What is the difference between the business process of a product and the operation steps of a product? How to write?

The purpose of this article is simple: through e-commerce examples, we will clearly explain the correlation and difference between business flow charts and task flow charts, as well as their application in products.

Processes and flow charts

First let’s look at the definition of process:

In the Oxford Dictionary, a process refers to one or a series of continuous and regular actions. , these actions occur or are performed in a determined manner, promoting the realization of specific results; and the definition given by the International Organization for Standardization in the ISO9001:2000 quality management system standard is: "A process is a set of interrelated or interactive activities".

From the above two definitions, we can extract the indispensable factors of the process: objects, inputs, actions, and outputs.

The object is the executor, that is, the user in the product;

Input can be understood as the premise and precondition;

The action is the operation in the product , can be click, input, etc.;

Output can be understood as the result and the purpose of the action.

What needs to be explained is:

In product work, the form of input and output is not limited, it can be an event or an action;

Thinking When outputting, you should not only consider the output results of the user side, but also consider the possible output produced by the background (such as changes in data);

In connected links, usually the output of the previous link is the next one. link input.

After clarifying the definition and elements of the process, as the name suggests, the flow chart is a graphic that clearly expresses the process. The flow chart only needs to express one thing clearly: what object performs what operation under what preconditions. What results were produced.

Many introductions have been made to the methods and tools for making flow charts, so I won’t go into details here. Business flow charts and task flow charts are commonly used in product work. The following will describe the connections and differences between the two flow charts as I understand them through examples.

Business process diagram

The function of the business process diagram is to clearly express the rotation of business requirements between various functional modules in each stage of the product line.

Usually, a business requirement does not only correspond to one functional requirement, but is composed of multiple functional requirements. For example: the business requirement is registration, then the functional requirement includes regular correction of filled in information. Verification, verification code generation and verification, registration agreement viewing (and checking), in addition, the backend also has the function of account generation and information recording, and if mobile phone registration is required, it also has the function of sending and verifying text messages (email registration is the same as reason).

It can be seen that business requirements require summary and refinement, while functional requirements require detailed and specific requirements. A business requirement usually covers multiple functional requirements, involving multiple parts such as front-end display and back-end recording. Therefore, business process diagrams are usually complex and detailed and try to cover various abnormal situations (each abnormal situation has corresponding front-end and back-end solutions) ).

The general idea for drawing a business flow chart is:

First, divide the business by stages. For example, the e-commerce category can be divided into ordering and payment, and the bicycle category can be divided into picking up, Cycling and parking;

Then list the functional modules involved in each stage. For example, in the ordering stage, there are functions such as product viewing, login/registration, information recording, and personal center.

Finally, draw the flow of business requirements between various functional modules in chronological order.

In order to output a complete business process diagram, there are generally two principles:

Think about the main process first, and then think about the branch processes. The logic of the main process is accurate, and the branch processes are comprehensive and complete. ;

Express clearly the various judgments generated in the background and the corresponding front-end display, which will serve as an important basis for interface design.

The following uses an example of e-commerce shopping to draw a business flow chart

A complete e-commerce shopping process usually includes two stages and five parts. The two stages are The five parts of ordering and payment are users, transactions, account systems & personal centers, payment systems and CRM systems. If we only start from the user's perspective, it is difficult to take into account the various judgments and operations in the background, which becomes a task process. Figure, which contains the user operations, front-end display and back-end judgment of the shopping process, reflects the functions and support of various departments required to implement the shopping business. The required interfaces and data can also be seen in this figure.

The business process diagram should be the first document output after obtaining the business requirements (or BRD), and it is not static. It will be continuously supplemented and improved during multiple discussions on the business requirements or BRD. Finally, It becomes the benchmark document for the entire project and is used as the main reference when building the technical architecture and technical division of labor. Therefore, when drawing a business process diagram, the logic must be clear and no important part can be missed.

Task flow chart

Task flow chart expresses the user's workflow when performing a specific task. The task flow chart can be understood as a simplified version of the business process chart, with only the main operating steps. Usually when writing a user experience report, the task flow chart is used to express the page flow and main operations. Take e-commerce shopping as an example:

As can be seen from the above, compared with business flow charts, the characteristics of task flow charts are:

Only show the user's operations, not the background judgment;

Only show Normal process, no abnormal process is shown;

Only the user's workflow can be viewed and cannot be used as a reference for development.

Whether you are drawing a business process diagram or a task flow diagram, the focus should be on the logical relationships rather than the details of the diagram itself. In the final analysis, flowcharts are just tools to help us analyze and think better. Being able to draw a flowchart with clear logic does not necessarily mean knowing every module. However, if the logic of the flowchart is confusing and unclear, then we must reflect on it. Is the understanding of business requirements or functional requirements unclear? As a newbie, it is very helpful to combine the mind map and frequently analyze the business process and task process of the product to improve the sense of logic and product thinking.