Ontology-versus pattern-based evaluation of process modeling languages: a comparison (original) (raw)

Ontology- versus Pattern-Based . . . -- A COMPARISON

2007

Selecting an appropriate process modeling language forms an important task for organizations engaging in Business Process Management initiatives. A plethora of process modeling languages has been developed over the last decades, leading to a need for rigorous theory to assist in the evaluation and comparison of the capabilities of these languages. While substantial academic progress in the area of process modeling language evaluation has been made in at least two areas, using an ontology-based theory of representation or the framework of workflow patterns, it remains unclear how these frameworks relate to each other. We use a generic framework for language evaluation to establish similarities and differences between these acknowledged reference frameworks and discuss how and to what extent they corroborate each other. Our line of investigation follows the case of the popular BPMN modeling language, whose evaluation from the perspectives of representation theory and workflow patterns is comparatively assessed in this paper. We also show which tenets of modeling quality these Communications of the Association for Information Systems 2 frameworks address and that further research is needed, especially in the area of evaluating the pragmatic quality of modeling.

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 Languages: An Ontology-Based Perspective

Formal Ontologies Meet Industry, 2017

Business process modelling (BPM) notations describe processes using a graphical representation of process-relevant entities and their interplay. Despite the wide literature on the comparison between different modelling languages, the BPM community still lacks an ontological characterisation of process constructs. Purpose of this paper is to start filling this gap by providing a first ontological analysis of the main business process entities. The analysis and the resulting characterisation aim at illustrating the different perspectives that BPM languages implicitly take on business processes, as well as guiding the modellers in making an appropriate choice when selecting among different notations.

Representation theory versus workflow patterns–the case of BPMN

2006

Abstract. Selecting an appropriate process modeling language forms an important task within business process management projects. A wide range of process modeling languages has been developed over the last decades, leading to an obvious need for rigorous theory to assist in the evaluation and comparison of the capabilities of these languages.

The ontological deficiencies of process modeling in practice

European Journal of Information Systems, 2010

Business process modeling is widely regarded as one of the most popular forms of conceptual modeling. However, little is known about the capabilities and deficiencies of process modeling grammars and how existing deficiencies impact actual process modeling practice. This paper is a first contribution towards a theory-driven, exploratory empirical investigation of the ontological deficiencies of process modeling with the industry standard BPMN. We perform an analysis of BPMN using a theory of ontological expressiveness. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with BPMN adopters we explore empirically the actual use of this grammar. Nine ontological deficiencies related to the practice of modeling with BPMN are identified, for example, the capture of business rules and the specification of process decompositions. We also uncover five contextual factors that impact on the use of process modeling grammars, such as tool support and modeling conventions. We discuss implications for research and practice, highlighting the need for consideration of representational issues and contextual factors in decisions relating to BPMN adoption in organizations.

A Unified View of Business Process Modelling Languages1

Understanding and specifying business processes is a challenge. Many different approaches have been developed, each with their own specific business process modelling languages designed to meet a business specific requirements. In practice, however, multiple business process languages are often being used within one and the same enterprise. This paper proposes a universal and language independent abstraction of the concepts of today's mainstream business process modelling languages, in a unified ontology based on an analysis of seven popular business process modelling approaches. Generic concepts are identified and a unified meta-model designed. An ontological analysis of the representational capability of this meta-model is examined in relation to the Bunge-Wand-Weber ontology. This meta-model is open to further extensions such as incorporating requirements or extending into a knowledge base.

An Exploratory Study of Process Modeling Practice with BPMN

This paper is a contribution towards a theory-driven, exploratory empirical investigation of process modeling practice with the industry standard BPMN. We perform a representational analysis of BPMN using an ontological representation theory. Furthermore, we discuss a series of semi- structured interviews with BPMN adopters in order to explore the use of this technique empirically. We identify several representational issues related to the practice of modeling with BPMN, for example, the capture of business rules and the specification of process decompositions. Our study uncovers five contextual factors that impact on the use of process modeling techniques, such as tool support and modeling conventions. We discuss implications for research and practice. In particular, we highlight the need for consideration of representational issues and contextual factors in decisions relating to BPMN adoption in organizations.

A Unified View of Business Process Modelling Languages

2013

Understanding and specifying business processes is a challenge. Many different approaches have been developed, each with their own specific business process modelling languages designed to meet a business specific requirements. In practice, however, multiple business process languages are often being used within one and the same enterprise. This paper proposes a universal and language independent abstraction of the concepts of today's mainstream business process modelling languages, in a unified ontology based on an analysis of seven popular business process modelling approaches. Generic concepts are identified and a unified meta-model designed. An ontological analysis of the representational capability of this meta-model is examined in relation to the Bunge-Wand-Weber ontology. This meta-model is open to further extensions such as incorporating requirements or extending into a knowledge base.