The University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
Winter 2019 version 1.0 1 / 6
Instructor: Robb Sombach Office: 3-20B
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00 - 12:00 or by Appointment
E-mail: [email protected]
Classroom: Tory 2-99 Schedule: TR 17:00 - 18:25
Blackboard: https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca Announcements, notes, and assignment will be posted on the eClass. Please check eClass frequently for announcements and take necessary actions.
Course Description
A business process is a set of interrelated activities aimed at accomplishing an organizational task (Kock, 2005). In this course you will learn to use specific tools and techniques for business process analysis.
This course will be of particular interest to accounting and MIS professionals as these people usually head up or are part of teams that are responsible for designing/redesigning processes associated with IT in organizations. It will also be of interest to students in other functional areas of study (e.g. finance, marketing, operations, human resources, etc.) who are interested in learning a new way to understand how organizations can improve at all levels of activity. These are skills that are in demand by recruiters today.
Course Overview
This class focuses on the major operational activities and tasks that have come to be called business processes. The student will identify and categorize key business processes, demonstrate process mapping as a method of business process analysis, and demonstrate process redesign principles as a way to better manage these processes. All activities in the course will feature the role of IT in business process redesign.
Some of the topics that will be covered during the semester include:
● Understanding Business Processes
● History of Business Process Redesign
● Business Process Modeling Approaches and Diagrams
● Changing Business Processes
● Selecting a Target for Successful Business Process Redesign
● Redesigning Business Processes
● Technology-Based Business Process Implementation
● Using IT to Enable New Process Designs
Recommended Textbook
Business Process Improvement Toolbox, Second Edition by Bjorn Anderson
● ASQ Quality Press
● Google Play e-Book
Supplemental Readings
Additional readings may be made available on the course web site or will be provided in class.
The University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
Winter 2019 version 1.0 2 / 6
Learning Outcomes
This course incorporates the Learning Goals of the BCom Program, in particular, Critical Thinking, Quantitative Skills, Written Communications and Teamwork. At the end of this course, you will have developed the following course specific skills or knowledge:
● Demonstrated knowledge of the basic concepts of business processes
● Demonstrated ability to determine the strategic role of business processes in organizational analysis
● Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and characteristics of business processes
● Demonstrated ability to apply tools, software and techniques for business process analysis
● Demonstrated ability to apply methodologies for technology-enabled business process management and redesign
● Demonstrated knowledge of technology-enabled business process improvement project management
Course Format
This course will feature lectures, practical cases, labs for demonstrating actual business process management (BPM) software packages, and software assignments for process analysis / redesign / improvement applications.
Assessment
Class Participation (Active Discussion, Attendance, In- class Exercises, Activities)
5%
Peer Assessment 5%
Assignments
Individual Assignment 10%
Group Assignment 20%
Group Presentation 10%
Exams
Midterm 20%
Final 30%
Course Total 100%
The University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
Winter 2019 version 1.0 3 / 6
Peer Assessments
A Peer Assessment grade will be included in the Group Project and Presentation component and is worth 5% of your total grade. The following process will be used to determine your Peer Assessment score:
You will evaluate the members of your Team for the Group Project (Report and Presentation), including yourself, in terms of the relative amount of effort / contribution made by your peers towards the group project. You should take into account such factors as Meeting Attendance, Quantity and Quality of Work, Ability to meet group deadlines and Attitude/cooperation. You will assign a grade to each team member based on the scale below in order to assess each team members’ performance. Once the Peer Assessment scores are compiled for each student, the Peer Assessment mark may be adjusted to reflect performance.
10, 9 far above average 8 a little above average
7 average
6 a little below average 5 below average 4, 3, 2 far below average
1 did not participate
Class Participation
In-class exercise, activities and group discussions will occur during class. Some exercises and activities will be handed in at the end of class. You will be marked on the completeness of your contributions to the exercises, activities and discussions that occur during class. You are also expected to regularly attend class and if you are unable to attend class, speak or send an email informing your instructor of your absence.
Individual Assignment
The individual assignment will focus on topics and tools discussed in lectures and will provide an opportunity for the student to put those tools into practice.
Group Assignment
The group assignment will consist of written deliverables and an oral presentation. Students will form teams of 2 or 3 and analyse the business process in an organization. Each group member is responsible for the effectiveness and success of the group. If unforeseen difficulties arise, such as an injury or illness or the disappearance of a group member, please contact the instructor ASAP.
Exams
The Midterm and Final exams are closed-book and closed-note. Absence from an exam will be treated as a zero unless official evidence of illness or family crisis is provided within one week of the missed exam and is documented to the satisfaction of the Undergraduate Office. Students who miss the final exam must apply through the Undergraduate Office for a deferred final exam.
The University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
Winter 2019 version 1.0 4 / 6
Grading Scheme
Distribution of grades in MIS 426. The following is for your guidance as to how the official University of Alberta grading scale is applied in this course. The approximate percentage of students who get grades in each major grading category is subject to change depending on the overall quality of students in the class and the difficulty of course material. I would be prepared to give a higher proportion of A grades (for example) to a class where the students demonstrated they had reached the standard I look for in assigning an A. The same would apply in the other categories. No one fails without demonstrating a failure to grasp the material at the most basic level. The lowest person in the class will not automatically get an F or even a D. It will depend on the level of knowledge the student displays.
Grade General Descriptor Grade Detailed Description
A Excellent
Top 35% of class (approximately)
A+ Outstanding grasp of concepts of course in addition to outstanding performance on examinations and papers. Outstanding written
communication skills in both papers and examinations. Top 5 - 8% of class.
A Excellent grasp of concepts of course in addition to excellent performance on examinations and papers. Excellent written communication skills in both papers and examinations. Top 5% of class.
A- As in A above with some weaknesses in conceptual understanding or in written communications skills in papers and examinations.
B Good
Next 45% of students (approximately)
B+ Very good grasp of concepts of course in addition to very good performance on examinations and papers. Very good written communication skills in both papers and examinations. Student may have outstanding abilities on one portion of the course, with weaknesses in some other areas.
B As in B+ above with more substantial weaknesses in one or more areas of the course.
B- As in B above with more marked weaknesses particularly in the area of communication of understanding.
C Satisfactory
Next 15%
(approximately)
C+ Satisfactory grasp of concepts of course in addition to satisfactory
performance on examinations and papers. Acceptable communication skills in both papers and examinations. Student may have good abilities on one portion of the course, with major weaknesses in some other areas.
Understanding may be good but the ability to communicate understanding lacking.
C As in C+ above with more substantial weaknesses in one or more areas of the course. Usually an inability to adequately display understanding of concepts.
C- As in C above with more marked weaknesses particularly in the area of communication of understanding.
D Poor
Bottom 5%
(approximately)
D+ Minimally acceptable basic understanding of course concepts. Minimal ability to demonstrate understanding through examinations or papers. Could also include some major gaps in understanding.
D Minimal pass. Minimally acceptable understanding of course material and poor ability to communicate understanding.
F Failure
Not necessarily anyone
F Failure to adequately grasp course material and/or failure to communicate a minimal level of understanding through examinations or papers.
The University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
Winter 2019 version 1.0 5 / 6
Conversion of Individual Student Achievement (Percentage) to Final Grade (Letter)
Letter grades are only assigned to the final total weighted points achieved by a student in the semester.
The process for assigning grades begins with the following general cut-off of points for letter grades.
Grade Letter Approximate Cut-off Percentages
A-, A, and A+ 90% and above
B-, B, and B+ 80% to 90%
C-, C, and C+ 70% to 80%
D and D+ 60% to 70%
F below 60%
Given this general starting point, the cut-off points for each letter grade are adjusted based on the individual performance of students in the section. The class is not graded to a specific “curve” per say.
There is a curve in the student's’ favour, but I don’t use a “traditional” curve. To set the adjusted cutoffs for each letter grade, raw marks are examined overall for natural break points that distinguish one or a group of students from each other.
Every effort will be made to respect the natural break points. If a student’s total weighted point score is clustered with a set of students, then every attempt is made to grade the entire cluster identically. For example, if a student is the highest score in a large but tightly clustered group of students (e.g. no large gaps exist within the cluster) and that student is right below the adjusted cutoff for an A-, then all students in that cluster usually need to be able to be raised to an A- in order to give the highest scoring student an A-. If it is not possible to raise everyone’s grade in the cluster, then the individual student grade will not be raised either. However, sometimes there are no obvious natural cut-offs and in this case, the cut-offs are determined in order to be fair to all students.
In the past, adjustments to the 90/80/70/60 scale have ALWAYS been in the student's’ favour. A grade has never been raised to get an A- above 90, for example. The amount of adjustment for any specific grade will vary from semester to semester. Although no reason why this semester would be any different from the past, the instructor reserves the right to move the cutoff either up or down. Having said that, my style is to always curve in the student's’ favour.
Use of Electronic Devices in Class
Students are permitted the use of laptops or tablet devices in class to take notes or access the course website or other materials relevant to the class. Other uses that are disruptive to the class, the instructor and other students and are not permitted.
Use of cellphones for making or receiving calls is prohibited during class. Cellphones should be silenced prior to class. Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor.
The University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
Winter 2019 version 1.0 6 / 6
Academic Integrity
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behavior that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
More information can be found in the Academic Integrity Undergraduate Handbook
Week Lecture Date Topic Reading Notes Jan-07 (Mon) First Day of Classes for Winter 2019
1 Jan-08 (Tue) Introduction and Business Process Improvement Ch. 1 BPIT 2 Jan-10 (Thu) Stakeholders and Strategic Direction Ch. 2 BPIT 3 Jan-15 (Tue) Understanding Business Processes I Ch. 3 BPIT (Pg 27-37) 4 Jan-17 (Thu) Understanding Business Processes II Ch. 4 BPIT 5 Jan-22 (Tue) Performance Measurement I Ch. 3 BPIT (Pg 38-64)
6 Jan-24 (Thu) Lab: Intro to Visio and Alternatives Lab Location TBD
7 Jan-29 (Tue) Performance Measurement II Ch. 4 BPIT Individual Assignment Out
8 Jan-31 (Thu) BPI Road Map I Ch. 5 BPIT
9 Feb-05 (Tue) BPI Road Map II
10 Feb-07 (Thu) Organizing for Business Process Improvement I Ch. 6 BPIT Individual Assignment Due 11 Feb-12 (Tue) Organizing for Business Process Improvement II
12 Feb-14 (Thu) Midterm Exam Feb-18 (Mon) Family Day
Feb-19 (Tue) Reading Week - No Lectures Feb-21 (Thu) Reading Week - No Lectures
13 Feb-26 (Tue) BPI Toolbox Ch. 7 BPIT
14 Feb-28 (Thu) Tools for Collecting Data Ch. 8 BPIT Group Assignment Out
15 Mar-05 (Tue) Tools for Analyzing Data I Ch. 9 BPIT
16 Mar-07 (Thu) Tools for Analyzing Data II
17 Mar-12 (Tue) Tools for Generating Ideas Ch. 10 BPIT
18 Mar-14 (Thu) Tools for Creating Improvements I Ch. 11 BPIT
19 Mar-19 (Tue) Tools for Creating Improvements II Final Exam Information / Group Rubric 20 Mar-21 (Thu) Tools for Implementing Improvements Ch. 12 BPIT
21 Mar-26 (Tue) Selecting Technology for Process Improvement
Mar-27 (Wed) Group Assignment Due (Slides and Report)
22 Mar-28 (Thu) Team Presentations 23 Apr-02 (Tue) Team Presentations 24 Apr-04 (Thu) Team Presentations 25 Apr-09 (Tue) Final Exam
Apr-10 (Wed) Last Day of Classes for Winter 2019 Apr-19 (Fri) Good Friday - Building closed Apr-22 (Mon) Easter Monday - Building closed
Schedule is subject to change, last updated: January 4, 2019 version 1.0
13 11 12 3 4
10 6 5
9 7 8 1 2
University of Alberta
Department of Accounting, Operations and Information Systems Alberta School of Business
Winter 2019
MIS 426 Technology-Enabled Business Process Management
