Organisational Processes

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

200 hours

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Aims

Processes are central to the way IT serves business and organisations. This Foundation subject provides an introduction to the theory, analysis and design of processes. This supports course-level objectives of developing analytical skills to understand the complexity of real-world organisations. It contributes to the development of independent critical inquiry, analysis and reflection.

Indicative Content

At the theory level, the likely content is the fundamental concepts of processes and related management approaches: Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering, and Knowledge Management. At a skills level, the subject will develop proficiency in process modelling using Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Workflow Models (WfMs). To produce elegant models with explicit assumptions is an important skill that will be learned. Students will also learn key principles for designing and applying efficient, effective and robust processes, including: triage, task elimination, parallelism, batch versus continuous, contact reduction, segregation of duties and control checks. The subject will include selective treatments of standard processes such as the Sale-Order Process, and of process-oriented technologies such as Enterprise Systems and workflow.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

On completion of this subject the student is expected to:

1. Understand the key concepts of processes, and understand the importance of processes for the way organisations work and the way they are designed.
2. Understand significant historic and contemporary design approaches to organisational processes that underlie current thinking and practice in Information Systems: Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering, and Knowledge Management.
3. Be able to analyse the processes of real-world organisations using Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Workflow Models (WfMs), including the skill to interpret ambiguous situations and to produce elegant models with explicit assumptions.
4. Be able to re-design the processes of organisations using established principles of efficiency and effectiveness, and to specify a new design using DFDs and WfMs.

• One group based analysis report including an individual component (15%) with 4-5 group members of approximately 2000 words supported by an oral presentation (5%) due mid-semester, requiring 20-25 hours of work per student. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) 1, 2 and 3 are addressed in the group analysis report and the oral presentation.
• One group based design report (15%) with 4-5 group members of approximately 2000 words, supported by an oral presentation (5%) due at the end of semester, requiring 20-25 hours of work per student. ILOs 1, 2 and 4 are addressed in the group design report and the oral presentation.
• One written 2 hour closed book end of semester examination (60%). ILOs 1 to 4 are addressed in the examination.

None - reading will be posted in the library's online repository

The essential text for the subject is:

Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J. & Reijers, H. (2013) 'Fundamentals of Business Process Management', Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:

• Be able to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution
• The capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning
• Team-work skills
• Oral and written presentation skills

LEARNING AND TEACHING METHODS

The subject is delivered in 3 hour classes, with each class containing: a lecture on theoretical concepts; a lecture on an analysis or design technique; a tutorial style activity; an interactive debrief on the outcomes of the activity. Outside class, students will study theory and cases through reading and continuing conducting group work activities.

INDICATIVE KEY LEARNING RESOURCES

A reader of articles will be available in The University Bookshop. Cases and scenarios from real world organisations will be available in class.

CAREERS/INDUSTRY LINKS

This Foundation subject covers essential knowledge and skills for careers as IT analyst and IT consultant, particular in the context of enterprise-wide systems The situations investigated in class and in group work will be drawn from real industry cases.