Applying PReP Model to the Service
Development Process
SS2018 @ Sapporo

Koji Kinouchi, Weathernews Inc.
Yasushi Tanaka, K-plus Solutions Co. Ltd., NAIST

Yasushi Ishigai, Taichi Kawai, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.

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Table of Contents

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Background
About the Pilot Project
About PReP (Products Relationship Processes) Model
PReP Model Based RD Process
Applied Process and Methods
Project Results
Example of Designed Business Process Model
Applicability of this Method
Problems to be Solved

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BackgroundConventional service development process• We only had a basic framework for process definition
Analyze customer’s business and identify issues

Develop services /systems• As a result, the process and the method of each project weredependent upon the competence of the person in charge ofthe project• Inconsistency occurred in quality of customer businessanalysis and quality of requirement definition• Traceability between service contents and system
requirements was not ensured
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Background cont.

Issues in service requirements definition process• The service being developed was difficult to understand bysales team, business team and system development team• Excess and shortage of service functions occurred• The quality of service developed was degraded

Issues in system development process• Lack of man-hours and schedule delay occurred• Redo and over budget occurred

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About the Piloting ProjectProject• New service system development for shipping businesses in
EU market

Objectives• Improving service development processes• Developing a new service to solve the customer’s businessissues and win a contract• Ensure traceability between service contents and system
requirements

Scope and Plan of process improvement• Apply PReP model based requirements development (RD)process

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About PReP (Products Relationship Processes) ModelCategory• Business process modeling method

Characteristics• Products based and goal-oriented process modelingframework that provides:➢ Business process analyzing and designing procedure➢ Problem-cause analysis and risk analysis method• Generate IT system requirements from the designed
business process model

Generate

Designed Business Process model

Requirements specifications for IT Systems

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PReP Model-based RD Process

PReP-based RD process is designed goal-oriented
RD (Requirements Development) process
WNI

Shipping company

Shipper

Service provider

Customer

Customer’s customer

Requirements

Requirements

Customer’sbusiness process

Business process

Customer’s
service

Service

Design and implement service
system (IT system, business process)

Method• General design andimplementation methods

Design customer’s improved businessprocess and define system requirements

Method• PReP model

Analyze customer’s business andidentify Issues

Method• Empathy map• User experience table• Manga scenario method• Vision statement• Service conception model
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Applied Process and Methods

Previous process:Analyze customer’s business and identify Issues

Develop services and systems• Target customer definition• Service concept and overview• Key Screen images• Key functions list
• Operational images*Applied method depends on person

Systemdevelopment process

Applied PReP model based RD process and methods:
Analyze customer’s business andidentify Issues

Design customer’s improved businessprocess and define system requirements

Applied methods

Applied methods• Empathy map• User experience table• Manga scenario method• Vision statement• Service conception model• PReP model based RD process;• Design a customer's businessprocess when a new service will
be applied• Define system requirements

8Develop services and systems

Conventional process
and methods

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Project Results

Project duration• Initially planned as a 4-months project from April 2016 to July
2016
• However, service scope was changed• As a result, the project was extended for two months until
September 2016

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Process Implementation• Workshop was held once a week
• RD process was implemented as an iteration of thecollaboration and sophistication work
1 weekHalf a dayIterate
Modeling and analyzing by workshop method

Refinement of process model using tools

Facilitator

Members of thisproject

Project leader

Members related
to study content
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Project Results cont.

Created document
Phase

Contents

Remarks, Sample

Analyzecustomer’sbusiness andidentify Issues

Empathy map

Modeling shipping company.

User experience table

Analyzing shipping
company vs shipper andcaptain vs operator.

Manga scenario

Create scenario when newservice is applied.

Vision statement

Define the goal of
the new service.

Service conception model

Draw the new service
concept image.
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Project Results cont.

Created document
Phase

Contents

Remarks, Sample

Designcustomer’s
improvedbusiness
process anddefine system
requirements

Customer's business process Two process areas and 20 business processes.
model

System scope and system requirements, andbusiness requirement definition ware generated
from designed business process models.

System scope and system
requirements
Business requirement
definition

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Example of Designed Business Process Model

Designing business process model.
By using PReP model tool, I / O errors
between processes are checked.

Designed business process model diagramby PReP model.

By using PReP model tool, process relationshipdiagrams are automatically generated.
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Example of Designed Business Process Model cont.

Analyzing designed business process risks anddefined system requirements.

Analyzing actor's insight.
Defined system requirements.

Analyzing designed business process risks.

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Applicability of this Method

Evaluation from the management viewpoint• First, we were able to win the contract!
• We were able to think “market in”, not “product out”
➢ It was easy to explain the utility of new services tocustomers• We were able to design the customer's business process
when the new service was introduced➢ It was easy to make decisions and build a consensus

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Applicability of this Method cont.

Evaluation as service development process method• We were able to grasp the overall picture of the servicespecification➢ Comprehensiveness of requirements was improved• We were able to understand the service specification
structurally from the viewpoint of customer process➢ More reliable feasibility study was done

• Developers were able to understand the function they
implement as a relationship with the customer process➢ Specifications to be improved were proposed bydevelopers themselves• Participation of relevant business personnel in improving thequality of system requirements➢ High quality and reliable service was designed

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Problems to be Solved

Problems when applying new service to customer• Difficulty in implementing new service to the workers➢ New services will improve customer’s business. However,in many cases it will request the workers to “change” theway of work
➢ We should consider not only customer’s business process
improvements but also work level needs

Problems in applying this method• Difficulty in modeling➢ It is difficult to think from the point of view of the product• Difficulty of managing RD process and applying the method➢ Our organization depends on the competence of thepeople in the organization and not on the use of provenprocesses

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Conclusions• We applied the PReP model based requirement
development process to the service development
project• This method was characterized by defining service
system requirements by designing customer's
business process• The service developed by this method led to a newcontract• We were able to design high quality service that can
improve customer's business process• On the other hand, the difficulty of modeling and theproblem of establishing processes to theorganization remained
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