Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be capable of:


  • Explaining the fundamental concepts of business process management
  • Modelling a large process using BPMN (creating a BPMN process models of a satisfying quality level, detecting quality problems in a business process model)
  • Modeling decisions using the DMN language
  • Positioning the different modelling techniques and evaluating when to use which one
  • Explaining different aspects of modelling quality and how these apply to a given situation
  • Explaining how IT can support process implementation
  • Explaining process redesign techniques and providing recommendations depending on the process to be improved
  • Mastering lean process management techniques and applying them to improve a given process)
  • Explaining and recognizing the types of process performance dashboards
  • Mastering process mining techniques and tools
  • Using process mining tools to model and analyze a process based on a given event log

Goals

The objective of this course is to give students an understanding of Business Process Management, more particularly to understand:


  • the fundamental principles of business process management
  • process and decision modelling
  • modeling quality
  • process enactment basics
  • process redesign
  • process monitoring 

Content

Chapter I. Business Process Management Overview

  • Fundamental Principles
  • The BPM Cycle

Chapter II. Business Process Modelling and Enactment

  • Introduction to Process Modeling
  • Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)
  • Modeling Large Processes
  • Other Process Modeling Languages (DMN & Artifact-Centric)
  • Process modeling quality
  • Process Enactment

Chapter III. Business Process Redesign

  • Redesign Concepts
  • Redesign Techniques
  • Lean Process Management

Chapter IV. Business Process Monitoring

  • Monitoring concepts
  • Process Performance Dashboards
  • Theory and Case Study of Process Mining

An external intervention by the BPM company Daimo is also planned during the course.

Teaching methods

Blended learning: 'classical' Lectures but also self-study via web-lectures and readings of seminal papers, followed by Q&A and exercises

Assessment method

Part I - Process Modeling and Enactment (10 points / 20)

  • Written exam on process and decisions modeling (practical applications and theory) during exam session (7 points)
  • Written group assignment on process and decisions modeling (3 points)

Part II - Process Monitoring, Improvement and Redesign (10 Points / 20)

  • Written exam on process monitoring, improvement and redesign (practical applications and theory) during exam session (7 points)
  • Written group assignment: model a process using process mining tools and redesign the process (3 points)

Important Notes

  • If you fail to pass the course in first session (January), your grades for both assignments will be kept as-is for the second session, without any possibility to improve your assignments grades.
  • All exams must be taken in-person at the University of Namur. In second session only, students coming from abroad for their Erasmus will be allowed to retake the exam with supervision in their home university only if BPM is the only course to retake.

Sources, references and any support material

Web-lectures, Slides and papers are available through webcampus

Advised reading: M. Dumas et al., Fundamentals of Business Process Management, Springer, 2013

Language of instruction

English