BPS’s business process reengineering approach provides a proven, time-tested framework which has been designed (and refined) to help organizations realize substantive improvements in performance, regardless of the specific product or solution.
We start by defining the process scope, capturing the existing process, engaging stakeholders in identifying issues and gaps, formulating a redesign plan, and summarizing implied solution requirements as user stories and product features.
We will capture high-level components and data flows, as well as process flows. Detailed process steps are captured in a simple outlined table that defines the responsible participant and tools used for each step. As needed, the table is augmented with the specific responsibilities of each participant for each process step (perform, approve, verify, contribute, informed). This variant of the traditional “RACI” chart combines responsibility and accountability for process integrity, acknowledges contributions in cross-cutting teams, and accounts for the verification role typically found on large federal projects.
The result is an “As-Is” vs. “To-Be” process summary, gap analysis, concept of operations, implied requirements for the requirements definition effort, and key capabilities for the analysis of alternatives.
Success Stories
Department of Education, Online Application System (OLAS) Concept Phase
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications and Outreach (ED OCO) needed to reengineer, streamline, and reduce costs to the Department with an integrated digital service to facilitate submission and review of applications for various programs. BPS analyzed OCO’s existing business processes and ColdFusion application, PSAonline, to determine a future solution that would replace the existing system and offer additional functionality. BPS completed the concept of operations (CONOPS) coupled with a Functional Requirements Document (FRD) to clearly define business and technical requirements. The CONOPS included a concept diagram which highlighted the process and data flow between the future OLAS and key stakeholders. With these deliverables, OCO was able to move forward with ED’s Enterprise Architecture planning stage and receive approval for the next steps in acquisition.
NARA Electronic Records Archive
BPS helped to design and build the ERA system as part of a large, multi-contractor team. This system is based on a service-oriented architecture and has a design capacity of 10 trillion records representing more than 10 petabytes of data. BPS was tapped for their deep experience with large data archives and key technologies for data management and workflow management. BPS performed systems engineering including requirements development, analysis, and system design of key infrastructure and application components including digital asset storage/management, the asset catalog, access control, workflow, business rules, and record/object identification. BPS performed software development of key asset management components, platform configuration, and automation of deployment processes. BPS also defined the software architecture and application platform the Bush43 Presidential Library electronic records system, and provided end-user training for that system as well. As the system evolved, BPS worked closely with the PMO to define technical strategies and solutions to meet program goals in the area of record identification, metadata management, and record search/access.