KWM: Knowledge-based Workflow Model for agile organization

The workflow management system (WFMS) in an agile organization should be highly adaptable to the frequent organizational changes. To increase the adaptability of contemporary WFMSs, a mechanism for managing changes within the organizational structure and changes in business rules needs to be reinforced. In this paper, a knowledge-based approach for workflow modeling is proposed, in which a workflow is defined as a set of business rules. Knowledge on the organizational structure and special workflow, such as role/actor mappings and complex routing rules, can be explicitly modeled in KWM (Knowledge-based Workflow Model). Using knowledge representation scheme and dependency management facility, a change propagation mechanism is provided to adapt to the frequent changes in the organizational structure, business rules, and procedures

On Modeling and Analyzing Cost Factors in Information Systems Engineering

Introducing enterprise information systems (EIS) is usually associated with high costs. It is therefore crucial to understand those factors that determine or influence these costs. Though software cost estimation has received considerable attention during the last decades, it is difficult to apply existing approaches to EIS. This difficulty particularly stems from the inability of these methods to deal with the dynamic interactions of the many technological, organizational and projectdriven cost factors which specifically arise in the context of EIS. Picking up this problem, we introduce the EcoPOST framework to investigate the complex cost structures of EIS engineering projects through qualitative cost evaluation models. This paper extends previously described concepts and introduces design rules and guidelines for cost evaluation models in order to enhance the development of meaningful and useful EcoPOST cost evaluation models. A case study illustrates the benefits of our approach. Most important, our EcoPOST framework is an important tool supporting EIS engineers in gaining a better understanding of the critical factors determining the costs of EIS engineering projects

Development of a web-based system for supporting sales in a mineral water manufacturing firm : a case study

Author name used in this publication: E. W. T. NgaiAuthor name used in this publication: T. C. E. Cheng2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

PLM as a strategy for project structuring and coordination

Successful Project Management (PM) comes from the combination of skills, knowledge, tools and techniques to strategically plan, execute and control projects with a variety of requirements and constrains -- In recent years, there has been an increased interest in implementation methodologies that not only allows successful PM, but integrates Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Business Process Modelling (BPM) and Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR) in order to achieve efficient planning and execution under low margin profits and strict time constrains demanded by clients -- In this paper, an integrated approach for product design and development in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) that requires PM and information integration is presented -- As a result, an implementation methodology in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is proposed -- This methodology is applied to support the design and construction of waste treatment plants and includes a novel PLM implementation strategy that considers mechanisms that offer high potential for developing countries -- The design of the proposed approach is presented including how engineering processes were identified, analyzed and improved through BPM and PLM; the approach emphasizes in the standardization of process management guided by PLM tools through workflows -- This aims to impact coordination and efficiency in the company’s NPD processLa gestión exitosa de proyectos (PM) comprende desde la combinación de habilidades, conocimientos, herramientas y técnicas hasta la planeación, ejecución y control estratégico de proyectos con gran variedad de requisitos y restricciones -- En años recientes, ha habido un interés en metodologías de implementación que no solo permitan PM, sino que integren la gestión del ciclo-de-vida del producto (PLM), la reingeniería y la modelación de procesos de negocios (BPM), para lograr una planeación y ejecución eficiente bajo estrictos márgenes de rentabilidad y tiempo -- Este artículo presenta una propuesta para el diseño y desarrollo de productos en pequeñas y medianas empresas que requieran PM e integración de información -- Como resultado se propone una metodología de implementación para la industria de la arquitectura, ingeniería y construcción, e incluye una estrategia de implementación PLM que considera mecanismos que ofrecen alto potencial para países en desarrollo -- La propuesta muestra cómo se identificaron, analizaron y mejoraron los procesos de ingeniería a través de BPM y PLM; esta enfatiza en la estandarización de la gestión de procesos asistida por herramientas PLM a través de flujos de trabajo -- Con esto se pretende impactar la coordinación y eficiencia en el proceso de desarrollo de nuevos productos de la compañí

A Study of the Production Process Simulation System Based on Workflow Management

The paper presents a method for designing a production process simulation system using workflow management technique, which consists of three parts: process model, organization resource model and workflow engine. Based on this method, we put forward a production process simulation system structure, and discuss the function of the key modules in detail. At last we present a sample in practical application

Knowledge management support for enterprise distributed systems

Explosion of information and increasing demands on semantic processing web applications have software systems to their limits. To address the problem we propose a semantic based formal framework (ADP) that makes use of promising technologies to enable knowledge generation and retrieval. We argue that this approach is cost effective, as it reuses and builds on existing knowledge and structure. It is also a good starting point for creating an organisational memory and providing knowledge management functions

Tasks, cognitive agents, and KB-DSS in workflow and process management

The purpose of this paper is to propose a nonparametric interest rate term structure model and investigate its implications on term structure dynamics and prices of interest rate derivative securities. The nonparametric spot interest rate process is estimated from the observed short-term interest rates following a robust estimation procedure and the market price of interest rate risk is estimated as implied from the historical term structure data. That is, instead of imposing a priori restrictions on the model, data are allowed to speak for themselves, and at the same time the model retains a parsimonious structure and the computational tractability. The model is implemented using historical Canadian interest rate term structure data. The parametric models with closed form solutions for bond and bond option prices, namely the Vasicek (1977) and CIR (1985) models, are also estimated for comparison purpose. The empirical results not only provide strong evidence that the traditional spot interest rate models and market prices of interest rate risk are severely misspecified but also suggest that different model specifications have significant impact on term structure dynamics and prices of interest rate derivative securities.

Collaborative information systems and business process design using simulation

The Information Systems (IS) community promotes the idea that IS analyst should have a clear understanding of the way the organization operates before attempting to propose an IS solution. It is argued that to take a complete advantage of the underlying Information Technology (IT), organizations should first identify any process flaw and then propose a suitable IT solution. Similarly, many process design approaches claim that Business Process (BP) design should be done considering the advantages provided and the limitations imposed by the underlying (IT). Despite this fact research in these domains provides little indication of which mechanisms or tools can help BP and IS analyst to understand the complex relationships amongst these two areas. This paper describes the insights gained during a UK funded research project, namely ASSESS-IT, that aimed to depict the dynamic relationships between IT and BP using simulation. One of the major limitations of the ASSESS-IT project is that it looked at relationship between BP and IT as a three layered structure, namely BP, IS and Computer Networks (CN), and did not explore in detail the relationships between BP and IS alone. This paper uses the outcomes derived from this project and suggests that, is some cases, the relationship between BP and IT could be analyzed by looking at the relationship between BP and IS alone. It then proposes an alternative simulation framework, namely BPISS, that provides the guideline to develop simulation models that portray BP and IS behavior performance measurements, offering in this way an alternative mechanism that can help BP and IS analyst to understand in more detail the dynamic interactions between BP and IS domains

The organisational change agent as an appreciative system : increasing effectiveness in business process reengineering through the systems approach

This thesis is concerned with the effectiveness of change agents within organisations. The argument presented is that the effectiveness of change agents depends on their ability to develop an understanding of the complex situations they are faced with. This includes a rich understanding of their own role within the situation. The systems approach described by Churchman (1971, 1979) and further developed by Ulrich (1983) provides methods that aid the development of a rich understanding of, inquiry into, and intervention in complex socio-technical situations. The structure of the paper will take the following form: Part 1: Appreciative systems and the systems approach. Performance criteria for change agents are declared. The key role of appreciation ineffective change management is highlighted. An explanation of appreciative systems and how the systems approach can make them more effective is presented. Finally an appreciative frame for human populated (social) systems is explained. Part 2: Investigating sources of purpose in traditional Business Process Reengineering (BPR).Before developing the complete the appreciative framework in Part 3, our understanding will be consolidated by applying the human populated systems frame to organisational change (business process reengineering) as a system

Collaborative Business Process Management: Exploring Themes, Achievements, and Perspectives

Under labels such as global value chains, global production networks, interconnected firms, or outsourcing cross-boundary business processes have gained significant attention in practice and research. However, only little research has yet systematically examined the implications of crossboundary business processes for Business Process Management (BPM). These cross-boundary business processes together with the drivers of collaboration and network management as well as governance form one of the key challenges for today’s BPM research. In this study we thus systematically review literature and seek to answer whether BPM research in Information Systems (IS) has yet embraced and explored the concept of collaboration. We find that collaborative BPM is a growing trend in IS research, but that there still exist significant research gaps. Therefore, we propose a research agenda that points at potentially fruitful directions for future research