Dynamics 365 business process catalog: from catalog to process flow
How to use Microsoft's Dynamics 365 business process catalog on an implementation: pick end-to-end processes, turn process areas into swimlane flows with roles and decisions, and record fit-gap results.
Microsoft's business process catalog lists the end-to-end processes Dynamics 365 supports, from acquire to dispose to order to cash. It tells you what the processes are; a swimlane flow shows how your organisation will run them.
The short version
- Use the catalog to decide scope: which end-to-end processes and areas are in.
- Draw one swimlane flow per end-to-end process, with your own roles as lanes.
- Mark the configurable decisions: workflows, matching, credit holds.
- Record fit-gap results as notes on the steps where they occur.
- Keep the catalog IDs on the flow so requirements and flows stay linked.
The catalog is the list, the flow is the design
Microsoft's business process catalog organises Dynamics 365 into end-to-end processes (such as procure to pay, order to cash and record to report), each broken into business process areas and then individual business processes. Microsoft recommends it as the starting structure for implementation projects, and it can be imported into Azure DevOps to organise requirements and work items.
The catalog is a hierarchy, not a diagram. It tells you that procure to pay includes requesting goods, purchasing, receiving and paying vendors. It does not show who in your organisation does each step, where approvals happen, or what happens when an invoice does not match. Those are the decisions your fit-gap workshops have to settle, and they are easiest to discuss on a swimlane flow.
The example below turns the catalog's procure-to-pay areas into a Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management flow, stage by stage.
Procure to pay in Dynamics 365
The catalog's procure-to-pay areas as one flow. Each stage maps to a process area; the decisions are where your design choices go.
Request goods and services
The purchase requisition and its workflow. The design choices are the procurement categories and catalogs requesters see, and the workflow conditions: amount, category, cost center.
Purchase goods and services
Trade agreement or request for quotation, release to a purchase order, and confirmation. Decide whether change management (PO approval) is on, and whether buyers review every requisition or approved ones are released automatically.
Receive goods and services
The product receipt. Warehouse management design (receiving work, quality orders) attaches here if you use it; for services, receipt is often confirmed by the requester.
Invoice and match
Vendor invoice entry, matching against the PO and product receipt, variance review and the vendor invoice workflow. The matching policy and tolerances are among the most important decisions in the whole process.
Pay vendors
Payment proposal in the vendor payment journal, payment file to the bank and settlement. Design questions are payment methods, bank formats and who approves the payment run.
How it works
Choose end-to-end processes from the catalog
Go through the catalog's end-to-end processes and mark which are in scope for this phase. This becomes your project's process list and the structure for requirements.
Draw one flow per end-to-end process
For each in-scope process, draw a swimlane flow with your own roles as lanes and the catalog's process areas as phases. Start from the standard D365 flow, not from the legacy system.
Mark the configurable decisions
Add every workflow, matching rule, credit check and policy as a decision on the flow. These are the points your fit-gap workshops will discuss.
Run fit-gap workshops on the flow
Walk each flow with key users and the functional consultant, and record each difference as a note on the step: fits, configuration, process change or extension.
Link back to the catalog and DevOps
Keep the catalog's process IDs in the step notes so each flow links to the requirements and work items in Azure DevOps.
Get process owner sign-off
Send each flow for approval to its process owner. The approved flows become the design baseline and training material.
Mistakes to avoid
Treating the catalog as the design
The catalog lists what Dynamics 365 can do; it does not decide how your company works. Every in-scope process still needs a designed flow.
Starting from the AX or legacy flow
Drawing the old process and mapping it onto D365 brings old customizations with it. Start from the standard flow and justify each difference.
Too many processes in phase one
The catalog has hundreds of business processes. Scope to what you need at go-live and leave the rest for later phases.
Flows disconnected from requirements
If flows and DevOps work items do not share IDs, they drift apart during the project. Keep the catalog IDs on both.
Open the Dynamics 365 P2P flow
Open the Dynamics 365 procure-to-pay flow as your own chart, rename the lanes to your roles, and add your catalog IDs and fit-gap notes to each step.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the Dynamics 365 business process catalog?
It is Microsoft's structured list of the end-to-end business processes that Dynamics 365 apps support, such as acquire to dispose, procure to pay, order to cash, record to report and hire to retire. Each end-to-end process is broken into business process areas and individual business processes, with guidance for each.
How do I use the business process catalog in an implementation?
Use it to set scope and structure: choose the in-scope end-to-end processes, import the catalog into Azure DevOps to organise requirements and work items, and design each process as a flow with your roles and decisions. Fit-gap results and configuration decisions then attach to the steps.
Does the catalog replace Business Process Modeler in Lifecycle Services?
Microsoft has moved implementation guidance away from Business Process Modeler, whose flowchart diagrams are deprecated, towards the business process catalog and Azure DevOps. Teams that used BPM flowcharts now need another tool to draw and approve their process flows.
Is the catalog only for Finance and Supply Chain Management?
No. It covers Dynamics 365 apps more broadly, including Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Operations and Business Central, alongside Finance and Supply Chain Management.