This article describes how you can use Barium Live to create a Process Based Management System. It is really easy and the article will guide you step by step how to do and also includes some tips that might be useful along the way. Lets get started!

1. Set up your space

Before you start modeling and documenting your processes there are two things you should do, create a group structure and set up a connection to your document management system(s) if you have one and want to use it. 

1.a Create a group structure

Creating a group structure at this stage is really convenient since those groups can be used later when creating your process models and you want to steer who should be able to view and who should be able to, apart from yourself, edit the models. If you want everyone in your organization to be able to see all your process models there is no need to create groups for this purpose since the Space by default contain a group called Everyone which can be used and includes all users in the Space. However, you should create a group that you can use to give other users than yourself edit permissions to the process models that you will create. Groups are created and managed under Space settings, to learn how read this article.   

Creating Groups in Space settings.

1.b Set up a connection to your Document management system

A Process Based Management system per definition consists of processes, but it is more the rule than the exception that it also contain different kinds of steering documents, such as routine descriptions, instructions, checklists, templates etc. Barium Live allows you to add such documents to your process models either by uploading the files to Barium Live or to add references to documents stored in your company Document management system. If you prefer the latter, you need to set up the connection before you start modeling. This connection is set up under Space settings, to learn how and which Document management systems that are supported read this article. 

Cool! You are now ready to start modeling!

2. Model your processes 

There are many different approaches how to conduct an enterprise process modeling initiative.This article is not subject to describe or discuss such approaches. However, it is a good thing to have a plan before you start the modeling work. Should you start with your company's main processes and work you down through the different process levels, or the other way around? How many process levels should you use? How should processes be named? What information should be added as metadata and what information should be in documents added to the processes? These are some examples of questions that can be good to answer before you start modeling, especially if you are a team of people within the organization that will work with the process modeling.

2.a Create process models

The core of your Process Based Management System is your processes, so it is just to get down to work and start modeling. Barium Live makes it really easy to create good looking BPMN process models and if you are new to the process modeling tool you can learn everything about it by reading this article.

Processes are created in the process repository and one approach that can be useful when starting the work is to create "placeholders" for all the models that you plan to have in your management system. It will give you an overview of the processes that need to be modeled and if you are a team that is going to do the work together, the list of models can be used to decide who should do what and allocate the work. Creating "placeholders" is done by just create the models and name them properly and share the models with the group(s) that should be able to edit the models.  

Sharing a process model to a group. 

Tip! If you planning to use the Everyone group to share your processes with end users and if you haven't invited them to your space yet, you can at this stage also share the models with view permission to the Everyone group. It will save you some time later on since you don't need to open every model and share it once again.      

Managing permissions.

2.b Document your processes

When you have modeled your process flows, it is time to start documenting the model and the different tasks within them.. This is done by using the metadata fields and by adding documents and links to your processes. To learn how to add meta data to your process models read this article. When presenting the processes for end users following attributes will be shown in a panel below the process it self.

• Process owner
• Process manager
• Process purpose
• Process description 
• Related processes

Process meta data as shown for end users when viewing a process model. 

Name and Description on tasks within the processes are also meta data, and will be shown together with documents and links when end users viewing the process models and hovering a specific task. Adding documents and links to tasks is really easy and if you have connected an existing Document Management System to Barium Live, you don't need to worry about what version of the document that is added to different processes. Users will always see the latest version of the document that exist in the Document Management System. To learn how to add documents and links to your processes read these articles

• Add files and document to a process
• Add URL link to a process

Task description, documents and links as

shown for end users when hovering a task.

TIP! If you also configure Roles when modeling your processes, these will also be meta data and used when end users viewing a process model. All tasks and added documents will be grouped under each role in a panel under the process model. 

Related processes and tasks grouped by Role as shown

 for end users when viewing a process model. 

2.c Publish your processes

When you are done modeling and documenting your processes it is time to publish them. This is needed to be able to build your process hierarchy that make it possible for end users to navigate through different process levels by clicking on different objects in the  process models. Publishing is done under the version control panel in the modeling tool and you need to publish all process models that you want to use in your Management System. Learn everything about versioning and publishing by reading this article. 

TIP! The version control functionality allows you to work with new versions of a process model whilst you have one version published that can be reached and used by end users. It is always the latest published version that is accessible for end users.    

2.d Build your process hierarchy

When you have modeled, documented and published your process models it is time to build a process hierarchy, meaning that you connect the different process models to each other so that an end user can navigate between the processes by clicking in the process models. At this stage you might want to create some process models that work as entry points to different process groups, for instance a "Main process map". When creating such entry point, you usually want to have a little bit of more freedom when it comes to symbols and graphics than the BPMN standard allows. Luckily Barium Live gives you that freedom. Apart from the BPMN symbols the modeling tool has an artifact called block symbol, that can be used to create a wide range of symbols to which you among other things, can connect your process models. Learn everything about the block symbol by reading this article. 

A Main process map created with the block symbol artifact as shown for end users. 

Symbols are clickable, allowing users to navigate through the process hierarchy.

Connecting (or linking) a process model to a block symbol or a task within another process is really easy. All process models that are published will be listed in the Asset browser, so when you are in the process model that you want to link from it is just to drag a process from the Asset browser and drop it on the symbol that you want to be clickable and take the user to another process level. 

Jippi, your Process Based Management System is ready to be rolled out! 

3. Distribute your management system out in your organisation  

When you are ready with the first version of your Process Based Management System it is time to distribute it to your organisation. Believe it or not, this is also really easy to do with Barium Live.

3.a Give users access

First thing you need to do is to make sure the users that you want to be able to reach the processes have an account on Barium Live and that those accounts have access to the process models. You give accounts access by adding them to a group that at least has view permission to the process models. You can read everything about managing accounts and adding accounts to groups in this article. 

3.b Make an entry point available for end users

Last thing to do is to give end users access to an entry point to the Management System. One way to do this is just to publish the process model that you want to use as the entry point on the Space start page on Barium Live and instruct users to log on to Barium Live.

Under Space settings you can configure what

process that should be shown on the Space start page.

Another way is to use an existing Intranet portal where you add a link to an entry point process model on Barium Live. There are also other options of distributing your processes, and which alternative you choose is up to you and what is best for your organisation.