ILM by City & Guilds · 8725-517Mandatory unit

Unit 517: Business process engineering

In undertaking this unit, learners will understand the principles that support the design of business processes in organisations, which drive improvement. Learners will be able to re-engineer organisational processes using a range of tools and techniques to optimise their alignment with the achievement of strategic goals.

In short

Unit 517 Business process engineering is a 5-credit optional Level 5 unit. The spec defines three process types you may address — operational, support and management processes — and LO2 requires you to test potential improvements through a modelling exercise before justifying your recommendations.

Level

RQF Level 5

Credit value

5 credits

Guided learning

25 hrs

Assessment criteria

9 criteria

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria

To achieve unit 517 your portfolio must evidence every assessment criterion below. There is no exam and no written assignment — you demonstrate each criterion using evidence from your own work.

Learning outcome 1

Understand principles that support the design of business processes

1.1
Describe the principles of business change
What this covers: Reference to principles of business change may include but are not limited to: change models, eg Kotter’s (1995) eight-step model, recognised principles of business process change. Principles: SWOT and PESTLE/STEEPLE analyses and the application of a change model.
1.2
Outline the principles of business process re-engineering
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least three different principles. Evidence for principles must be supported through use of an evidence-informed approach and include reference to authoritative theory.
What this covers: Principles of business process re-engineering may include reference to the fundamental principles outlined by Hammer and Champy or other relevant authority on principles.
1.3
Explain the application of workflow patterns and usability testing
What this covers: Typical workflow patterns that might be considered include sequential, rule-based, parallel, split merge and user-controlled and ad-hoc.
1.4
Evaluate different modelling tools to support design of business processes
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least three different tools.
What this covers: Modelling tools can be simple or complex and include, but are not limited to: Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), Critical Path Analysis (CPA), Gantt charts, flowcharts, Ishikawa (Fishbone) diagramming, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and proprietary software such as ADONIS, Bizagi Modeler, Bonita BPM, Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, Miro, SAP Signavio, as well as the application of AI innovation.
1.5
Discuss factors that influence the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least three different factors. Factors must include the range requirements as described, however evidence can also include any other relevant internal and external factors.
What this covers: Factors: organisational objectives, legal and regulatory compliance, efficiency of resource use, quality, sustainability.

Learning outcome 2

Be able to re-engineer business processes in own organisation

2.1
Identify potential improvements to business processes
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least two improvements.
2.2
Evaluate the feasibility and viability of potential improvements
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least one example of an improvement to follow through on the requirements as set in the stated assessment criterion.
2.3
Test the potential improvements through a modelling exercise
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least one example of an improvement to follow through on the requirements as set in the stated assessment criterion. The modelling exercise should include: • task • sub-process/es • transactions (linked sub-processes). Learners must use generic or bespoke information technology systems to capture and analyse at least some of their data.
2.4
Justify any recommendations to amend business processes based on outcomes from AC2.2/2.3
Evidence requirement: Evidence must include at least one example of an improvement to follow through on the requirements as set in the stated assessment criterion.

How to approach unit 517

Written by our assessment team: what the criteria mean in practice, the evidence that works, and where learners get caught out.

What this unit is really about

Unit 517 is the most technical unit in the Level 5 suite, and it has a step learners regularly skip: criterion 2.3 requires you to test the potential improvements through a modelling exercise. Not propose them — model them. Criterion 2.4 then asks you to justify recommendations based on the outcomes of 2.2 and 2.3, so the sequence is fixed and the assessor will look for it.

The spec sets out the three process types you may address: operational processes that deliver direct value (manufacturing, delivery, service provision), support processes that enable them (HR, IT, finance, procurement), and management processes (planning, governance, performance management). Any one is acceptable — choose a process you can actually observe end to end.

The evidence that works

Learning outcome	Evidence that works well
LO1 — principles	The principles of business change, the principles of business process re-engineering, the application of workflow patterns and usability testing, an evaluation of modelling tools, and a discussion of the factors influencing process efficiency and effectiveness
LO2 — re-engineer	Your as-is process map, potential improvements identified, a feasibility and viability evaluation, the modelling exercise and its results, and justified recommendations

What "a modelling exercise" can reasonably be

You do not need simulation software. Legitimate modelling at this level:

An as-is and to-be process map with step counts, handoffs, wait times and rework loops quantified on both
A desk walkthrough of real historical cases through the proposed process, showing where each would have gone
A spreadsheet model of throughput, time or cost under current and proposed conditions
A small pilot on one shift, one product line or one customer segment, with before-and-after measures
A swimlane diagram exposing how many times work crosses a team boundary

Whatever you choose, quantify something. "The proposed process reduces handoffs from nine to four and removes two approval steps that added an average of 1.5 days" is the kind of statement 2.3 and 2.4 are built for.

Getting the principles right

Business process re-engineering (Hammer and Champy) is specifically radical redesign of a process to achieve dramatic improvement — deliberately different from continuous improvement. Knowing that distinction, and being honest about which one your project actually is, is worth stating: most workplace projects are incremental improvement wearing the BPR label, and saying so is more credible than overclaiming.

Usability testing (criterion 1.3) is about watching real users attempt the process or system and recording where they hesitate, err or work around it — not asking them whether they like it. Workflow patterns are the recurring structures: sequence, parallel split and synchronisation, exclusive choice, loops, and the queues and handoffs where work waits.

For criterion 1.4, evaluate modelling tools with trade-offs: flowcharts are universally readable and hide time; swimlanes expose handoffs and get unwieldy; BPMN is precise and needs training to read; value stream mapping quantifies wait versus work time and takes effort to gather; simulation handles variability and is overkill for most operational processes.

Note the recurring finding worth reporting honestly: in most processes the delay is not in the work, it is in the waiting — approvals, queues and handoffs. Measuring both separately is often the single most valuable thing your model produces.

Useful reading

Taylor's scientific management — the ancestor of process analysis, and its human cost
Kotter's 8-step change model — redesigned processes still have to be adopted
Classical vs modern management theory
Workplace documents as evidence

Keep reading

Supporting information for unit 517

Unit aim: In undertaking this unit, learners will understand the principles that support the design of business processes in organisations, which drive improvement. Learners will be able to re-engineer organisational processes using a range of tools and techniques to optimise their alignment with the achievement of strategic goals.

Unit guidance: A business process is a set of activities and tasks that, once completed, achieve an organisational goal. Learners may address any of the three main types of business process, namely: • operational processes – providing direct value to customers and the organisation such as manufacturing and delivery • support processes – enable and support the operational processes, eg people practice, administration • management processes – plan, monitor and manage the operational and support processes.

Evidencing this unit

All evidence for the skills learning outcomes must be generated in the workplace or a realistic working environment, and must be valid and attributable to you.

Workplace documentation and records — team development plans, project implementation reports, meeting agendas and minutes, training materials
Video clips, up to a maximum of 15 minutes
Projects
Reflective accounts, journals and logs
Assessment observation
Witness testimonies

Portfolio guide Reflective accounts

Where unit 517 counts

This unit sits in the ILM Level 5 Leadership and Management suite (8725) and counts towards the pathways below, from £695.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a modelling exercise for unit 517?

An as-is and to-be process map with quantified handoffs and wait times, a desk walkthrough of real historical cases, a spreadsheet throughput model, a small pilot with before-and-after measures, or a swimlane diagram — no simulation software required, but quantify something.

Is business process re-engineering the same as continuous improvement?

No. BPR means radical redesign of a process for dramatic improvement; continuous improvement is incremental. Most workplace projects are incremental, and saying so honestly is stronger evidence than overclaiming radical redesign.

Is unit 517 mandatory?

Yes. Unit 517 is a mandatory unit — every learner on the relevant pathway must complete it.

How is unit 517 assessed?

Assessment is a portfolio of evidence, centre-devised and internally set and marked. There are no exams and no written assignments.

What evidence can I use for unit 517?

All evidence for the skills learning outcomes must be generated in the workplace or a realistic working environment, and must be valid and attributable to you. Workplace documents, projects, reflective accounts, observation records and witness testimonies are all valid sources.

Which qualifications include unit 517?

It counts towards the Level 5 Award, Level 5 Certificate, Level 5 Diploma, Level 5 Extended Diploma.