The Difference Between Accuracy and Precision in Business Process Modeling
May/01/2024 Filed in: Process Engineering
The greater the level of precision, the greater the return on investment (ROI) in the work of business process mapping and documentation. In other words, an accurate yet imprecise workflow diagram has less value to an organization than a workflow diagram that is both accurate and precise.
Aren’t they Synonyms?
Outside of business process mapping and documentation, the word pairs are often considered synonymous. But in the context of business process mapping and documentation they are specifically different. In this post, I’ll explain that difference by first examining the dictionary definitions of the words. Then I’ll explain my interpretation of the differences and how they apply to the quality and utility of business process mapping and documentation.
The Dictionary Definitions
For the sake of consistency, I’m using the words’ definitions, synonyms, and antonyms specified in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/). Please note that the italicized synonyms and antonyms are those that I don’t precisely agree with – but only in the context of business process mapping and documentation.
Accurate:
Definitions:
• Free from error especially as the result of care.
• Implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.
• Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard
• Going to, reaching, or hitting the intended target : not missing the target
Synonyms:
• Correct, dead-on, exact, good, on-target, precise, proper, right, so, spot-on, true, veracious, bang on [chiefly British],
Antonyms:
• False, improper, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, off, untrue, wrong
Additional Information:
• RIGHT is close to CORRECT but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.
Inaccurate
Definition:
Not accurate : faulty
Synonyms:
• Erroneous, false, incorrect, inexact, invalid, off, unsound, untrue, untruthful, wrong
Antonyms:
• accurate, correct, errorless, exact, factual, precise, proper, right, sound, true, valid, veracious
Precise
Definitions:
• Exactly or sharply defined or stated
• Minutely exact
• Strictly conforming to a pattern, standard, or convention
• Distinguished from every other
Synonyms:
• Accurate, close, delicate, exact, fine, hairline, mathematical, pinpoint, refined, rigorous, spot-on
Antonyms:
• Coarse, imprecise, inaccurate, inexact, rough
Additional Consideration:
• EXACT stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth
• PRECISE adds to EXACT an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation
Imprecise
Definitions:
• Not precise : inexact, vague
Synonyms:
• approximate, approximative, ballpark, inaccurate, inexact, loose, squishy
Antonyms:
• accurate, dead, dead-on, exact, precise, ultraprecise, veracious
Summing Up the Difference
“Truth” and “correctness” are the common themes in the definitions for the words accurate. The antonym, inaccurate suggests “incorrect” or “wrong.”
“Specific,” “exact,” and “distinguished from every other” are the common themes in the definitions of precise.
Simply translated, this means a process diagram can be technically accurate, but not very specific.
For example, when creating business process maps and documentation for ERP or CRM software development projects, the lowest level of process decomposition is required. Those low-level details include task-level (i.e. process step) descriptions that precisely (i.e. exactly) specify the data entry requirements for each step in the process. The task should specify the data object, the data object fields, and the specific or allowed range of data object property values. That’s the type of detail that software developers need to effectively configure the software.
An Accurate Task Statement vs a Precise Task Statement
A business process task statement could be written as, “Send the Contract to the Customer.” From a procedural sense, it is accurate (i.e. correct) that the company policy is to send Customers copies of Contracts that have been counter-signed by the company.
But the statement lacks precision. There is no precision regarding the action verb of “send.” The reader is left to guess how the action of sending is to be performed.
A precise statement might be written as, “Attach a PDF-version copy of the counter-signed Contract to an E-mail and send the E-mail to the Customer.” Or, a better alternative would be to separate that compound sentence into two separate tasks. Even more precision could be accomplished by marking (e.g. a BPMN Activity Marker) the “Send the Contract to the Customer” as a sub-process, then decompose the sub-process into a series of steps as listed below.
1. Create a PDF copy of the Contract.
2. Using the “Return Counter-signed Contract to Customer” E-mail template, create a new E-mail.
3. Attach the PDF copy of the counter-signed Contract to the E-mail
4. Address the E-mail to the Customer company’s Primary Contact, then send it.
Precision = Leverage
How is the ROI in business process mapping and documentation realized? One way is by creating business process maps and documentation that can be re-used and/or re-purposed beyond the original reason for mapping and documentation. By emphasizing both accuracy and precision, it expands the range of utility derived from the effort.
With ERP and CRM systems development projects, that means creating business process maps and documentation that can be used by every member of the project team throughout the entire SDLC. That includes product managers, scrum masters, projects managers, business analysts, system architects, programmers, testers, tech writers, trainers, and change management specialists. Every one of these roles can benefit from business process maps and documents that are as precise as they are accurate.
Aren’t they Synonyms?
Outside of business process mapping and documentation, the word pairs are often considered synonymous. But in the context of business process mapping and documentation they are specifically different. In this post, I’ll explain that difference by first examining the dictionary definitions of the words. Then I’ll explain my interpretation of the differences and how they apply to the quality and utility of business process mapping and documentation.
The Dictionary Definitions
For the sake of consistency, I’m using the words’ definitions, synonyms, and antonyms specified in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/). Please note that the italicized synonyms and antonyms are those that I don’t precisely agree with – but only in the context of business process mapping and documentation.
Accurate:
Definitions:
• Free from error especially as the result of care.
• Implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.
• Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard
• Going to, reaching, or hitting the intended target : not missing the target
Synonyms:
• Correct, dead-on, exact, good, on-target, precise, proper, right, so, spot-on, true, veracious, bang on [chiefly British],
Antonyms:
• False, improper, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, off, untrue, wrong
Additional Information:
• RIGHT is close to CORRECT but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.
Inaccurate
Definition:
Not accurate : faulty
Synonyms:
• Erroneous, false, incorrect, inexact, invalid, off, unsound, untrue, untruthful, wrong
Antonyms:
• accurate, correct, errorless, exact, factual, precise, proper, right, sound, true, valid, veracious
Precise
Definitions:
• Exactly or sharply defined or stated
• Minutely exact
• Strictly conforming to a pattern, standard, or convention
• Distinguished from every other
Synonyms:
• Accurate, close, delicate, exact, fine, hairline, mathematical, pinpoint, refined, rigorous, spot-on
Antonyms:
• Coarse, imprecise, inaccurate, inexact, rough
Additional Consideration:
• EXACT stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth
• PRECISE adds to EXACT an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation
Imprecise
Definitions:
• Not precise : inexact, vague
Synonyms:
• approximate, approximative, ballpark, inaccurate, inexact, loose, squishy
Antonyms:
• accurate, dead, dead-on, exact, precise, ultraprecise, veracious
Summing Up the Difference
“Truth” and “correctness” are the common themes in the definitions for the words accurate. The antonym, inaccurate suggests “incorrect” or “wrong.”
“Specific,” “exact,” and “distinguished from every other” are the common themes in the definitions of precise.
Simply translated, this means a process diagram can be technically accurate, but not very specific.
For example, when creating business process maps and documentation for ERP or CRM software development projects, the lowest level of process decomposition is required. Those low-level details include task-level (i.e. process step) descriptions that precisely (i.e. exactly) specify the data entry requirements for each step in the process. The task should specify the data object, the data object fields, and the specific or allowed range of data object property values. That’s the type of detail that software developers need to effectively configure the software.
An Accurate Task Statement vs a Precise Task Statement
A business process task statement could be written as, “Send the Contract to the Customer.” From a procedural sense, it is accurate (i.e. correct) that the company policy is to send Customers copies of Contracts that have been counter-signed by the company.
But the statement lacks precision. There is no precision regarding the action verb of “send.” The reader is left to guess how the action of sending is to be performed.
A precise statement might be written as, “Attach a PDF-version copy of the counter-signed Contract to an E-mail and send the E-mail to the Customer.” Or, a better alternative would be to separate that compound sentence into two separate tasks. Even more precision could be accomplished by marking (e.g. a BPMN Activity Marker) the “Send the Contract to the Customer” as a sub-process, then decompose the sub-process into a series of steps as listed below.
1. Create a PDF copy of the Contract.
2. Using the “Return Counter-signed Contract to Customer” E-mail template, create a new E-mail.
3. Attach the PDF copy of the counter-signed Contract to the E-mail
4. Address the E-mail to the Customer company’s Primary Contact, then send it.
Precision = Leverage
How is the ROI in business process mapping and documentation realized? One way is by creating business process maps and documentation that can be re-used and/or re-purposed beyond the original reason for mapping and documentation. By emphasizing both accuracy and precision, it expands the range of utility derived from the effort.
With ERP and CRM systems development projects, that means creating business process maps and documentation that can be used by every member of the project team throughout the entire SDLC. That includes product managers, scrum masters, projects managers, business analysts, system architects, programmers, testers, tech writers, trainers, and change management specialists. Every one of these roles can benefit from business process maps and documents that are as precise as they are accurate.