram The process diagram is a diagram type of ⇒ BPMN for representing ⇒ processes.

Process discovery The process discovery is a process for discovering implicit process knowledge.

Process Engine Business Process Engine

Process management summary Process management summary is a ⇒ Six Sigma tool of process monitoring that makes all critical process output parameters, which decide on the quality, visible and, therefore, manageable.

Process owner The process owner is responsible for the success of his process, and has appropriate rights and duties.

Process topology The process topology describes the structure of a process, that is the flow steps and their interrelations.

Production Rules Representation The Production Rules Representation (PRR) is a standard of ⇒ OMG for the manufacturer-independent presentation of production rules.

Program Manager (Six Sigma) The program manager is responsible for the introduction and implementation of ⇒ Six Sigma.

Project A project is an undertaking that is unique in its entirety, with limited timeframes and budget to deliver clearly defined results.

Project management Project management is the deployment of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques in a project.

PRR Production Rules Representation

Public business process The public ⇒ business process describes the interaction between a ⇒ private business process and one or more other participants.

Q

Quality Quality means to meet the customer’s requirements.

Quality control chart The quality control chart shows an individual-quality characteristic along a time-dependent course. It is a variant of the ⇒ run charts.

Quality framework The quality framework supports the improvement or management of a product or service’s quality.

Quality management system The Quality Management System (QMS) specifies the structures, roles, resources, and processes that are necessary to implement an active ⇒ management of quality.

R

Regulation Regulation is a directive published by legislature, and compliance is mandatory. Punishments are possible if they are not complied with.

Return on Investment Return on Investment (ROI) is a financial key figure for assessing the profitability of an investment made. An investment is unprofitable if the net income made, divided by the used ⇒ owner’s equity, is ≤ 1.0.

ROI Return on Investment

Role The role is the set of expectations toward a person.

Run chart The run chart is a two-dimensional graphic that illustrates the deviations of values from a specification along a time axis.

S

SaaS Software as a Service

Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is a federal act that ensures the correctness and reliability of published financial data of enterprises whose stocks are on the US stock exchanges.

SBVR Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Rules

Semantics Semantics describes and explains the meaning of a term of a language.

Semantics Business Vocabulary and Rules Semantics Business Vocabulary and Rules (SBVR) are a standard of ⇒ OMG for describing business objects and business rules.

Sequence flow (BPMN) The sequence flow links the ⇒ flow objects, and, therefore, describes the flow sequence of ⇒ activities in the ⇒ process.

Service Level Agreement The Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract between a customer and a service provider, and defines the quality of interfaces.

Service-oriented architecture The Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an approach for the implementation of ⇒ business processes in distributed systems, which is based on individual business functions.

Six Sigma Six Sigma is a methodology for improving processes in order to increase the quality of products and services.

Six Sigma Champion The Six Sigma Champion is a driver for the Six Sigma program. He or she establishes a new way of thinking and is responsible, for example, for assigning the Black Belt, Green Belt, and Yellow Belt roles.

SLA Service Level Agreement

SOA Service-Oriented Architecture

Software as a Service Software as a Service (SaaS) is a business model that provides software as a service.

Stakeholder The stakeholder is a person or institution that has an interest in a project and potentially contributes requirements.

Start event (BPMN) The start event triggers a ⇒ process and marks the beginning of the flow.

STEP analysis The STEP analysis provides references for considering the opportunities and threats of a market. Synonym: PEST analysis.

Strategy (BMM) The strategy channels efforts toward ⇒ goals.

Subject Matter Expert (SME) The subject matter expert is a person that has established professional expertise in a defined area.

Subprocess (BPMN) The subprocess is a combination of detailed ⇒ activities.

Swim lane (BPMN) A swim lane is a graphical container that separates a set of ⇒ activities from other activities. BPMN knows two types of swim lanes: ⇒ Pools and ⇒ Lanes.

SWOT analysis The SWOT analysis considers the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization, and the external opportunities and risks in the market.

T

Tactic (BMM) The tactic implements ⇒ strategies.

Task (BPMN) The task is an atomic ⇒ activity within a ⇒ process, that is, the task is not detailed as a graphic in the model.

Terminate (BPMN) Terminate is the ⇒ trigger of an ⇒ end event that destroys all active ⇒ tokens and, therefore, ends the entire ⇒ process.

Text annotation (BPMN) The text annotation is a textual description that can be connected with every diagram element via an ⇒ association.

Token (BPMN) A token is some sort of virtual marble, which is generated when a process is called, and stands for, a concrete flow along ⇒ events, ⇒ activities, ⇒ gateways, and ⇒ sequence flows.

Total Quality Management Total Quality Management (TQM) is a methodology to improve the quality through active management of processes.

Toyota Production System The Toyota Production System (TPS) is a procedure for a series production developed by Toyota. The goal of TPS is the productivity of mass production in combination with the quality of shop production.

TPS Toyota Production System

TQM Total Quality Management

Transaction (BPMN) The transaction comprises multiple-work steps that collectively form an indivisible whole.

Trigger (BPMN) The trigger describes the cause as to why an ⇒ event occurs, and can be identified using custom symbols. Examples are message, timer, and ⇒ terminate.

U

Upper Control Limit (UCL) (Six Sigma) The upper control limit defines the upper limit of a quality characteristic that differentiates between normal and abnormal deviation.

V

Value chain The value chain represents the activities of an enterprise that are performed to design, produce, market, deliver, and support its product.

Value Chain Group Value Chain Group (VCG) is a nonprofit organization that develops and publishes the ⇒ Value Reference Model.

Value Reference Model The Value Reference Model (VRM) addresses the planning, management, and execution of ⇒ value chains in order to promote the effectiveness and optimization of processes.

Variable costs Variable costs are costs that vary if the production volume, or quantity of sales, changes.

VCG Value Chain Group

Vision (BMM) The vision is a meaningful, pictorial perception of the future of an enterprise that expresses an ultimate, rather unattainable, but desirable state.

VRM Value Reference Model

W

WfMC Workflow Management Coalition

Workflow Management Coalition Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) is a coalition of manufacturers that develop and publish the workflow reference model, and other related standards.

Workflow pattern The workflow pattern is a solution guideline for describing a defined workflow sequence.

Working capital The working capital is part of the ⇒ current assets that is available for investments (after deduction of all debts that must be paid within 1 year).

Y

Yellow Belt Yellow Belt is a role in a ⇒ Six Sigma project that supports the ⇒ Green Belts and ⇒ Black Belts, and can manage small Six Sigma projects.