Simplifying process model abstraction: Techniques for generating model names

The increased adoption of business process management approaches, tools, and practices has led organizations to accumulate large collections of business process models. These collections can easily include from a hundred to a thousand models, especially in the context of multinational corporations or as a result of organizational mergers and acquisitions. A concrete problem is thus how to maintain these large repositories in such a way that their complexity does not hamper their practical usefulness as a means to describe and communicate business operations. This paper proposes a technique to automatically infer suitable names for business process models and fragments thereof. This technique is useful for model abstraction scenarios, as for instance when user-specific views of a repository are required, or as part of a refactoring initiative aimed to simplify the repository's complexity. The technique is grounded in an adaptation of the theory of meaning to the realm of business process models. We implemented the technique in a prototype tool and conducted an extensive evaluation using three process model collections from practice and a case study involving process modelers with different experience.     

业务流程模型抽象中基于约束的行为聚类方法研究

将业务流程模型抽象中的行为聚合解释为一个半监督聚类过程,利用基于试探的启发式方法选择合适的行为集合作为初始簇,进而提高抽象的质量。另外,为了同时满足模型转换的保序性需求和子流程的业务语义完整性,在将行为归类到某个簇(候选子流程)时,进一步考虑了流程控制流的影响,设计了由两部分构成的约束函数,即语义距离和控制流顺序冲突。其中,第一部分引入了虚拟文档来表示行为和子流程,计算其之间的语义距离;第二部分利用行为概要文档中的4种行为顺序关系,设计函数来表示行为归类带来的控制流冲突。将该方法应用于真实的流程模型库,与传统的k-means行为聚类对比,如随机生成初始簇集和基于语义的距离测量方法,结果表明所提方法生成了更接近于人工设计的流程抽象结果。     

A modular approach to the specification and management of time duration constraints in BPMN

The modeling and management of business processes deals with temporal aspects both in the inherent representation of activity coordination and in the specification of activity properties and constraints. In this paper, we address the modeling and specification of constraints related to the duration of process activities. In detail, we consider the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard and propose an approach to define re-usable duration-aware process models that make use of existing BPMN elements for representing different nuances of activity duration at design time. Moreover, we show how advanced event-handling techniques may be exploited for detecting the violation of duration constraints during the process run-time. The set of process models specified in this paper suitably captures duration constraints at different levels of abstraction, by allowing designers to specify the duration of atomic tasks and of selected process regions in a way that is conceptually and semantically BPMN-compliant. Without loss of generality, we refer to real-world clinical working environments to exemplify our approach, as their intrinsic complexity makes them a particularly challenging and rewarding application environment.     

A linear time layout algorithm for business process models

The layout of a business process model influences how easily it can be understood. Existing layout features in process modeling tools often rely on graph representations, but do not take the specific properties of business process models into account. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that is based on a set of constraints which are specifically identified toward establishing a readable layout of a process model. Our algorithm exploits the structure of the process model and allows the computation of the final layout in linear time. We explain the algorithm, show its detailed run-time complexity, compare it to existing algorithms, and demonstrate in an empirical evaluation the acceptance of the layout generated by the algorithm. The data suggests that the proposed algorithm is well perceived by moderately experienced process modelers, both in terms of its usefulness as well as its ease of use.     

On the refactoring of activity labels in business process models

Large corporations increasingly utilize business process models for documenting and redesigning their operations. The extent of such modeling initiatives with several hundred models and dozens of often hardly trained modelers calls for automated quality assurance. While formal properties of control flow can easily be checked by existing tools, there is a notable gap for checking the quality of the textual content of models, in particular, its activity labels. In this paper, we address the problem of activity label quality in business process models. We designed a technique for the recognition of labeling styles, and the automatic refactoring of labels with quality issues. More specifically, we developed a parsing algorithm that is able to deal with the shortness of activity labels, which integrates natural language tools like WordNet and the Stanford Parser. Using three business process model collections from practice with differing labeling style distributions, we demonstrate the applicability of our technique. In comparison to a straightforward application of standard natural language tools, our technique provides much more stable results. As an outcome, the technique shifts the boundary of process model quality issues that can be checked automatically from syntactic to semantic aspects.     

Modeling and execution of event stream processing in business processes

The Internet of Things and Cyber-physical Systems provide enormous amounts of real-time data in the form of streams of events. Businesses can benefit from the integration of these real-world data; new services can be provided to customers, or existing business processes can be improved. Events are a well-known concept in business processes. However, there is no appropriate abstraction mechanism to encapsulate event stream processing in units that represent business functions in a coherent manner across the process modeling, process execution, and IT infrastructure layer. In this paper we present Event Stream Processing Units (SPUs) as such an abstraction mechanism. SPUs encapsulate application logic for event stream processing and enable a seamless transition between process models, executable process representations, and components at the IT layer. We derive requirements for SPUs and introduce EPC and BPMN extensions to model SPUs at the abstract and at the technical process layer. We introduce a transformation from SPUs in EPCs to SPUs in BPMN and implement our modeling notation extensions in Software AG ARIS. We present a runtime infrastructure that executes SPUs and supports implicit invocation and completion semantics. We illustrate our approach using a logistics process as running example.     

基于层次泳道的业务流程最优化建模

业务流程技术是企业管理、应用和集成领域的一个研究热点,而业务流程建模是其应用中的关键问题之一。针对流程建模自动化程度低、缺乏有效评价等不足,提出了基于层次泳道的最优化建模方法。该方法只需给出流程各活动的描述,便可根据活动间的推演关系自动构建流程全图;然后对可能流程进行层次泳道化;最后,综合流程的执行代价和泳道的均衡度,从层次泳道化模型中选择最优者为最终的业务流程建模。结合遗传算法对港口集装箱业务流程进行了最优化建模。实际应用表明,该方法建立的业务流程能有效地均衡码头的业务负载,提高码头的作业效率。     

一种基于模型精化的业务流程开发方法

如何高效组织建模过程和提高业务流程的重用效率是现代业务流程建模和再造过程中亟待解决的问题。传统的业务流程建模方法面向角色组织建模人员、面向单一实例组织流程制品,无法有效组织多人协作、降低流程重用成本。讨论了基于模型精化的流程建模方法,该方法基于流程模型的抽象级别组织建模人员和流程制品。研究还设计实现了使用该方法进行流程开发的分布式业务流程开发平台DMRB-BPMA,用于帮助企业规范和优化建模过程,通过内置的任务分发和流程合并机制有效地组织建模人员进行协作,指导其高效完成业务流程制品的重用。     

Modelling non-functional requirements of business processes

This paper presents an approach to the identification and inclusion of ‘non-functional’ aspects of a business process in modelling for business improvement. The notion of non-functional requirements (NFRs) is borrowed from software engineering, and a method developed in that field for linking NFRs to conceptual models is adapted and applied to business process modelling. Translated into this domain, NFRs are equated with the general or overall quality attributes of a business process, which, though essential aspects of any effective process, are not well captured in a functionally oriented process model. Using an example of a healthcare process (cancer registration in Jordan). We show how an analysis and evaluation of NFRs can be applied to a process model developed with role activity diagramming (RAD) to operationalise desirable quality features more explicitly in the model. This gives a useful extension to RAD and similar modelling methods, as well as providing a basis for business improvement.     

Plural: A decentralized business process modeling method

Top-down and centralized approaches prevail in the design and improvement of business processes. However, centralized structures pose difficulties for organizations in adapting to a rapidly changing business environment. Here we present the Plural method which can be used to guide organizations in performing process modeling in a decentralized way. Instead of a centralized group of people understanding, modeling and improving processes, our method allows individuals to model and improve their own processes to help in fulfilling their roles in the organization. An individual model depicts a set of activities performed by a role, which together result in a cohesive service within the organization. These individual models are then integrated as necessary to show the way the organization works. We applied the Plural method in a case study of a small-size software organization. We describe the method and its underlying principles and then discuss the findings of our case study, lessons learned, and limitations. The study thus provided evidence of Plural's utility and showed how an organization might exploit its strengths.     

Workflow modeling for virtual processes: an order-preserving process-view approach

Conducting workflow management allows virtual enterprises to collaboratively manage business processes. Given the diverse requirements of the participants involved in a business process, providing various participants with adequate process information is critical to effective workflow management. This work describes a novel process-view, i.e., an abstracted process which is derived from a base process to provide process abstraction, for modeling a virtual workflow process. The proposed process-view model enhances the conventional activity-based process models by providing different participants with various views of a process. Moreover, this work presents a novel order-preserving approach to derive a process-view from a base process. The approach proposed herein can preserve the original ordering of activities in the base process. Additionally, a formal model is presented to define an order-preserving process-view. Finally, an algorithm is proposed for automatically generating an order-preserving process-view. The proposed approach increases the flexibility and functionality of workflow management systems.     

Integrating a Decision Tree Perspective at the Operational-Level of BPM+

Decision trees are among the best-known decision-making techniques and have been used extensively for both data analysis and predictive modeling. BPM+ is a novel process modeling approach that helps represent business process models in a consistent and structured way to meet different stakeholders’ process representation needs. This paper reports on the outcomes of an ontological analysis of the potential use of decision-tree representations as a new BPM+ perspective for the operational level of abstraction. This new perspective effectively demonstrates how a specialized/operational BPM stakeholder perspective can be used to improve the existing organizational business process model repository.     

The importance of business process modeling in software systems design

Despite diligent efforts made by the software engineering community, the failure of software projects keeps increasing at an alarming rate. After two decades of this problem reoccurring, one of the leading causes for the high failure rate is still poor process modeling (requirements’ specification). Therefore both researchers and practitioners recognize the importance of business process modeling in understanding and designing accurate software systems. However, lack of direct model checking (verification) feature is one of the main shortcomings in conventional process modeling methods. It is important that models provide verifiable insight into underlying business processes in order to design complex software systems such as Enterprise Information Systems (EIS). The software engineering community has been deploying the same methods that have haunted the industry with failure. In this paper, we try to remedy this issue by looking at a non-conventional framework. We introduce a business process modeling method that is amenable to automatic analysis (simulation), yet powerful enough to capture the rich reality of business systems as enacted in the behavior and interactions of users. The proposed method is based on the innovative language-action perspective.     

支持BPR的流程仿真在OpenBlock中的设计和实现

企业流程重组(Business Process Reengineerlng，BPR)作为一种有效的手段，已成为当今企业关心的重点问题。企业迫切需要支持BPR的易用、有效的建模仿真工具。该文简要介绍了企业流程重组的基本概念，分析了具有排队系统特点的一般企业流程的功能，讨论了支持BPR的流程仿真问题；重点利用框图建模方法来支持BPR流程仿真，在OpenBlock建模仿真环境中设计并实现了BPR模型体系；最后，给出一个电话呼叫中心的企业流程建模仿真实例。     

A systematic literature review of studies on business process modeling quality

ContextBusiness process modeling is an essential part of understanding and redesigning the activities that a typical enterprise uses to achieve its business goals. The quality of a business process model has a significant impact on the development of any enterprise and IT support for that process.ObjectiveSince the insights on what constitutes modeling quality are constantly evolving, it is unclear whether research on business process modeling quality already covers all major aspects of modeling quality. Therefore, the objective of this research is to determine the state of the art on business process modeling quality: What aspects of process modeling quality have been addressed until now and which gaps remain to be covered?MethodWe performed a systematic literature review of peer reviewed articles as published between 2000 and August 2013 on business process modeling quality. To analyze the contributions of the papers we use the Formal Concept Analysis technique.ResultsWe found 72 studies addressing quality aspects of business process models. These studies were classified into different dimensions: addressed model quality type, research goal, research method, and type of research result. Our findings suggest that there is no generally accepted framework of model quality types. Most research focuses on empirical and pragmatic quality aspects, specifically with respect to improving the understandability or readability of models. Among the various research methods, experimentation is the most popular one. The results from published research most often take the form of intangible knowledge.ConclusionWe believe there is a lack of an encompassing and generally accepted definition of business process modeling quality. This evidences the need for the development of a broader quality framework capable of dealing with the different aspects of business process modeling quality. Different dimensions of business process quality and of the process of modeling still require further research.     

从EDOC的业务过程建模到J2EE应用程序框架的MDA转换

OMG（Object Management Group，对象管理组织）提出的模型驱动架构（MDA，Model Driven Architecture）是解决不同中间件平台之间的集成以及技术升级所引起的问题的软件开发方法。MDA的基本思想是将系统的模型作为软件开发过程的核心制品，并且将模型区分为描述系统业务功能的平台独立模型（PIM，Platform Independent Model）和描述系统在特定技术平台上实现细节的平台相关模型（PSM，Platform Specific Model）。模型转换是MDA开发的核心内客。MDA的开发效率依赖于良好的支撑工具，特别是支持模型转换的工具的涌现。本文介绍一种对业务过程建模并将模型转换成程序代码的设计恩想和实现方法。开发者可以用该工具对企业的业务过程建模。这个工具能将建立的模型自动转换成J2EE平台上的程序代码。     

基于业务规则的信息系统建模方法研究

信息系统的开发需要对业务过程进行建模。论文提出一种从业务规则的角度对业务过程进行建模的方法。通过对业务规则的分析，讨论了将业务规则转化为建模构件的方法，研究了构件之间的关系——元模型，并给出了利用这些构件建立业务过程的规则模型的方法。最后给出了一个业务规则模型的实例。     

基于行为轮廓定义目标规则的流程建模推荐方法

为了打破基于流程库的流程建模推荐方法中路径和图结构的限制,为建模者从流程库中提取更多有用的推荐信息,进而辅助建模者建立更高质量的业务流程模型,提出了一种基于行为轮廓定义业务目标实现规则的流程建模推荐方法.首先,通过业务陈述制定用于形式化及抽象化表达业务交互规则的目标轮廓矩阵;接着,通过其与行为轮廓矩阵集中全部行为轮廓矩...     

A practical data-flow verification scheme for business processes

Data in business processes becomes more and more important. Current standard languages for process modeling like BPMN 2.0 which include the data flow reflect this. Ensuring the correctness of the data flow in processes is challenging. Model checking, i.e., verifying properties of process models, is a well-known technique to this end. An important part of model checking is the construction of the state space of the model. However, state-space explosion typically is in the way of an effective verification. We study how to overcome this problem in our context by means of reduction. More specifically, we propose a reduction on the level of the process model. To our knowledge, this is new for the data-flow analysis of processes. The core of our approach are so-called regions of the process model that are relevant for the verification of properties describing the data flow. Non-relevant regions are candidates for reduction of the process model, yielding a smaller state space. Our evaluation shows that our approach works well on industrial process models.     

Using intentional fragments to bridge the gap between organizational and intentional levels

ContextBusiness process models provide a natural way to describe real-world processes to be supported by software-intensive systems. These models can be used to analyze processes in the system-as-is and describe potential improvements for the system-to-be. But, how well does a given business process model satisfy its business goals? How can different perspectives be integrated in order to describe an inter-organizational process?ObjectiveThe aim of the present paper is to link the local and the global perspectives of the inter-organizational business process defined in BPMN 2.0 (Business Process Model and Notation) to KAOS goal models (Keep All Objectives Satisfied). We maintain a separation of concerns between the intentional level captured by the goal model and the organizational level captured by the process model. The paper presents the concept of intentional fragment (a set of flow elements of the process with a common purpose) and assess its usefulness.MethodWe conducted empirical experiments where the proposed concepts – here the intentional fragments – are validated by users. Our method relies on an iterative improvement process led by users feedback.ResultsWe find that the concept of intentional fragment is useful for (1) analyzing the business process model (2) reasoning about the relations between the goal model and the business process model and (3) identifying new goals. In a previous work we focused on BPMN 2.0 collaboration models (local view). This paper extends the previous work by integrating the global view given by choreography models in the approach.ConclusionWe conclude that the notion of intentional fragment is a useful mean to relate business process models and goal models while dealing with their different nature (activity oriented vs goal oriented). Intentional fragments can also be used to analyze the process model and to infer new goals in an iterative manner.