Overview

This course integrates training in business process management (BPM) methods and implementation with IBM Business Automation Workflow V20. You learn core process modeling and implementation skills, the project development approach, process model implementation fundamentals, and delivery patterns. These skills improve the speed and quality of implementing an executable process. The course uses an interactive learning environment, with class review questions to reinforce concepts and check understanding. Lab exercises throughout the course provide hands-on experience with IBM tools. This course is intended to be collaborative, and you can work in teams to complete class activities.

IBM Business Automation Workflow is a comprehensive environment that provides the visibility and insight that is required to effectively manage the business processes of an organization. The course begins with an overview of the product and then covers business process management, emphasizing the concepts of reuse, ease of maintenance, and high-quality development strategies. You create a structured process using IBM Process Designer from business requirements that are identified during process analysis. You learn how to make team collaboration more efficient by using standard Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) elements.

The course provides an overview of the architecture of IBM Business Automation Workflow and describes the use of process applications and toolkits within the tool. You create business objects and variables, implement gateways, and demonstrate process flow on your diagrams. You build customized user interfaces (coaches) to enable business and process data flows throughout the process model.

Audience

This course is designed for project members who design and implement detailed logic, data models, and external system integrations for an executable business process. These roles include process owners, BPM analysts, BPM authors, BPM developers, BPM administrators, and BPM project managers.

Prerequisites

Before taking this course, you should have: 

• Practical knowledge of data structures
• Understanding of SQL syntax and JavaScript
• Basic understanding of web services
• Experience with modern programming techniques

Objective

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Understand the key capabilities of Business Automation Workflow
• Describe how to use IBM Business Automation Workflow to accomplish process modeling goals
• Describe the purpose of the Process Portal, Process Designer, and Workflow Center repository
• Describe the high-level architecture for Business Automation Workflow
• List and describe the core notation elements that are used in the IBM Process Designer
• Describe the purpose and function of Blueworks Live
• Explain the benefits of using IBM Business Automation Workflow on Cloud
• Define Business Process Management (BPM)
• Understand the process spectrum
• List and describe the phases in the IBM Playback methodology
• Describe Playback 0 and the achievements that are reached during this stage
• Examine a defined workflow from detailed process requirements and identify the interrelated process activities
• Describe how to model a structured process
• Decompose activities into a nested process
• Describe process sequence flow and the runtime use of process tokens
• Explain how to evaluate and model conditions for a gateway
• List and describe intermediate event types that are used in the IBM Process Designer
• Model a business process escalation path with an attached timer intermediate event
• Describe the differences between process flow data and business flow data
• Add variables and business objects to a process
• Describe teams and process lanes
• Explain user distribution in a process application
• Implement routing for tasks
• Create a routing design by using a team filter service
• Assign an expert group to an activity
• Expose a process application to a team
• Use coaches to define and implement guided user interactions
• Implement a service for an activity in a process
• Enhance coaches by applying a theme and adding tabs
• Create a reusable view
• Create a snapshot
• Share your assets by using a toolkit, and exporting your process application
• Organize assets with favorites, tagging, and smart folders
• Conduct a Playback session
• Explain how to create a decision service
• Describe how to create and configure an undercover agent (UCA)
• Describe how to start a process with a message start event
• Define the basic function of services
• Configure and define services for outbound integration
• Create an inbound web service
• Describe the differences between an environment variable and an exposed process variable
• Catch an error in a process and service
• Explain when to use team filter services to support business policy
• Use parallel tasks and messaging in a BPMN model
• Use Multi-instance loops to efficiently route work
• Explain how to integrate with external systems in IBM Business Automation Workflow
• Explain how to handle content events in a process
• Understand how the Target Object Store (TOS) can be used to share documents between a BPM solution and a Case solution
• Understand how to build a simple Case solution that integrates a process from a BPM solution

Exercises

• Exercise: Creating your first process application
• Exercise: Playback 0: Creating the To-Be process
• Exercise: Playback 0: Controlling process flow
• Exercise: Playback 1: Controlling process flow with business data
• Exercise: Playback 1: Business data, services, and coaches
• Exercise: Playback 1: User interface design and implementation
• Exercise: Playback 1: Conducting the Playback session
• Exercise: Playback 2: Integrations
• Exercise: Playback 3: Handling errors and deploying your process application
• Exercise: Implementing a custom routing solution
• Exercise: Implementing the “four eyes” policy by using a team filter
• Exercise: Building a cancellation pattern
• Exercise: Building web service connections
• Exercise: Handling content events in a process 

Course Outline

• Introduction to IBM Business Automation Workflow
• Exercise: Creating your first process application
• Introduction to Business Process Management
• Playback 0: Modeling the As-Is and To-Be business processes
• Exercise: Playback 0: Creating the To-Be process
• Playback 0: Controlling process flow
• Exercise: Playback 0: Controlling process flow
• Playback 1: Controlling process flow with business data
• Exercise: Playback 1: Controlling process flow with business data
• Playback 1: Business data, services, and coaches
• Exercise: Playback 1: Business data, services, and coaches
• Playback 1: Enhancing coaches
• Exercise: Playback 1: User interface design and implementation
• Exercise: Playback 1: Conducting the Playback session
• Playback 2: Integrations
• Exercise: Playback 2: Integrations
• Playback 3: Error handling and deployment
• Exercise: Playback 3: Handling errors and deploying your process application
• Advanced routing
• Exercise: Implementing a custom routing solution
• Exercise: Implementing the “four eyes” policy by using a team filter
• Managing complex tasks and process interactions
• Exercise: Building a cancellation pattern
• Integrating with external systems
• Exercise: Building web service connections
• Handling content events in a process
• Exercise: Handling content events in a process