Towards a pivotal-based approach for business process alignment.

This article focuses on business process engineering, especially on alignment between business analysis and implementation. Through a business process management approach, different transformations interfere with process models in order to make them executable. To keep the consistency of process model from business model to IT model, we propose a pivotal metamodel-centric methodology. It aims at keeping or giving all requisite structural and semantic data needed to perform such transformations without loss of information. Through this we can ensure the alignment between business and IT. This article describes the concept of pivotal metamodel and proposes a methodology using such an approach. In addition, we present an example and the resulting benefits

Erweiterung einer Modellierungsmethodik für serviceorientiertes Geschäftsprozessmanagement

The introduction of service-oriented architectures (SOA) in the enterprise context promises many advantages. For example, by composing existing services new capabilities can be provided quickly allowing a fast and agile reaction to changing market conditions. In order to support companies in a successful adoption of SOA, service-orientation must be integrated in their enterprise architecture. Many companies made high investments in the past modelling their enterprise architecture based on different modelling methods. The introduction of SOA is fostered if existing models can be reused and investments are preserved. Therefore, existing modelling methods must be extended by service-oriented concepts. This thesis extends the modelling method ARIS with concepts for service-oriented business process management. It contributes a graphical modelling language, which is tightly integrated with the existing ARIS modelling method. Besides a modelling language, a modelling method also consists of algorithms and applications using the content captured in the models. Therefore, this thesis develops three distinct applications based on the contributed modelling language. First, service discovery enables identifying services needed for business process automation. Second, the automated EPC to BPEL model transformation allows transforming a business process into an executable service orchestration. Third, semantic business process management formalises enterprise models so that they are machine processable. To evaluate the usefulness of the designed modelling language and the developed applications, two empirical case studies are conducted. The first case study evaluates the modelling language together with the applications service discovery and process transformation. The second case study evaluates the application semantic business process management. Both case studies demonstrate the usefulness and relevance of the modelling language as well as its applications. Hence, companies introducing service-oriented concepts can use the extended ARIS modelling method to document and analyse their service-oriented enterprise architecture.Serviceorientierte Architekturen (SOA) versprechen diverse Vorteile bei der Anwendung im Unternehmenskontext. So können z.B. durch Kombination unabhängiger Services neue Dienste kurzfristig bereitgestellt werden, was zu einer höheren Flexibilität und Agilität des Unternehmens führt. Damit Unternehmen das SOA-Konzept erfolgreich umsetzen können, muss die Serviceorientierung in die Unternehmensarchitektur integriert sein. Viele Unternehmen haben in der Vergangenheit bereits in die Modellierung ihrer Unternehmensarchitektur auf Basis verschiedener Modellierungsmethodiken investiert. Damit das SOA-Konzept auf breite Akzeptanz stößt, müssen die vorhandenen Modelle wiederverwendet werden. Dies wird erleichtert, wenn existierende Modellierungsmethodiken um serviceorientierte Modellierungskonzepte erweitert werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Modellierungsmethodik ARIS um Modellierungskonzepte für serviceorientierte Unternehmensarchitekturen erweitert. Dazu wurde eine konkrete grafische Modellierungssprache entwickelt und in ARIS integriert. Da eine Modellierungsmethodik neben einer Modellierungssprache auch Algorithmen und Verfahren zur Auswertung der erstellten Modelle umfasst, wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit drei Anwendungen entwickelt. Mit der Servicesuche können zur Geschäftsprozessautomatisierung benötigte Services automatisch identifiziert werden. Mit der Geschäftsprozesstransformation können als EPK-Modell vorliegende Geschäftsprozesse automatisch in eine Serviceorchestrierung auf Basis von BPEL überführt werden. Mit dem semantischen Geschäftsprozessmanagement werden Geschäftsprozesse soweit formalisiert, dass sie durch maschinelle Verfahren auswertbar sind. Um die Nützlichkeit und Relevanz der Modellierungsmethodik samt der entwickelten Anwendungen zu evaluieren, wurden zwei empirische Fallstudien durchgeführt. In der ersten Fallstudie wurde die entwickelte Modellierungssprache sowie die Anwendungen Servicesuche und Geschäftsprozesstransformation untersucht. In Fallstudie zwei wurde die Anwendung semantisches Geschäftsprozessmanagement evaluiert. Beide Fallstudien haben die Nützlichkeit und Relevanz der Modellierungsmethodik und der Anwendungen bestätigt. Damit können Unternehmen auf Basis der in dieser Arbeit entwickelten Erweiterung von ARIS ihre serviceorientierte Unternehmensarchitektur dokumentieren und auswerten

Enterprise Information Systems and Business Process Modelling in Training and Research

The University of Debrecen introduced the five year “informatics agricultural engineer” course in the 2002/2003 academic year. In the 2006/2007 the „informatics and agricultural administration engineer“ BSc course has been introduced. The courses are run by the Agricultural Economics and Rural Development faculty. Starting of this course is demanded by the Hungarian agro-food sector, Governmental offices, Institutes, which need the applications of wide range informatics tools and systems. The business process modelling and management is becoming important part of implementing and running information systems. The ARIS is one of the leader products in modelling. The other important system is the SAP in the ERP market. In our education program we are using these products. The ARIS toolset is very useful for research on business modelling in agri-food companies too

On the User Perception of Configurable Reference Process Models - Initial Insights

Enterprise Systems potentially lead to significant efficiency gains but require a well-conducted configuration process. A configurable reference modelling language based on the widely used EPC notation, which can be used to specify Configurable EPCs (C-EPCs), has been developed to support the task of Enterprise Systems configuration. This paper presents a laboratory experiment on C-EPCs and discusses empirical data on the comparison of C-EPCs to regular EPCs. Using the Method Adoption Model we report on modeller’s perceptions as to the usefulness and ease of use of C-EPCs, concluding that C-EPCs provide sufficient yet improvable conceptual support towards reference model configuration

Method and Instruments for Modeling Integrated Knowledge

MIMIK (Method and Instruments for Modeling Integrated Knowledge) is a set of tools used to formalize and represent knowledge within organizations. It furthermore supports knowledge creation and sharing within communities of interest or communities of practice. In this paper we show that MIMIK is based on a model theory approach and builds on other existing methods and techniques. We also explain how to use the method and its instruments in order to model strategic objectives, processes, knowledge, and roles found within an organization, as well as relations existing between these elements. Indeed MIMIK provides eight types of models in order to describe what is commonly called know-how, know-why and know-what; it uses matrices in order to formally and semantically link strategic objectives, knowledge and actors. We close this paper with a presentation of a prototype we built in order to demonstrate a technical architecture allowing for knowledge creation, formalization and sharing.knowledge modelling; process modelling; public administration; methodology; knowledge sharing; RSS

The business process modelling ontology

In this paper we describe the Business Process Modelling Ontology (BPMO), which is part of an approach to modelling business processes at the semantic level, integrating knowledge about the organisational context, workflow activities and Semantic Web Services. We harness knowledge representation and reasoning techniques so that business process workflows can: be exposed and shared through semantic descriptions; refer to semantically annotated data and services; incorporate heterogeneous data though semantic mappings; and be queried using a reasoner or inference engine. In this paper we describe our approach and evaluate BPMO through a use case

Distributed interoperable workflow support for electronic commerce.

Abstract. This paper describes a flexible distributed transactional workflow environment based on an extensible object-oriented framework built around class libraries, application programming interfaces, and shared services. The purpose of this environment is to support a range of EC-like business activities including the support of financial transactions and electronic contracts. This environment has as its aim to provide key infrastructure services for mediating and monitoring electronic commerce.