How can I best document (in terms of user documentation) a complex workflow?

[kaethe]

I am looking to create user documentation for a workflow we created which has grown increasingly complex with every release.

In the beginning we used powerpoint diagrams to guide the users. With time new subworkflows and decisions etc were added, making it increasingly difficult to create a legible user documentation.

In addition maintainability of the user documentation is an issue with every new release.

Any ideas?

[gdharley]

One of the "benefits" of a BPM based solution is that is "should be" self documenting.

If your process has become so unwieldy that the flow and decisions that control that flow cannot easily be understood by simply viewing the process and associated annotations, then you should consider re-architecting your solution as you have lost much of the value associated with BPMN based application.

In our consultancy, solution documentation usually consists of:

Process Models

Decision Tables and graphs

Unit tests for all integrations and services (test driven design)

Measurements (Key performance indicators)

Dashboards

The majority of this should be able to be taken directly from the modeling environment without any need for building special documentation which needs to be maintained.

Cheers,

Greg

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