MIST Sep 4 Unit 1 Exam Enterprise Information Systems, BPMN, and Organizational Structure — Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from organizational structure, information systems, and BPMN terminology.

Silo mentality

A mindset where departments operate in isolation with little cross‑functional communication, causing inefficiency and misalignment.

Functional organization structure

An organizational design that groups people by function (e.g., sales, finance, manufacturing) rather than by end‑to‑end processes.

Process orientation

Organizing work around end‑to‑end business processes that cross functional boundaries.

Disjointed information systems

Independent, non‑integrated systems used by separate departments that hinder data flow and visibility.

Stovepipe organization

Isolated units within a company that do not communicate with each other, leading to inefficiency.

Enterprise information systems (EIS) / ERP

Integrated software suites that coordinate and automate cross‑functional business processes across the organization.

Lack of visibility across the process

Inability to see the status and performance of a process from start to finish due to unconnected systems.

Nike 2007 example

Disconnected production and sales forecasting systems caused overproduction, $100M losses, and 20% excess inventory.

Nintendo Wii 2002–2007 example

Lack of integration with suppliers led to unmet demand and about $1B in lost sales despite strong internal systems.

Commonality: stove‑pipe units

Different isolated units that don’t talk to each other, leading to inefficiencies.

Enterprise information systems as a fix

ERP and centralized data repositories that provide end‑to‑end visibility of processes.

Business process

A sequence of tasks that converts inputs into a defined output, i.e., how work gets done.

BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation)

A standard notation for modeling business processes so they are understandable by business users and IT.

Event (in BPMN)

Something that happens instantly in a process, represented by a circle (e.g., start or end event).

Task / Activity (in BPMN)

A unit of work within a process with a defined duration.

Flow / Sequence flow

An arrow that connects BPMN elements to show the order of steps.

Gateway (BPMN)

A decision point that directs the flow; types include exclusive and parallel gateways.

Exclusive gateway

A gateway where only one of multiple paths may be taken (mutually exclusive).

Parallel gateway

A gateway where multiple paths can be executed concurrently.

Swim lanes and pools

Diagramming constructs showing organizational boundaries; pools are separate entities, lanes are subdivisions within a pool.

Order management process (example)

End‑to‑end order flow: receive order, check stock, ship goods, and invoice.

Start event / End event

Operands in BPMN that mark the process start and end.

Draw.io

A free diagram tool used to create flowcharts and BPMN diagrams.

End‑to‑end visibility

The ability to monitor the entire process from start to finish in one view.