Building the Analysis Model › Getting Started With Parallel Decomposition › Outlining Activities

Outlining Activities

Activity outlining can be used to continue the analysis begun using value chain analysis.

An activity outline is simply an indented list that identifies natural groupings of activities, where the definition of "natural" is very subjective.

The outlining technique provides a less formal mechanism for organizing ideas, and so is suitable for use when "brainstorming" a list of candidate business activities.

The following list is an example outline of an Accounts Payable function.

• Payee Management
  • Establish Payee
  • Approve Payee
• Voucher Management
  • Request for Vouchers
  • Payment of Vouchers

Of course, an outline must be regarded as nothing more than a first cut at organizing ideas. After the outline is complete, it remains necessary to perform formal parallel decomposition. This can now be done with a better understanding of the problem space.