IPA IP 2022 Question 25
A question IPA Japan published in 令和4年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問25, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Among A through D, which of the following lists all and only the diagrams and charts that are used for representing business processes when business processes are improved?
Explanation
DFD and activity diagram — both draw how a business process flows, which is what improving a process starts from.
- •DFD (data flow diagram) shows processes, data stores, external entities and the data flowing between them: what work is done and what information it passes on
- •Activity diagram (UML) shows the sequence of actions, branches and parallel work, often split into swimlanes by who does each step
Both model the process itself, so the current (As-Is) and improved (To-Be) processes can be drawn and compared. Items A and B are therefore the answer.
Answer (a)
Why not others:
- •(b) and (d) — include C, the Pareto chart: bars of causes in descending order with a cumulative line, a QC tool for picking the few causes that matter most, not a picture of a process
- •(c) and (d) — include D, the radar chart: several indicators on spokes from one centre, for comparing balance across items, also not a process notation
Key rule: Notations that draw processes (DFD, activity diagram, flowchart, BPMN) are for describing and redesigning business processes; Pareto, radar and other charts analyse numbers.
System Strategy · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.