CHAPTER SEVEN Model complexity Business models must be

CHAPTER SEVEN Model complexity Business models must be kept simple so that they can be easily understood by others. It is much easier to build a complex model than to build a simple one. Creating simple models takes skill. Novice modelers create overly complex, incomprehensible models because the world they are modeling is always complex. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 1

CHAPTER SEVEN Model complexity But how do you create simple business models? There are three simplifying techniques: 1. Model element omission 2. Selective revelation 3. Hierarchy and decomposition Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 2

CHAPTER SEVEN Model complexity Model element omission just omit unnecessary model elements. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 3

CHAPTER SEVEN Model complexity Selective revelation The model is selectively revealed, one diagram at a time. The model is shown in several diagrams, each one of which is simple enough to understand on its own. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 4

CHAPTER SEVEN Model complexity Hierarchy and decomposition Some model elements are aggregated together into a composite model element. The details are underneath. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 5

CHAPTER SEVEN Bad names Model elements can be named poorly and often are. What are the characteristics of a good name for a model element? A good name is short: two, three, or four words are best. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 6

CHAPTER SEVEN Bad names A good name is short: two, three, or four words are best. If you are tempted to write a long model element name to explain details, you should instead describe those details in the model element description. The name should describe the intent of a model element, not the implementation. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 7

CHAPTER SEVEN Bad names The name should describe the intent of a model element, not the implementation. The implementation might change over time, even as the intent stays the same. “Validate Customer” is better than “Run search for customer name in CRM system” You may later validate the customer using another system. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 8

CHAPTER SEVEN Bad names CAC Avoid acronyms Receive/Send New/Updated Enrollment/Registration data from system Avoid slashes Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 9

CHAPTER SEVEN Bad names Model element names should generally be unique in a large model, you might be able to create unique names only by resorting to numeric suffixes, e. g. , “Validate Customer 23” Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 10

CHAPTER SEVEN Weak descriptions every named model element should have a written description. The description of a model element should be a paragraph or two that is easy to read and easy to understand by someone who is not a modeler. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 11

CHAPTER SEVEN Weak descriptions A model element description should be about the model element, not how the model element is associated with other elements. The description should be understandable, well written, and long enough to explain the association. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 12

CHAPTER SEVEN Weak descriptions A modeler should be able to change the process by rearranging the sequence flow changing the descriptions of individual activities. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 13

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 14

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Change the size of model elements. For example, a business process model looks better when all the activities are the same size. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 15

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Rearrange model elements. A model looks better when related model elements are close to each other, making the associations or flows between them short and straight. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 16

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Draw the associations without kinks or crossing lines. For example, an interaction model with simple straight lines that do not cross looks better than one with intersecting interactions. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 17

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Draw sequence flows in business process models from left to right. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 18

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Align and distribute model elements. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 19

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Change the font size. A model looks better when it has uniform font size that is large enough to read. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 20

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Arrange the names of model elements. The names of the model elements are displayed as text on the diagram. Text looks better when it does not overlap with model elements, associations, or other text. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 21

CHAPTER SEVEN Ugly models What actions can you take to make a model attractive? Use a complementary color palette. Color is often used in a motivation model, with goals, strategies, influencers, and assessments distinguished by different colors. Colored models look better when the colors complement each other rather than clash. Dr. Rami Gharaibeh 22