Compared to actual processes (as-is), target processes (to-be) are usually expected to bring about improvements in terms of cost and time. For example, an improved process should cost less and its execution should be faster.
Improvement potential can be identified using the "Analyze times/costs" standard report included in ARIS. This report enables you to compare planned improvements with the given times and costs of the current business reality. For this purpose, specific information has to be specified in the process model, such as the duration of a process step, for example. The analysis can be performed for a single process or for multiple processes. This way you can easily determine which of the relevant process steps generate high costs or require long processing times (also including wait times).
Time attributes
- Min. processing time, Avg. processing time, Max. processing time
These attributes specify the duration of time that may elapse between start time and end time of a task. - Min. orientation time, Avg. orientation time, Max. orientation time
These attributes specify the orientation times required for a function or resource based on the last simulation run. - Min. wait time, Avg. wait time, Max. wait time
These attributes specify the wait time accrued for process folders at a rule. - Frequency, daily / Frequency, weekly / Frequency, monthly / Frequency, annually
These attributes determine the equally distributed frequency/quantity with which an object is activated or occurs within a specific period of time (day, week, month, year) in the process in question. This event attribute is evaluated by the simulation.
The total time for carrying out a function one time should sum up the processing time and the orientation time, excluding the wait time. The time per day is calculated based on the time, frequency, and weighting factor of the organizational unit.
Cost attributes
- Min. total costs, Avg. total costs, Max. total costs
Attribute types for recording costs incurred by the object under consideration. - Min. material costs, Avg. material costs, Max. material costs
Attribute types for recording costs that are directly associated with the processing and use of materials within the company. - Min. personnel costs, Avg. personnel costs, Max. personnel costs
Attribute types for recording costs incurred by human resource management. - Min. energy costs, Avg. energy costs, Max. energy costs
Attribute types for recording costs that are directly associated with energy usage. - Min. operating supplies costs, Avg. operating supplies costs, Max. operating supplies costs
Attribute types for recording costs that are directly associated with operating supplies. - Min. various overhead costs, Avg. various overhead costs, Max. various overhead costs
Attribute types for recording costs that cannot be clearly allocated to a cost area. - Min. costs for depreciation/repair/maintenance, Avg. costs for depreciation/repair/maintenance, Max. costs for depreciation/repair/maintenance
Attribute types for recording costs that are directly associated with depreciation and maintenance. - Min. imputed interest, Avg. imputed interest, Max. imputed interest
Attribute types for recording costs that are estimated to be the internal interest for an object. - Min. other costs, Avg. other costs, Max. other costs
Attribute types for recording costs that cannot clearly be allocated to a cost area in the Costs attribute type group.
The total costs for carrying out a function one time should sum up all costs. The costs per day are calculated based on costs and frequency.
How to start the report
The "Analyze times/costs" report provided by ARIS can be run for the following model types:
- EPC
- Industrial process
- Office process
- UML Activity diagram
- PCD
- VACD
Report dialog
After the report was started, a dialog opens providing various evaluation options. You can choose to analyze either times or costs, and you can define the output of the values (minimum, average, or maximum value).
Example of cost evaluation
Lists all functions of a process and outputs the attribute values for the costs.
The output shows the costs for functions that are carried out once and the costs for individual functions per day.
The function costs per day are calculated based on the frequency you specify (e.g. number of function executions per day).
Example of time evaluation
Lists all functions of a process and outputs the attribute values for the times.
You can select different time units for the calculation:
The Excel sheet will provide the following output:
The output shows the times for functions that are carried out once and the times required by the relevant functions per day.
The times required per day are calculated based on the frequency you specify (e.g. number of function executions per day).
Due to the "Analyze times/costs" report you will gain an overview of process steps that involve high costs and take a great amount of time.
Optimization potential can be determined in greater detail using ARIS Business Optimizer. You can also use this product for the measurement of improvement results during and after the implementation process. I will provide further information on ARIS Business Optimizer in a future article.
Thank you for this posting. It is a great summary. We plan to use this for process improvement initiatives. Question - how are the attributes enabled so I can start populating time cost data? I checked various websites and manuals/book, plus some trial&error. Any additional detail is appreciated.
Hi Bob,
mark the function you want to specify and click the "More attributes"-button in the Properties dialog. In the Insert attributes dialog you will find the times and costs folder. Select the time and cost attributes you want to define, click "OK" and then you can enter your values in the Properties dialog.
Regards
Eva
Hi Eva,
Thanks for wiriting the detailed approach for running this report. I believe the actual world is not that simple .. It would be good if communitiy discusses and comes out with the approach to use this report considering following challenges.
1. Data Collection : Simple model to calculate the activity / unit cost, Activity based costing is one of the approach, but then simple ARIS process attributes are not geared to handle Cost Drivers / Resource Driver related parameters. Even Activity Based Add on Module need to improve little to enable ABM.
2. Data upload : Templates as documented above,but that can be directly imported into ARIS using Tranlation IN/Translation Out reports
3. Attributes : Any process to calculate total cost /lead time would need following attributes
- decision making,hence process paths, hence probabilities.
- Assignments : hence sub process details, sub process cost/lead for aggregation
- Interfaces : hence delays and wait time from connected processes
- Roles : hence resources, their availability, FTE information and probabilities of they on holidays
- Applications : Maintenance and Downtime n their respective parameters
- Process Exceptions : Emergencies e.g. in Project management processes.
4. Scenarios : Selection of specific situation
5. Report execution
Thanks
regards
Gopal
Hi Eva,
Thank you for the informative post as always.
I am facing one small dilemma with the report and am not sure if it can be solved:
Usually, EPCs would contain process interfaces, which technically represent a higher level than the EPCs they are in, which would also mean that their maintained time/costs attribute(s) are of higher level also.
Now when running the report, the time and costs of interfaces are taken into consideration when they should not be, so is there any way to avoid that?
Hi Pieter,
I use orientation time to indicate the time required for someone to explain the activity. For example, a function like "Compile Contract Information" may require the Supervisor to tell the Analyst how to compile the contract information, and the Analyst cannot proceed with the activity without this orientation from his/her Supervisor.
Does that make sense to you? That's how I've been using this attribute.
Regards,
Elaine.
Hi,
I am new to this forum and community but I am interested in exploring this option of calculating process time/cost.
Please can you tell me from where exactly can I access this feature of "Analyze times/costs" report?
I downloaded the free ARIS Express but that does not seem to have any report functionality.
Many thanks.
Hi Eva, thanks a lot for your response. The link you provided was quite helpful.
Also, by full version of ARIS, are you referring to ARIS 9?
Although I was able to get a free trial version of Process Live but I could not find a way to get a trial version for ARIS 9.
Please could you provide the link from where I can get a trial version of ARIS 9?
Many thanks.
Raghav