2.1. Definition

● AS-IS: The current state of a business process (how things are done today)

The AS-IS process refers to the existing workflow within an organization. It encompasses all the existing practices and procedures that are currently in place. Business Analysts focus on documenting these processes to understand how the organization operates at present. This involves looking into various practices, identifying delays or complications in workflows, and recognizing areas where improvements are necessary.

Imagine a school where students currently submit their homework by passing physical papers to their teacher. This physical submission represents the AS-IS process. If there are frequent lost assignments or delays in grading, these issues are part of the AS-IS analysis.

● TO-BE: The proposed future state (how things should work after improvements)

The TO-BE process represents the future workflow after improvements have been implemented. It describes how business processes should ideally function to be more efficient and streamlined. Business Analysts work on designing these processes after gathering input from stakeholders, aiming to eliminate inefficiencies and implement automation or new tools where appropriate.

Continuing with the school analogy, the TO-BE process could involve using an online platform where students submit their homework digitally. This change improves submission tracking and grading efficiency. Here, the proposed digital submission system is the TO-BE process.

Purpose: ● Analyze the current workflow ● Identify bottlenecks, delays, and redundancies

The purpose of evaluating both the AS-IS and TO-BE states is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how processes function and where improvements can be made. The AS-IS analysis identifies bottlenecks and inefficiencies, which helps analysts understand what works and what doesn't. The TO-BE state focuses on redesigning these processes, ensuring they are more effective and aligned with organizational goals.

Think of this process like reviewing a traffic system. An AS-IS analysis would reveal a congested intersection, while the TO-BE planning could suggest redesigning the intersection with traffic lights or additional lanes to solve the congestion problem.

BA Role: ● Document existing processes through observation, interviews, and system logs ● Use BPMN diagrams or activity flows

Business Analysts (BAs) play a crucial role in both AS-IS and TO-BE process modeling. They gather information through various methods such as observing current processes, interviewing staff, and analyzing system logs to document the existing workflows accurately. For the TO-BE process, they use this information to propose improvements, often visually represented through BPMN diagrams or activity flows.

Consider a detective trying to solve a case. The detective gathers evidence (AS-IS) to understand what happened and then suggests ways to prevent such situations in the future (TO-BE). The detective writes a report to document findings, similar to how BAs document processes.

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