Business-function model

Business functions define relevant business issues within organization typologies or specific organizations; they specify which implementation and optimization phases are to be used.

Business functions emphasize what is being accomplished within the various functions, without questioning how this is organized. The presence, or absence, of business functions during the implementation phase/optimization phase(s) is used to select and configure the business processes; it also sets the parameters of the LN applications for each phase.

Business functions are used to visualize:

The business functions used in the business control model
Consistency checks between the functions
The functions to be implemented and when
The performance of business functions using performance indicators
The configuration of the LN applications

The same business function can be used in numerous business control diagrams. However, the same business function can only appear once in a business function model.

Business functions can be defined in a hierarchical structure; therefore, a function can have sub-functions. This structure is used as an aid when defining the business functions, and does not have to be maintained in a reference or project model.

Function A can be defined in the repository with sub-functions A1 and A2. In a reference model, these three business functions could be used to create a function A2 with sub-function A with sub (sub) function A1.

Business Function Model

Business Functions (tgbrg2500m000)

To create new business functions or modify existing business functions, use the Business Functions (tgbrg2500m000) session.

Performance indicators, known as PIs, can be linked to business functions. To do this:

On the appropriate menu, select a business function and click the Performance Indicators by BF... icon.

A performance indicator is a value that indicates the achievements of organizational units. The value varies by time unit, such as week and day, and is calculated by a script.

To monitor and improve the performance of business functions, link performance indicators to business functions.

In the Performance Indicators by Business Function (tgbrg2130m000) session, you can select one or more performance indicators and link them to the selected business function.

To create a business function, complete the following steps:

Click New
In the Business Function field, specify a name for the business function.
In the External Code field, specify a code that indicates the position of the business function relative to other business functions.
Select the type of authorization for the diagram. To do this, select one of the check boxes that belong to the To be modified by field on the Authorizations tab.
Click Save
Click Close

Field	Description
Key fields for the Business Functions (tgbrg2100s000) session
Parent Business Function	The business function one level above the current business function and to which the current business function is linked. A tree structure is built from the Business Functions table with the Parent Business Function field.
Generation Date	By default, the date when the business function was created. However, anybody who is authorized can change the date to another date.
Owner	The LN user who created the business function, or the LN user responsible for the business function.
Wizard	Select a wizard and link it to the business function. In combination with parameter setting rules, wizards are used to set parameter values of a logistical company.
Diagram Status	An identification of a stage in the development of the business function.

To view the available business functions in your current modeling version:

On the appropriate menu, click the Business Function Browser....
To zoom to a lower level and see the linked sub functions and business processes, double-click a business function.

When creating a project model, potential optimization growth paths can be included in the business function model using optimization relations between business functions.

You can specify which business function must be implemented in which optimization phase. For an organization, this clarifies changes in their way of working, and takes care of the (re)-configuration of the LN software. The linking of optimization phases to business functions results in different selections of business processes which influences their configuration.

Therefore, you must create all business functions in the Business Functions (tgbrg2500m000) session; later, you must define the optimization relationships between them in the project model.

Business functions in the Modeler

For more information about the Business functions in the Modeler, see Dynamic Modeler Workbench User guide (U9871).