A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Activity
A process, function or task that occurs over time and
has recognizable results. Activities combine to form
business processes.
Activity Based Costing (ABC)
An accounting technique that allows an enterprise
to determine the actual costs associated with each
product and service produced by that enterprise, without regard
to the organizational structure of the enterprise.
Activity Model
A graphic representation of a business process
that exhibits the activities and their interdependencies
that make up the business process, to any desired level
of detail. An activity model reveals the interactions
between activities in terms of inputs and outputs, while
showing the controls placed on each activity and the types
of resources assigned to each activity.
Actor
A specialization of a resource needed to perform
and activity.
Application Program Interface
A set of callable routines that a programmer uses
to interact with an application.
Architecture
The organizational structure of a system or
CSCI, identifying its components, their interfaces, and a
concept of execution among them.
AS-IS Model
A model that represents the current stage of the
organization modeled, without any specific improvements included.
Attribute
A property or characteristic that is common to some or
all of the instances of an entity. An attribute represents
the use of a domain in the context of an entity.
From OMG/UML - Description of a named slot in a class. Each object of the class separator holds a value of the type.
Business Architecture Modernization (BAM,
formerly called SBPR)
A contract vehicle that was sponsored by the
Department of Defense. The contract provided business
process reengineering support services that focused on
the higher order strategic and management
assessment functions. Reengineering services included fully
qualified BPR experts with functional knowledge in all aspects
of process engineering, state-of-the-art analytical tools
and time-tested methodologies for comprehensive
process improvement.
Baseline
The current condition that exists in a situation.
Usually used to differentiate between a current and a
future representation.
Benchmarking
A method of measuring processes against those
of recognized leaders to establish priorities and
targets leading to process improvement. Benchmarking
is undertaken by identifying strategies, customers,
processes and costs to benchmark and their key
characteristics; determining who to benchmark; collecting
and analyzing data from direct contact, survey,
interviews, technical journals and advertisements; determining
the "best of class" from each benchmark item identified;
and evaluating the process in terms of improvement goals.
Best Practice
A way or method of accomplishing a business function
or process that is considered to be superior to all
other known methods.
Business Case
A structured proposal for business process
improvement that functions as a decision package for
enterprise leadership. A business case includes an analysis
of business process needs or problems, proposed solution, assumptions and constraints, alternatives,
life cycle costs, benefits/cost analysis, and investment
risk analysis. Within DoD, a business case in called
a Functional Economic Analysis (FEA).
Business Objectives
Goals of the organization that can be measured in
some quantitative way. (e.g., "Decrease cost by 15%".
"Become the supplier with the lowest rate of returned products").
Business Process Improvement
The betterment of an organization's business
practices through the analysis of activities to reduce or
eliminate non-value added activities or costs, while at the same
time maintaining or improving quality, productivity,
timeliness, or other strategic or business purposes as evidenced
by measures of performance. Also called Functional
Process Improvement.
Business Process Management (BPM)
An extension of the work flow management
movement of the 1990s to include the Business Process Reengineering (BPR
)concept of process improvement.
Business Process Portal
A process portal that focuses, or that is able to
be focused, on solving a particular business problem
or managing a particular business function.
Business Process Portals bring the right information to the
right people at the right time to help them get their work done.
Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
A structured approach by all or part of an enterprise
to improve the value of its products and services
while reducing resource requirements. The transformation of
a business process to achieve significant levels of
improvement in one or more performance measures relating
to fitness for purpose, quality, cycle time, and cost by
using the techniques of streamlining and removing
added activities and costs. Redesign projects typically take
about six months to complete.
(Also referred to as Business Process
Improvement (BPR), Business Process Redesign, and
Functional Process Improvement.)
Cause and Effect Diagram (Ishikawa Fishbone)
This facilitation technique graphically displays a
detailed list of causes related to a problem or conditions, for
the purpose of discovering its root cause(s) and not
just symptoms.
Consolidated Tool Model
A consolidation of metamodels from the existing
tools studied. Wizdom is seeking to define and build (as
proof of concept) a better and better repository. We
have collected the metamodels from several existing
products. We are currently creating a Consolidated Tool Model
by bringing these metamodels together in a single
model representation. This Consolidated Tool model
will provide us with the schema (data layout) for a
Repository of existing tools. This Repository will grow as we
add tools and as we define how to handle the rules and
how they evolve into a knowledge store.
Continuous Process Improvement
A policy that encourages, mandates, and/or
empowers employees to find ways to improve process and
product performance measures on an ongoing basis.
Cross Functional Process Improvement
BPR with the goal of eliminating stove pipe
operations. Processes interact between functions as necessary
to achieve business objectives. (See Stove Pipe)
Data
As defined by Oracle publication on CASE
metamodel: When an application is operating, the computer
is manipulating information in the real world, (e.g.
product descriptions, pricing information, customer details).
This information is known as data.
Data Active
Information which has behavior knowledge so that
its representation changes on the basis of the environment
in which it is used.
Database
As defined by FIPS PUB 184: A collection of
interrelated data, often with controlled redundancy,
organized according to a schema to serve one or more
applications.
Database Management Systems Object
1.) A Database Management System (DMBS) that is encapsulated as an object or a component with a set
of explicitly defined public methods or interfaces. Such
a component could be used within a compatible
component architecture, (e.g. MS COM/DCOM/ActiveX,
CORBA, Java Bean Enterprise architecture)
2.) A DBMS such as Oracle7 or Oracle8 loosely
defines internal structures it manages as entities or objects.
Data Model
As defined by FIPS PUB 184: A graphical and
textual representation of analysis that identifies the data
needed by an organization to achieve its mission
functions, goals, objectives, and strategies, and to manage
and rate the organization. A data model identifies the
entities, domains (attributes) and relationships (or
associations) with other data, and provides the conceptual view of
the data and the relationships among data.
Data Passive
Static information that represents something; that
something is only known by the application which is
responsible for interpreting its meaning.
Data Repository
A specialized database containing information about
data and data relationships. Used to provide a
common resource of standard data elements and models.
DoD
Department of Defense
DISA
Defense Information Systems Agency
Discounted Cash Flow
A method of performing an economic analysis that
takes the time value of money into account. Used to
remove interest rates and inflation factors from a calculation
so that the results of analysis are comparable.
Domain
As defined by Oracle publication on CASE
metamodel: a set of business validation rules, format constraints
and other properties that apply to a group of attributes.
For example, a list of values, a range, a qualified list or
range or any combination of these.
As defined by FIPS PUB 184: A named set of data
values (fixed, or possible infinite in number) all of the same
data type, upon which the actual value for an attribute
instance is drawn. Every attribute must be defined on exactly
one underlying domain. Multiple attributes may be based
on the same underlying domain.
As defined by DISA/CIM: A set of current and
future systems that shares a set of common
requirements, capabilities, and data. A logical grouping of
related functions and objects. Often referred to as
problem domain, problem space, or problem area.
Economic Analysis
A formal method of comparing two or more
alternative ways of accomplishing a set objective, given a set
of assumptions and constraints and the costs and benefits
of each alternative, such that the analysis will indicate
the optimum choice.
Enterprise
An organization that exists to perform a specific
mission and achieve associated goals and objectives.
Entity
The representation of a set of real or abstract
things (people, objects, places, events, ideas, combination
of things, etc.) that are recognized as the same
type because they share the same characteristics and
can participate in the same relationships.
Event
A happening, the arrival of a significant point in time,
a change in status of something or the occurrence
of something external that causes the business to react.
Extensibility
It is often useful to add new elements, properties
and associations into a BPR project dictionary. This
is achieved by a facility known as (user) extensibility.
Field
As defined by Oracle CASE Dictionary Ref Guide:
A means of implementing an item of data within a file.
Field can be in character, date, number or other format,
and can be optional or mandatory.
File
As defined by Oracle CASE Dictionary Ref Guide:
A method of implementing part or all of a database.
Fixed Cost
A cost that does not vary with the amount or degree
of production. The costs that remain if an activity or
process stops.
Function
An action or activity proper to a person, a thing,
or particular business unit within the organization,
(e.g. flying=function performed by airplane).
Functional Area
A grouping of actions or processes that are appropriate
to or necessary for accomplishing a task or related
tasks. These actions or activities may be organized on a
small (micro) or large (macro) scale. For example;
Admissions includes functional areas of data entry and
interviewing detainees. Admissions, Incarceration,
Community Supervision, and Release are defined as
functional areas of DPSCS in the Andersen report.
Functional Economic Analysis (FEA)
A technique for analyzing and evaluating
alternative information system investments and
management practices. Within DoD, FEA is a business case. Also,
a document that contains a fully justified proposed
improvement project with all supporting data.
Functional Process Improvement
(see Business Process Improvement)
ICAM
Integrated Computer-Aided Manufacturing. The
ICAM program was helmed in the 1970's by Dennis E. Wisnosky for the United States Air Force. The purpose of the program was to investigate whether
manufacturing technologies were delivering the value they promised.
The goal was to integrate processes on the factory floor
with everything else, from Computer Aided Design (CAD)
to inventory and payroll. The ICAM hierarchial "funnel" led
to the IDEF "As-Is" / "To-Be" concept that is used in
BPR projects today.
IDEF
Integrated DEFinition language.
IDEF Modeling Technique
A combination of graphic and narrative symbols and
rules designed to capture the processes and structure
of information in an organization.
IDEF0 is an activity, or behavior, modeling
technique. IDEF1X is a rule, or data, modeling technique.
Wizdom Systems, Inc.'s founder and CEO, Dennis E. Wisnosky, was co-founder of the US Air Force
ICAM (Integrated Computer Aided DEFinition) Program
and developed the program's IDEF modeling techniques.
IDEF models are often the basis for process improvement.
Integrated-Computer Aided Software Engineering
(I-CASE)
A set of software design and development tools
operating with an integrated shared repository to support the
entire systems development life cycle.
Information
1.) Knowledge derived from study.
2.) Knowledge of a specific event or situation:
intelligence.
3.) A collection of facts or data: statistical information.
4.) The act of informing or the condition of
being informed: communication of knowledge; (e.g.,
"Safety instructions are provided for the information of
our passengers.")
5.) Computer Science. A nonaccidental signal or
character used as an input to a computer or
communications system.
6.) A numerical measure of the uncertainty of
an experimental outcome.
Ishikawa Fishbone
(see Cause and Effect Diagram)
ISO 9000
Family of quality management and quality
assurance standards adopted by ISO (International Organization
for Standardization, founded 1947), an
international consensus of over 110 countries. ISO 9000, first
published in 1987, has been adopted as national standards in
more than 80 countries.
Just in time
A policy calling for the delivery of material, products
or services at the time they are needed in an activity
or process to reduce inventory, wait time and spoilage.
Knowledge
The state or fact of knowing. Familiarity, awareness,
or understanding gained through experience or study.
Knowledge (Implicit)
The sum or range of what has been perceived,
discovered, or learned.
Knowledge (Explicit)
Specific information about something.
Knowledge Acquisition
The procedure in artificial intelligence of interacting
with an external source, usually a domain expert, to find
and organize knowledge for the purpose of transferring
the knowledge to an expert system to solve problems.
Knowledge-Base of Knowledge
This is the collection of things that are known about
a body of study. For instance, the knowledge about
trauma care.
Knowledge Base
As defined by DISA/CIM: A logical collection of
information in a particular domain that has been formalized
in the appropriate representation with which to
perform reasoning. A dynamic knowledge base is used to
store information relevant to solving a particular problem
and varies from one problem solving session to the next.
Knowledge Base Management System
Pro-active, event driven, rule based.
Knowledge Management
The leveraging of collective wisdom to increase
responsiveness and innovation.
Knowledge Store
The collection of the Knowedgebase of the
Consolidated Tool Model, Domain Knowledegebase and
toolset knowledgebase. This Store contains the data and
the "engine" necessary to access that data.
Management Systems
Software tools for supporting the modeling, analysis,
and enactment of business processes.
Meta Model
A model of a model.
As defined by OMG:A model that describes the language
for expressing a model.
As defined by Oracle publication on
CASE: The meta model describes the structure of the Data Model
by defining entities, attributes and relationships.
Method
As defined by KFI/HII Methods Team: Regular
and systematic means of enterprise improvement
including procedures and techniques appropriate to the
health care industry. A representation of a complex,
real-world phenomenon such that it can answer questions
about the real-world phenomenon within some acceptable
and predictable tolerance.
Object Modeling
As defined by DISA/CIM: The objective of object
modeling is to understand and describe an environment
in terms of its objects while embracing the concepts
of abstraction, encapsulation, modularity, hierarchy,
typing, concurrence and persistence.
Object-Oriented (Development)
As defined by DISA/CIM: An approach to
developing software where every component represents an object
in the real world, its attributes, and its possible
actions; objects can be grouped in classes to facilitate
attribute and action assignments.
Organize
To arrange by systematic planning.
Organization
The condition or manner or being organized.
Organization Diagnostics
The process of identifying organization problems
with individuals, processes, procedures, technology,
culture, etc.
Paradigm
From Webster- a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed in support of them are formulated.
Performance Measure
An indicator that can be used to evaluate quality, cost,
or cycle time characteristics of an activity or process
usually against a target or standard value.
Portal
An internet browser combined with a search engine.
Present Value
The current value of a future series of cash flow given
a discount factor or interest value. Used to evaluate
the alternative investments.
Process
1. A systematic series of actions directed to some end.
2. A continuous action, operation, or series of
changes taking place in a definite manner, (e.g. getting to
a destination=process performed by pilot).
Process Model
Also called Activity Model - A graphic representation of
a business process that exhibits the activities and
their interdependencies that make up the business
process to any desired level of detail. An activity model reveals
the interactions between activities in terms of inputs
and outputs while showing the controls placed on
each activity and the types of resources assigned to
each activity.
Process Portal
Software which focuses the user of the Portal to
the explicit knowledge required to solve his/her particular problem, or deal with a particular situation or series of events. Changes Implicit Knowledge to Explicit Knowledge.
Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
A requirements identification analysis, flow down, and tracking technique. It focuses on quality and communication to translate customer needs into product-and-process-design specifics. Also known as the “house of quality.”
Redesign
Business Process Redesign (BPR). The transformation of a business process to achieve significant levels of improvement in one or more performance measures relating to fitness for purpose, quality, cycle times, and cost by using the techniques of streamlining and removing non-value added activities and costs. Redesign projects typically take about six months to complete.
Reengineering
see: Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Redesign.
Repository
A mechanism for storing any information that has to do with the definition of a system at any point in its life cycle. Repository services would typically be provided for extensibility, recovery, integrity, naming standards and a wide variety of other management functions.
Resource
An object in competition with another like object. A scarce object.
Scenario
A sequence of operations carried out in some order to produce a known result.
Stereotype
A new kind of model element defined within the model based on an existing kind of the model element. Stereotypes may extend the semantics of the model but not the structure of preexisting meta model classeS.
Stove Pipe
Term commonly used to reflect that a business function operates in a vertically integrated manner, but does not interact efficiently or effectively with related functions, (e.g. Human Resources does not work with training).
Strategic Business Process Reengineering (SBPR)
A former contract vehicle sponsored by the Department of Defense. The contract provided business process reengineering support services that focused on the higher order strategic and management assessment functions. Reengineering services included fully qualified BPR experts with functional knowledge in all aspects of process engineering, state-of-the-art analytical tools and time-tested methodologies for comprehensive process improvement.
Table
A relational Table (composed of columns)
TO-BE Model
Models that are the result of applying improvement opportunities to the current (AS-IS) business environment.
Topic Area
A cross-functional grouping of business areas (grouping of processes). Topic areas include but are not limited to Admissions and Classification, Communications, Custody, Employment and Education, Services, Substance Abuse.
Total Quality Management/Total Quality Leadership
(TQM/TQL)
Both a philosophy and a set of guiding principles that represent the foundation of the continuously improving organization. TQM/TQL is the application of quantitative methods and human resources to improve the material and services supplied to a organization, all the processes within an organization, and the degree to which the needs of the customer are met, now and in the future. TQM/TQL integrates fundamental management techniques, existing improvement efforts and technical tools under a disciplined approach focused on continuous improvement.
Trigger
The precedence with respect to time between activity types.
UML
Unified Modelling Language (UML) is an Object Management Group (OMG) standard for modelling software artifacts. Using UML, developers and architects can make a blueprint of a project, much like ERD diagrams are used for relational design.
UML Connection
A logical link between model elements. May be structural, dynamic or possessive
UML Diagram View
The workspace area where the UML diagrams are displayed.
UMLElement
A model object of any type - class, component, node, objector, etc.
UMLForward Engineering
The process of generating source code from the UML model.
UML Package
A logical container of model elements. Groups elements and may also contain other packages
From OMG UML specifications: A package is a grouping of model elements. Packages themselves may be nested within other packages. A package may contain subordinate packages as well as other kinds of model elements. All kinds of UML model elements can be organized into packages.
Note that packages own model elements and are the basis for configuration control, storage, and access control. Each element can be directly owned by a single package, so the package hierarchy is a strict tree. However, packages can reference other packages, modeled by using one of the stereotypes «import» and «access» of Permission dependency, so the usage network is a graph. Other kinds of dependencies between packages usually imply that one or more dependencies among the elements exists.
A package is shown as a large rectangle with a small rectangle (a “tab”) attached to the left side of the top of the large rectangle. It is the common folder icon.
UML Role
The named detail and rules associated with one end of an association. May indicate name, constraints, cardinality and collectiondetails.
UML Use Case Estimation
The technique of estimating project size and complexity based on the number of use cases and their difficulty.
Use Case
From OMG - The specification of sequences of actions, including variant sequences and error sequences that a system subsystem or class can perform by interacting with outside actors.
In practice - Each Use Case has a description that describes the functionality that will be built in the proposed system. A Use Case may ‘include’ another Use Case’s functionality or ‘extend’ another Use Case with its own behavior. An example of a use case is manage HR.
Each Use Case includes:
Requirements: Correspond to the functional specifications found in structured methodologies. Constraints: Formal rules and limitations that a Use Case operates under, and includes pre- post- and invariant conditions. Scenarios: Formal descriptions of the flow of events that occurs during a Use Case instance. These are usually described in text and correspond to a textual representation of the Sequence Diagram.
Value Added Activity
An activity in a process that adds value to an output product or service; that is, the activity merits the cost of the resources it consumes in production.
Variable Cost
A cost element that varies directly with the amount of product or service produced by an activity or cost. Variable costs go to zero if the activity stops.
Workflow
A system whose elements are activities, related to one another by a trigger relation, and triggered by external events, which represent a business process starting with
a commitment and ending with the termination of that commitment.
Workflow Management Systems
Integrated software tools for supporting the modeling, analysis, and enactment of business processes.
