What is Process Architecture?

The term process architecture or process hierarchies describes a process or process system.

Process architecture refers to the hierarchal design of processes and systems applied to transform inputs into outputs. The term can be applied to computing, the processes businesses undertake, and project management to name but a few. In fact, it can describe any process or system of processes.

---

A process system is the culmination of many processes working together. For example, complex processes cover many processes which intricately knit together, which are in turn built upon by even more processes. When business processes become so complicated and convoluted it is necessary to organise these in a hierarchy.

Therefore, process architecture organising these hierarchal designs is of utmost importance.

What Does a Process Architect Do?

This is where the process architect comes in. They are responsible for producing a process map, manipulating it, critiquing it, and deciding which techniques and tools to implement moving forward.

A business process model must fit the organisations minimum requirements to be ready for automation. As an example, these are the prerequisites for IBM:

• The process flow must be syntactically and semantically correct.
• All actions throughout the entire process must have a service implementation runtime.
• Basic data operations provide data for the tasks as input information and handle data as task output, to be included in data manipulation.
• Split business logic from process execution logic with clear and defined rules.
• The model must include fault handling in case of the worst-case scenario.
• Involve participants in process decisions with a GUI (graphical user interface).

Consequently, it is the process architects role to meet requirements and seek to make improvements post the initial mapping.

Further resources of Process Architecture:

• Read our guide to process hierarchies
• The Process Architect: The Smart Role in Business Process Management – IBM Redbooks

Related Links:

• Why creating a process architecture may keep your ship afloat
• Process Architect
• Process Hierarchy
• How Gluu helps Zimbabwean companies with process improvement
• 7 reasons process hierarchies go wrong

---

Explore more about different process improvement terms in our BPM Glossary.