As-Is versus To-Be... what to model first
I have always taken the advice at face value: the "to be" model matters much more than the "as is" model does. Implicit in that: spend as little time on the "as is" model as you can. Perhaps, even, do the "to be" model first.
Of course, I wouldn't be blogging this point if I didn't run into that bit of advice today. We are modeling the 'as is' process first. And spending a good bit of time on it. Why in the world would we do that?
Because, there's a BPM benefit to modeling the 'as is' process, and sometime we have to earn that benefit before we can wander in the clouds of 'what will come.'
Sometimes we have to be willing to write down what others have not wanted to write down: that the customer doesn't experience a simple process... that our methods are not efficient or effective... that different people use overlapping words in confusing ways... that levels of abstraction create layers of confusion that can be impenetrable for "outsiders" to understand.
Once the complexities are pointed out, and sometimes only after they have, can we begin to get people focused on the future.
Sometimes, we have to take the time to consider where we are before we can begin to understand where we are going.