How to read the BSC Agents' Process Model

The model shows the sequence and timings of processes covered by the core Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) Agent Systems as a hierarchy of Business Process diagrams. Business Process diagrams represent flows of events through business processes.

Outlined below are the key conventions and the semantics of the diagrams used in this Business Process Model.

Example Diagram

The BSC Agents' Process Model diagrams comprise of the following objects:

Object	Appearance	Tier	Description
Agent	Light blue swim-lane	3	The Agent object (also known as an 'Organisation') helps the reader identify which processes fall under the remit of which BSC Agent (BSC Agent systems and users are diagrammed separately). In the diagram above, Processes 1 and 2 are diagrammed 'within' the Agent 1 object and are, therefore, the responsibility of BSC Agent 1.
Event/Result Agent	Dark Grey/Blue Square	All	The Event/Result Agent shows where Events have come from and where Results are going to. The Event/Result Agent is only used when something (usually called a 'Flow') is sent to (or from) more than one Participant.
External Event	Dark Green Arrow (points to right)	All	An External Event represents the trigger that initiates a process. External Event triggers are those that originate outside the domain of the BSC Agents' Process Model. An example of an External Event would be a flow from a BSC Party, BSCCo or a timetabled event.
Internal Event	Light Green Arrow (points to right)	All	An Internal Event also represents a trigger that initiates a process. However, Internal Events have an equivalent Internal Result on at least one other diagram within the domain of the BSC Agents' Process Model. Internal Event/Result pairs are prefixed with the name of the Agent from which they originate.
Process	Light yellow Square	All	Business Processes are shown as yellow rectangles connected by arrows.
External Result	Red Arrow (points to left)	All	An External Result represents either a flow to an external Organisation (such as BSCCo or a BSC Party) or a state (such as 'Settlement Complete').
Internal Result	Magenta Arrow (points to left)	All	An Internal Result represents a point within the diagram where another process (detailed on another diagram) is initiated. Internal Results always have an equivalent Internal Event on at least one other diagram. An Internal Result may represent a flow, data or a particular state. Internal Event/Result pairs are prefixed with the name of the Agent from which they originate.
Mandatory Connector	Solid/shaded Arrowhead	All	Arrows between processes represent internal events that occur as a result of one process and that trigger the next. A solid arrow head on a connector indicates a mandatory event flow.
Optional Connector	Unfilled Arrowhead	All	An unfilled arrow head shows an optional event flow. Optional connecters represent a flow that only happens under certain circumstances, the details of which will appear as text next to the arrow.
AND	Circle with "AND" inside	All	See diagram above.
OR	Circle with "OR" inside	All	See diagram above.
XOR	Circle with "XOR" inside	All	See diagram above.

The Diagram Hierarchy

The BSC Agent Process Model has a three-tier structure. The highest tier (the "Level 1" tier) contains the least amount of detail about the processes. As one navigates down through the tiers, processes are described in more detail.
The Level 1 tier provides an overview of the Core BSC Agents and how they interact
The Level 2 tier provides details on the processes within each BSC Agent.
The Level 3 tier details the sub-processes associated with each BSC agent process (where sub-processes exist) and include details of Organisations involved in the process (represented as blue swim lanes).
If a process is described in more detail on a lower level diagram, process box is marked with a cross inside a white square (see Process 4 above).
Titles of diagrams include their level number from 1 (for the highest level diagram) to 3 (for the lowest).

Navigation of the BSC Agents' Process Model

The model represented on this website is designed for ease of navigation. The advantage of a model of this type is to enable the user to explore the model by following a chain of ideas. There are, therefore, numerous ways in which the model can be traversed.

Navigation around the Diagrams

The most natural way to navigate around the model is to start with the top-level Business Dynamics diagram (the overview diagram) and then to drill down through the levels of the model to gain more and more detail on the BSC Agent business processes illustrated.

Where a lower level diagram exists, the yellow process box will contain a cross. Clicking the cross will display the next level diagram showing the flow of events through its sub-processes.

Selecting Objects

Selecting the objects that appear on a diagram will take the user to the Object Details page. The details page provides additional information including: a description of what the object represents; references and a list of all the other diagrams on which that objects appears.

Allowing the mouse cursor to hover over an object will open a tool tip displaying the description of the object.

Diagram Hierarchy page

Another way to navigate through the diagrams is via the Diagram Hierarchy page which contains an indented list of the diagrams in the model represented as hyperlinks. Starting with the overview diagram, the list comprises the level 1 diagram, with all level 2 'child' diagrams indented underneath. Where a level 2 diagram has level 3 child diagrams, the level 3 diagrams are further indented underneath their level 2 'parent'. The model also offers similar hierarchical lists of Organisations, Processes, Events/Results and References.

Selecting the hyperlink for the object of interest will take the user to the Object Details page which provides more information on that object as well as the diagrams on which it appears.

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Created from the BSC Business Model BSC Agent Overview on 23/07/2007 at 10:17