Evaluation measures for business process models (original) (raw)

On the suitability of UML 2.0 activity diagrams for business process modelling

Proceedings of the …, 2006

UML is posited as the "swiss army knife" for systems modelling and design activities. It embodies a number of modelling formalisms that have broad applicability in capturing both the static and dynamic aspects of software systems. One area of UML that has received particular attention is that of Activity Diagrams (ADs), which provide a high-level means of modelling dynamic system behaviour. In this paper we examine the suitability of UML 2.0 Activity Diagrams for business process modelling, using the Workflow Patterns as an evaluation framework. The Workflow Patterns are a collection of patterns developed for assessing control-flow, data and resource capabilities in the area of Process Aware Information Systems (PAIS). In doing so, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the capabilities of UML 2.0 ADs, and their strengths and weaknesses when utilised for business process modelling.

The Formalization of the Business Process Modeling Goals

Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly, 2016

In business process modeling the de facto standard BPMN has emerged. However, the applications of this notation have many subsets of elements and various extensions. Also, BPMN still coincides with many other modeling languages, forming a large set of available options for business process modeling languages and dialects. While, in general, the goal of modelers is a central notion in the choice of modeling languages and notations, in most researches that propose guidelines, techniques, and methods for business process modeling language evaluation and/or selection, the business process modeling goal is not formalized and not transparently taken into account. To overcome this gap, and to explicate and help to handle business process modeling complexity, the approach to formalize the business process modeling goal, and the supporting three dimensional business process modeling framework, are proposed.

A Reference Model Catalog of Models for Business Process Analysis

2010

When results of business processes cannot be measured, the application of numeric Key Performance Indicators fails. Process performance cannot easily be analyzed unless other indirect indicators are applied. So, other existing models for process analysis containing convenient solutions and indicators have to be assessed and validated in order to use them to sufficiently assess business processes. In this article, various existing models were reviewed in an empirical investigation, categorized in systems and put into context to relevant theories. The result of the research is a Reference Model Catalog of Models for Business Process Analysis that also incorporates indirect process performance aspects like soft goals, complexity, maturity or dependencies. It is enabling enterprises and researchers to select a convenient process analysis model for their specific performance problem. Moreover, it is offering a comprehensive overview of models and visualizes correlative voids in their scope.

Goal-based business process models: creation and evaluation

Business Process Management Journal, 1997

The paper gives an overview of an approach to modelling and evaluating business processes at conceptual level. We show which steps would be needed to create an object-oriented business process model, and how business process models can be evaluated against nonfunctional goals. Overall, we get some kind of guarantee that business process models are useful. They facilitate not only the communication between team members, they can be seen as an essential prerequisite for information system developers. Nevertheless, although models are useful we have to accept that an evaluation of a business process can only be partial if it is carried out at model level.

Business Processes Extensions to UML Profile for Business Modeling

2001

In today's highly competitive global economy, the demand for high quality products manufactured at low costs with shorter cycle times has forced various industries to consider new product design, manufacturing and management strategies. To fulfill these requirements organizations have to become process-centered so they can maximize the efficiency of their value chain. The concept of business process is a key issue in the process-centered paradigm. In order to take the most out of the reengineering efforts and from the information technology, business processes must be documented, understood and managed. One way to do that is by efficiently modeling business processes. This paper proposes an extension to UML Profile for Business Modeling to include the concepts of business process.

Business process modelling

Proceedings of the Second Edition of the International Workshop on Experiences and Empirical Studies in Software Modelling, 2012

A software developer facing a modelling task may follow different styles at different levels of abstraction and precision, to better cope with the aims and the potential users of the model. We address the problem of modelling the business processes by means of UML activity diagrams, and present five styles differing in the precision level, from the Ultra-Light style, where the nodes and the edges of the activity diagram are decorated by freely-formed text, to precise styles where instead OCL and UML actions are used. Then, we propose a practical empirical method for choosing the most suitable style depending on the context in which the models will be used (why, when, where, how long, by whom).

Applying Software Metrics to evaluate Business Process Models

Clei Electronic Journal, 2006

In this paper, we define a set of metrics for the evaluation of conceptual models of business processes. The proposal supposes the adaptation and extension of the FMESP framework (Framework for the Modeling and Evaluation of Software Processes). This adaptation can be carried out thanks to the similarities that exist between both types of processes (software and business). FMESP includes a set of metrics, which provide the quantitative basis necessary to find out the maintainability of the software process models. This proposal has been used as the starting point in proposing a set of metrics for the evaluation of the complexity of business process models defined by BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation). Moreover, the groups of metrics of FMESP have been extended. This is because the models of business processes represented in BPMN include quite a number of aspects of interest in this domain which are not considered in software processes modelled with SPEM (Software Process Engineering Metamodel).

Theoretical and Conceptual Approach for Evaluation Business Process Modelling Languages

Business process modeling is crucial to the improvement and integration of business objectives. As a result, several business process modeling techniques have been proposed and evolved over time while selecting an appropriate modeling technique is a challenging task and requires to study on the evaluation and comparison of business process modeling languages (BPMLs). This paper is based on previous works carried out regarding the evaluation of BPMLs. It concentrates on consolidating existing literature instead of improving or modifying modeling techniques evaluation by utilizing the two most commonly used evaluation methods namely the representational theory based on BWW ontology and Curtis et al.'s framework. The focus of this study is based on eight modeling techniques including Petri nets, IDEF, EPC, UML, BPMN, WS-BPEL, and ebXML as the most popular modeling languages which have been widely applied in industrial and enterprise modeling. The purpose of this paper is sought the most applicable modeling techniques based on the aforementioned evaluation methods considered. The finding implies that the combination of three techniques -IDEF, UML, and BPMN-led to the maximum coverage based on BWW ontological completeness and Curtis et al.'s framework that would inspire rapid design and more flexibility in business process modeling.

Business Process Diagrams: An UML Extension

2003

ABSTRACT Although UML offers models that can be used to describe business processes, many practitioners nevertheless prefer to employ languages that are specifically designed for this purpose. These business process languages typically provide only a weak integration with software modeling languages such as UML. To enhance the support of software development we therefore suggest to extend UML's activity diagrams with a business process semantics which leads us to Business Process Diagrams (BPDs).