Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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This exam paper must not be removed from the venue
Venue ____________________
Seat Number __________
Student Number |__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
Family Name ____________________
First Name ____________________
School of Business
Semester Two Examinations, 2022
BISM2203 Business Process Management
This paper is for all students.
Examination Duration: 120 minutes
Planning Time: 10 minutes
Exam Conditions:
• Learn.UQ non-invigilated
• File upload to Blackboard Assignment (Blackboard test is used to
release the question paper)
• This is an Open Book examination
• Casio FX82 series or UQ approved and labelled calculator only
• During Planning Time - Students are encouraged to review and plan
responses to the exam questions
• This examination paper will be released to the Library
Materials Permitted in the Exam Venue:
* Open-book: Any additional written or printed material is permitted;
material may also be annotated.
* Ruler and pen / pencil for hand-drawn models + camera or scanner to
take high-quality, legible image of any hand-drawn models. Signavio
cloud-based software for modelling.
Materials to be supplied to Students:
Exam paper in Word format, which students are to upload to the
Blackboard exam submission site once completed.
Students also to upload files containing their modelling submission as
specified in Section A.
Instructions to Students:
If you believe there is missing or incorrect information impacting
your ability to answer any question, please state this when writing
your answer.
For Examiner Use Only
Question
Mark
Total _________
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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This section A has a total of 25 of the 100 marks available in this exam.
Question A1. [25 marks total]
Please model the process below with all relevant constructs including data.
Notes on how to submit your answer:
• You should model A1 in Signavio, and upload both the BPMN 2.0 XML file (.bpmn) and a
PDF (using the Import / Export menu function).
• Alternatively, you may also draw this on paper, take a photo or scan, and upload an image
file. For any models you draw, please pay attention to legibility and understandability
(pragmatic quality).
• Be mindful that modelling in Signavio can be time-consuming, so use your time wisely.
The Accounts payable (AP) process starts when the Corporate Accountant opens the month in
SAP to record AP-related transactions and journals.
The Administration Officer (AO) receives the invoice. The AO scans any paper invoice, uploads it
to the system, and then the system checks if the vendor exists in the system. If the invoice was
received electronically, the scanning step is not undertaken.
If the system identified an invoice whose vendor is not registered in the system, it then flows that
invoice to the AO, who then contacts the vendor requesting the vendor form. Usually the vendor
responds quickly with their vendor form, and the AO then registers them in the system. If the
vendor form is not received within a week, the system automatically rejects the invoice, ending the
process by sending a message to the vendor that their invoice is non-compliant.
The system then automatically codes all compliant invoices, and sends them to the Cost Manager
(CM) for payment authorisation. The CM then reviews, and if it is within their authorisation limit,
either approves the invoice, or queries it by sending a message to the vendor. In the cases where
it is queried, the vendors always respond quickly with a satisfactory response, allowing the CM to
then approve it. If the invoice is above the CM’s authorisation limit, the CM must still receive and
approve it, but once approved by the CM, the system automatically also sends it to the Senior CM
for further authorisation. The Senior CM checks that it has been budgeted, and if it has, then
approves it, and the process ends. If it was not budgeted, then the CCM reallocates budget to it,
while at the same time changing the status for the Purchase Order to “Needs review”, and once
both budget is in place, and the needs review status set, s/he approves it, and the process ends.
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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Section B has a total of 75 of the 100 marks available in this exam.
Instructions for Section B:
Please complete this section by editing this document in a text editor such as Microsoft Word.
Please type your answers immediately below the relevant question.
Hint: Dot points are often a good way of communicating quickly, and they also help make your key
points readily identifiable.
This section includes a number of questions based on the process walkthrough described
below. This process / context should be already largely familiar to you from earlier coursework, so
you may wish to use the model primarily to answer questions in this Section, and reference the
process walkthrough text below only for additional context as you are working through the
questions in this Section.
Land access process
The land access process starts when the Project manager, responsible for delivering LNP’s next
wind farm, completes his Project Approvals Form (PAF). The PAF includes key details about the
proposed infrastructure and its location, and the Project Manager sends this via the Project
Management And Land Access System (PMALAS) to the Land Access Coordinator (LAC). The
LAC reviews it for completeness, and if it is missing key information, returns it to the Project
Manager for revision before progressing to the next step. If complete, the LAC undertakes a
(property) title search to confirm ownership of the land where the infrastructure is proposed. The
LAC then updates the ownership field in PMALAS, uploads the title search document, and
PMALAS updates the PAF with this information. PMALAS then sends the PAF to the LANs, and, at
the same time, notifies the Land Access Legal Adviser (LALA) of the title search document, who
then prepares a key legal document, the Consent to Enter (CtoE) permit. Meantime, the LANs
identify an individual LAN to conduct this negotiation, and once the LALA has prepared the CtoE,
and PMALAS notifies the LAN of that, the LAN then contacts the landholder and conducts the CtoE
negotiation.
Once the negotiation is complete, the LAN sends the CtoE to PMALAS, which automatically
allocates it to the correct PAF, and then notifies LNP’s Survey Team that this land is now available
for survey.
After the survey, the GIS specialist will create sign-off maps using the coordinates and
infrastructure information provided in the PAF, and upload these to PMALAS. PMALAS then
notifies the LAN, who reviews the maps, and once approved PMALAS adds them to the PAF. If
there are errors, the LAN will reject the sign-off maps in PMALAS, explaining why, and the GIS
specialist then creates a new sign-off map which follows the same review and approval process.
Once the final sign-off maps are ready, the LAN contacts the landholder and negotiates access to
the land. Following the negotiation, the agreement is executed and filed, and the process ends.
A Project Manager is paid $110/hour.
A LAC is paid $38/hour.
A LAN is paid $70/hour.
A GIS specialist is paid $60/hour.
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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The process can be modelled as follows:
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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Question B1. [18 marks total]
Consider the following three process improvement possibilities:
1. The PAF is now an online document within PMALAS, with all data entered into
database fields. As such, PMALAS can now undertake the “Review for
completeness”, “Conduct property title search”, “Update property ownership”, and
“Prepare CtoE” activities.
2. The “Return for completion”, “Revise PAF” and “Upload title search document” steps
are no longer required. The “Return for completion” loop had been identified as a
bottleneck, as the PAF usually had to wait a long time before the Project Manager
reviewed the document after he had initially created it.
3. The survey team collects data digitally during the survey which it uploads direct to
the GIS system, and the GIS specialist uses that data to produce the initial sign-off
maps. As a result, the sign-off maps are rejected 50% less frequently.
For questions a) to d) below, use the table provided to answer:
a) Which of the 8 Lean wastes are likely to be behind the issues being addressed by
these improvements? [6 marks]
b) Which performance measure(s) are affected by these (Hint: consider the Devil’s
Quadrangle)? [4 marks]
c) Is the effect of the change positive or negative to the process? [3 marks]
d) Which Process Redesign heuristic is behind each of these changes? [5 marks]
NB: if you feel there is more than one heuristic behind each improvement,
please insert additional lines for each listed improvement option (1, 2, 3) as needed!
Improvement
option #
Possible Lean
waste (a)
Performance
measure
impacted (b)
Effect:
positive /
negative? (c)
Process redesign
heuristic (d)
1
2
3
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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Question B2. [22 marks total]
Choose ONE of the three process improvement possibilities in question B1 above, and
quantify the cost impacts of each one compared to the “as-is” model in the table provided.
You must show your full calculations of as-is and to-be costs.
NB: for each improvement, you need to compare just the improved section (i.e. a small
fragment of the overall process that includes the changed tasks + one upstream, and one
downstream task).
Please use the assumptions and cycle time information below, and state any further
necessary assumptions you make.
Quantification
Improvement number + name (brief
description of solution
Annualised As-is
cost
(show your calcs!)
Annualised To-be
cost
(show your calcs!)
Assumptions:
• 440 PAFs are completed every year.
• The PAF is returned for completion and revision 25% of the time.
• Errors are found in the sign-off maps 20% of the time.
• Activities done by PMALAS have a minimum processing time of 6 seconds.
• There are 220 working days in a year, 5 working days per week, and 8
working hours each day.
Cycle times
Activity Cycle time Processing
time
To-be processing time
(Not required, but you
might find this useful to
compare cycle time &
therefore costs)
Send PAF 1 minute 45 seconds
Review for completeness 3 hours 15 minutes
Return for completion 30 seconds 30 seconds
Revise PAF 3 days 30 minutes
Conduct property title search 5 hours 5 minutes
Update ownership field 1 minute 1 minute
Upload title search document 30 seconds 30 seconds
Update PAF 6 seconds 6 seconds
Prepare CtoE 2 days 15 minutes
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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Question B3 [20 marks total]
The cycle times for the Land Access process as-is model above are shown in the table
below, followed by a list of assumptions. Please review those prior to answering questions a)
and b) below.
a) Calculate the cycle time of the entire process and explain your calculations by
showing clear workings. State any additional assumptions. [12 marks]
b) State whether you can calculate the theoretical cycle time (TCT) based on the
information provided in this question, and briefly explain your reasoning. If TCT can
be calculated based on the information provided in this question, please calculate it
and the cycle time efficiency. [8 marks]
Activity Cycle time Processing
time
To-be processing time
(Not required, but you
might find this useful to
compare cycle time &
therefore costs)
Identify individual LAN 5 minutes 4 minutes
Notify LAN of the CtoE 6 seconds 6 seconds
Make contact with landholder 1 week 4 hours
Conduct CtoE negotiation 3 weeks 3 days
Allocate CtoE to PAF 6 seconds 6 seconds
Notify of survey-ready land 6 second 6 seconds
Conduct survey 3 weeks 0.5 days
Create sign-off maps 1 day 1 hour
Upload maps 1 minute 1 minute
Notify of review-ready maps 6 seconds 6 seconds
Review sign-off maps 10 minutes 8 minutes
Reject sign-off maps 5 minutes 5 minutes
Add sign-off maps to PAF 12 seconds 12 seconds
Negotiate access agreement 12 weeks 5 days
Execute and file agreement 1 day 1 hour
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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Assumptions:
• The PAF is returned for completion and revision 25% of the time.
• Errors are found in the sign-off maps 20% of the time.
• There are 220 working days in a year, 5 working days per week, and 8
working hours each day.
Activity Cycle time Processing time
Send PAF 1 minute 45 seconds
Review for completeness 3 hours 15 minutes
Return for completion 30 seconds 30 seconds
Revise PAF 3 days 30 minutes
Conduct property title search 5 hours 5 minutes
Update ownership field 1 minute 1 minute
Upload title search document 30 seconds 30 seconds
Update PAF 6 seconds 6 seconds
Prepare CtoE 2 days 15 minutes
Identify individual LAN 5 minutes 4 minutes
Notify LAN of the CtoE 6 seconds 6 seconds
Make contact with landholder 1 week 4 hours
Conduct CtoE negotiation 3 weeks 3 days
Allocate CtoE to PAF 6 seconds 6 seconds
Notify of survey-ready land 6 second 6 seconds
Conduct survey 3 weeks 0.5 days
Create sign-off maps 1 day 1 hour
Upload maps 1 minute 1 minute
Notify of review-ready maps 6 seconds 6 seconds
Review sign-off maps 10 minutes 8 minutes
Reject sign-off maps 5 minutes 5 minutes
Add sign-off maps to PAF 12 seconds 12 seconds
Negotiate access agreement 12 weeks 5 days
Execute and file agreement 1 day 1 hour
Semester Two Examinations, 2022 BISM2203
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Question B4 [15 marks total]
When reviewing the as-is model as provided for Section B of the exam (above), the process
participants have all confirmed that a rare exception has not been modelled. They inform
you that, even though infrequent, this can occur at any point after the PAF has been sent by
the Project Manager, and before the LAN contacts the landholder for CtoE negotiations - if
the process has not progressed to contacting the landholder within 10 days. It always results
in any current activities stopping, the PAF being resent by the PM, and those steps being
repeated.
a) What advanced and complex BPMN construct would you consider best to model this
scenario? NB: you must be specific to the scenario described! [5 marks]
b) Please list the activities / tasks within the process that would be impacted (tip: copy
the relevant ones from one of the cycle time analysis tables). [5 marks]
c) Briefly describe what other changes you would need to make to the model provided
above to model this in BPMN. [5 marks]
You can copy and draw on the model provided, or screen shot sections from it and
draw on those as necessary, to illustrate or fully answer part or all of this question.
Questions you would have liked to ask
Please use this section to ask the questions you would have liked to ask relating to the
exam, but were unable to. You may also use this section to include any additional, generic
assumptions that are not related to any specific question or questions.
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END OF EXAMINATION