Modeling Business Process Variability

This master thesis presents research findings on business process variability modeling. Its main goal is to analyze inherent problems of business process variability and solve them simply, innovatively and effectively. To achieve this goal, process variability is defined by analyzing scientific literature, its main problems identified and is illustrated using a healthcare running example: process variability is classified into process variability within the domain space and over time. These two forms of process variability respectively lead to process variability modeling and process model evolution problems. After defining the main problems inherent to process variability, the focus of this research project is defined: solving process variability modeling problems. First current business process modeling languages are evaluated to assess the effectiveness of their respective modeling concepts when modeling process variability, using a newly created set of evaluation criteria and the healthcare running example. The following business process modeling languages are evaluated: Event driven process chains (EPC), the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and Configurable EPC (C-EPC). Business process variability modeling and Software product line engineering have similar problems. Therefore the variability modeling concepts developed by software product line engineering are analyzed. Feature diagrams and software configuration management are the main variability management concepts provided by software product line engineering. To apply these variability management concepts to model process variability meant combining them with existing business modeling languages. Riebisch feature diagrams are combined with C-EPC to form Feature-EPC. Applying software configuration management, meant merging Change Oriented Versioning with basic EPC to create COV-EPC, and merging the Proteus Configuration Language with basic EPC to design PCL-EPC. Finally these newly created business process modeling languages are also evaluated using the newly designed evaluation criteria and the healthcare running example. EPC or BPMN are not suited to model business process variability within the domain space. C-EPC provide explicit means to model business process variability, however the process models tend to get big very fast. Furthermore the syntax, the contextual constraints and the semantics of the configuration requirements and guidelines used to configure the C-EPC process models are unclear. Feature-EPC improve C-EPC with domain modeling capability and clearly defined configuration rules: their syntax, contextual constraints and semantics have been clearly defined using a context free grammar in Backus-Naur form. Furthermore, consistent combinations of features and configuration rules are ensured using respectively constraints and a conflict resolution algorithm. However, Feature-EPC and C-EPC suffer from the same weakness: large configurable process models. In COV-EPC and PCL-EPC the problem of large configurable process models is solved. COV-EPC ensures consistent combinations of options and configuration rules using respectively validities and a conflict resolution algorithm. PCL-EPC guarantees consistent combinations of process fragments by means of a PCL specification

Energy and Carbon Dioxide Impacts from Lean Logistics and Retailing Systems: A Discrete-event Simulation Approach for the Consumer Goods Industry

abstract: Consumer goods supply chains have gradually incorporated lean manufacturing principles to identify and reduce non-value-added activities. Companies implementing lean practices have experienced improvements in cost, quality, and demand responsiveness. However certain elements of these practices, especially those related to transportation and distribution may have detrimental impact on the environment. This study asks: What impact do current best practices in lean logistics and retailing have on environmental performance? The research hypothesis of this dissertation establishes that lean distribution of durable and consumable goods can result in an increased amount of carbon dioxide emissions, leading to climate change and natural resource depletion impacts, while lean retailing operations can reduce carbon emissions. Distribution and retailing phases of the life cycle are characterized in a two-echelon supply chain discrete-event simulation modeled after current operations from leading organizations based in the U.S. Southwest. By conducting an overview of critical sustainability issues and their relationship with consumer products, it is possible to address the environmental implications of lean logistics and retailing operations. Provided the waste reduction nature from lean manufacturing, four lean best practices are examined in detail in order to formulate specific research propositions. These propositions are integrated into an experimental design linking annual carbon dioxide equivalent emissions to: (1) shipment frequency between supply chain partners, (2) proximity between decoupling point of products and final customers, (3) inventory turns at the warehousing level, and (4) degree of supplier integration. All propositions are tested through the use of the simulation model. Results confirmed the four research propositions. Furthermore, they suggest synergy between product shipment frequency among supply chain partners and product management due to lean retailing practices. In addition, the study confirms prior research speculations about the potential carbon intensity from transportation operations subject to lean principles.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Sustainability 201

Toward Customizable Multi-tenant SaaS Applications

abstract: Nowadays, Computing is so pervasive that it has become indeed the 5th utility (after water, electricity, gas, telephony) as Leonard Kleinrock once envisioned. Evolved from utility computing, cloud computing has emerged as a computing infrastructure that enables rapid delivery of computing resources as a utility in a dynamically scalable, virtualized manner. However, the current industrial cloud computing implementations promote segregation among different cloud providers, which leads to user lockdown because of prohibitive migration cost. On the other hand, Service-Orented Computing (SOC) including service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web Services (WS) promote standardization and openness with its enabling standards and communication protocols. This thesis proposes a Service-Oriented Cloud Computing Architecture by combining the best attributes of the two paradigms to promote an open, interoperable environment for cloud computing development. Mutil-tenancy SaaS applicantions built on top of SOCCA have more flexibility and are not locked down by a certain platform. Tenants residing on a multi-tenant application appear to be the sole owner of the application and not aware of the existence of others. A multi-tenant SaaS application accommodates each tenant’s unique requirements by allowing tenant-level customization. A complex SaaS application that supports hundreds, even thousands of tenants could have hundreds of customization points with each of them providing multiple options, and this could result in a huge number of ways to customize the application. This dissertation also proposes innovative customization approaches, which studies similar tenants’ customization choices and each individual users behaviors, then provides guided semi-automated customization process for the future tenants. A semi-automated customization process could enable tenants to quickly implement the customization that best suits their business needs.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Computer Science 201

Design of restoration information system

Závěrečná práce se zaměřuje na modelováním informačního systému podporujícího veškeré činnosti spojené s restaurováním exponátů pro Technické muzeum v Liberci. Hlavním cílem této práce je navrhnout systémovou architekturu dříve zmíněného informačního systému. S cílem shromáždit poznatky a analyzovat současný stav technického muzea v této oblasti je vypracován přehled literatury o dostupných výzkumných pracích, které jsou zmíněny pomocí vhodných klíčových slov. Na základě požadavků Technické muzea v Liberci se práce soustředí na vývoj informačního systému (IS) pro restaurování. Navrhovaná architektura je založena na objektově orientovaném přístupu s využitím diagramů tříd UML a použití schématických případů. Výsledky prezentované v kroku návrhu zahrnují diagram tříd, které modelují dynamický aspekt systému s uživateli, kteří se vzájemně propojují s procesy, a třídní diagram, který modeluje klíčové pojmy informací spravovaných v systému. Toto modelování je obecné pro společnost, která bere v úvahu osvědčené postupy v restaurování.The work presented in this thesis is the modeling of an information system supporting all activities of the exhibit restoration for the Technical Museum of Liberec. The main goal of this thesis is then to suggest system architecture of before mentioned Information system. In order to gather knowledge and analyze the current state of the Technical Museum on this topic, a literature review is established for the available research works which are mentioned using suitable criteria. Based on the requirements of the technical museum of Liberec, work consists of developing an information system (IS) design for Restoration. The proposed modeling is based on an object-oriented analysis approach using UML class diagrams and use case diagrams. The results announced at the design step includes the class diagrams which modeling the dynamic aspect of the system with the actors interacting with the processes and a class diagram that models the key concepts of information managed in the system. This modeling is generic for a company which takes into account good practices in Restoration

Customer-led conceptual design system

This research work is aimed at carrying out a feasibility study for the design of a Customer-Led Design (CLD) system that will allow individuals or users with little or no technical know-how of engineering design but with an idea of what they want to bring the idea into reality through the customer driven-design system. Customer-Led design (CLD) is a customer co-design process of products and services which meet the needs of each individual customer/user with regard to certain product features VI and all operations are performed within a fixed solution space, characterized by stable but still flexible and responsive processes. Outstanding developments have been recorded in the Customer driven design systems in some areas such as shoes, kitchen and computers industries that have allowed customers to create their own product from the pre-defined catalogue of options made available by the manufacturers or designers. However, some customers might have an idea of a product which may not be in the pre-defined database of the manufacturer or designer and which the customer wants to have, especially mechanically oriented products and this is what has led to undertaking this research work. The activities that were carried out to achieve the objective of the project to date involved developing a hybrid (hierarchical and chain-type) classification system to group the products into classes and sub-classes using attributes such as applications, external and internal motions, shape, weight and material types etc.. Also, each of these classes was also grouped hierarchically linking one section of classification to another in a chain type that will eventually lead the customers to their intended product. Other aspects were the configuration of products which makes it possible to add and/or change functionalities of a core product by suggesting similar products if the requested product is not found, a coding system for mechanical designs and applying it to each product according to their position in the hierarchy, the use of a database to store and retrieve information about the products and the modification of the selected similar product to suit the user's/customer's desired product. While similar designs may have been implemented in some industries, this offers the customers more flexibility in designing their own products with varieties of products from different family of products which are not inherent in the other systems

Aligning product and processes to customer needs in prefabricated house building

Given the impact of increasing customer choice on operations, this thesis clarifies the role of customer preferences and its impact on the operations of a company in the house building industry. In doing so, an empirical investigation into customer choice requirements is offered and a framework that helps to align customer preferences with the product and processes is presented. A prioritisation of components is provided which ultimately helps to design houses that meet buyer requirements. Furthermore a method is presented that helps in prioritising problem areas. This study is built on two empirical pillars and the evidence drawn from these sources. First, on the basis of a case study a view of the house as a system of components and sub-components has been developed. This resulted in the set-up of a product architecture in which the Customer Order Decoupling Point (CODP) could be positioned. Second, a preference measurement task applying a pairwise comparison questionnaire was conducted so as to define the level of choice expected by customers for the components. An important outcome of the survey was to identify how customers actually prioritise categories and components in a prefabricated housing design. Combining the results of these two research exercises helps in making the correct decisions about the level of variety to offer. The generalisability of the findings is limited. However, the process of conducting the case study as well as the preference measurement is generalisable in research that concentrates on products with a complex product architecture. The framework can thus be adopted by practitioners manufacturing multi-attribute products seeking to pursue a mass customisation strategy. This research contributes by highlighting the importance of integrating process and product development in order to design a value chain that meets customer needs

A two-stage framework for designing visual analytics systems to augment organizational analytical processes

A perennially interesting research topic in the field of visual analytics is how to effectively develop systems that support organizational knowledge worker’s decision-making and reasoning processes. The primary objective of a visual analytic system is to facilitate analytical reasoning and discovery of insights through interactive visual interfaces. It also enables the transfer of capability and expertise from where it resides to where it is needed–across individuals, and organizations as necessary. The problem is, however, most domain analytical practices generally vary from organizations to organizations. This leads to the diversified design of visual analytics systems in incorporating domain analytical processes, making it difficult to generalize the success from one domain to another. Exacerbating this problem is the dearth of general models of analytical workflows available to enable such timely and effective designs. To alleviate these problems, this dissertation presents a two-stage framework for informing the design of a visual analytics system. This two-stage design framework builds upon and extends current practices pertaining to analytical workflow and focuses, in particular, on investigating its effect on the design of visual analytics systems for organizational environments. It aims to empower organizations with more systematic and purposeful information analyses through modeling the domain users’ reasoning processes. The first stage in this framework is an Observation and Designing stage, in which a visual analytic system is designed and implemented to abstract and encapsulate general organizational analytical processes, through extensive collaboration with domain users. The second stage is the User-centric Refinement stage, which aims at interactively enriching and refining the already encapsulated domain analysis process based on understanding user’s intentions through analyzing their task behavior. To implement this framework in the process of designing a visual analytics system, this dissertation proposes four general design recommendations that, when followed, empower such systems to bring the users closer to the center of their analytical processes. This dissertation makes three primary contributions: first, it presents a general characterization of the analytical workflow in organizational environments. This characterization fills in the blank of the current lack of such an analytical model and further represents a set of domain analytical tasks that are commonly applicable to various organizations. Secondly, this dissertation describes a two-stage framework for facilitating the domain users’ workflows through integrating their analytical models into interactive visual analytics systems. Finally, this dissertation presents recommendations and suggestions on enriching and refining domain analysis through capturing and analyzing knowledge workers’ analysis processes. To exemplify the generalizability of these design recommendations, this dissertation presents three visual analytics systems that are developed following the proposed recommendations, including Taste for Xerox Corporation, OpsVis for Microsoft, and IRSV for the U.S. Department of Transportation. All of these systems are deployed to domain knowledge workers and are adopted for their analytical practices. Extensive empirical evaluations are further conducted to demonstrate efficacy of these systems in facilitating domain analytical processes

Near Field Communication Applications

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range, low power contactless communication between NFC-enabled devices that are held in the closed proximity to each other. NFC technology has been moving rapidly from its initial application areas of mobile payment services and contactless ticketing to the diversity of new areas. Three specific NFC tags highlighted in the thesis have different structures in terms of memory, security and usage in different applications. NFC information tags exploit the data exchange format NDEF standardized by NFC Forum. NFC applications are rapidly stepping into novel and diverse application areas. Often they are deployed in combination with different devices and systems through their integrability and adaptability features. The diverse application areas where NFC tags and cards are used cover smart posters, contactless ticketing, keys and access control, library services, entertainment services, social network services, education, location based services, work force and retail management and healthcare. In designing different NFC applications, it is necessary to take into consideration different design issues such as to choosing the NFC tools and devices according to the technical requirements of the application, considering especially the memory, security and price factors as well as their relation to the purpose and usage of the final product. The security aspect of the NFC tags is remarkably important in selecting the proper NFC device. The race between hackers attacking and breaking the security systems of programmable high level products and manufacturers to produce reliable secure systems and products seems to never end. This has proven to be case, for example, for trying MIFARE Ultralight and DESFire MF3ICD40 tags. An important consideration of studying the different applications of NFC tags and cards during the thesis work was to understand the ubiquitous character of NFC technology.Lähitunnistus yhteys tekniikka (NFC) on lyhyen tähtäimen, pienitehoinen, kontaktiton yhteydenpito NFC yhteensopivien laitteiden välillä, jossa laitteet pidetään toistensä välittömässä läheisyydessä tiedon siirtämiseksi niiden välillä. NFC-teknologia on siirtynyt nopeasti sen alkuperäisiltä toimialueilta eli mobiili maksupalvelujen ja kontaktittomien lippujen sovellusalueilta moninaisille uusille alueille. Kolmella NFC tagillä, joita on käsitelty tässä tutkielmassa, on muistin, turvallisuuden ja käytön kannalta erilaisiä rakenteita, joita käytetään eri sovelluksissa. NFC-tagit käyttävät tiedonvälityksessä NFC Forumin standardoimaa NDEF-tiedonvaihtoformaattia. NFC sovellukset esiintyvät yhä enenevässä määrin nopeasti kehyttyvillä, uudenlaisilla ja monipuolisilla sovellusalueilla, usein yhdessä eri laitteiden ja järjestelmien kanssa. NFC on käytettävissä erinäisten laitteiden kanssa erilaisissa järjestelmäympäristöissä. Monipuoliset sovellusalueet, joissa muun muassa NFC-tagejä ja -kortteja käytetään sisältävät seuraavanlaisia sovelluksia: älykkäät julisteet, kontaktittomat liput, avaimet ja pääsynvalvonta, kirjastopalvelut, viihdepalvelut, sosiaalisen verkoston palvelut, kasvatukseen ja koulutukseen liittyvät palvelut, sijaintiperustaiset palvelut, työvoiman ja vähittäiskaupan hallinto-palvelut ja terveyspalvelut. Erilaisten NFC-sovelluksien suunnittelussa on väistämätöntä ottaa erilaisia suunnitteluasioita huomioon kuten valita NFC-työkalut ja laitteet sovelluksen teknisten vaatimusten mukaan. Erilaiset tärkeät tekijät kuten muisti, tietoturvallisuusominaisuudet ja hinta ja niiden kaikkien toimivuus lopputuotteen kannalta on otettava huomioon. Tietoturvallisuusnäkökohta on erityisen tärkeä oikean NFC laitteen valitsemisessa, sillä käynnissä on loputon kilpajuoksu hakkerien, jotka yrittävät rikkoa ohjelmoitavien korkeatasoisten laitteiden ja tuotteiden tietoturvajärjestelmiä, ja valmistajien, jotka pyrkivät tuottamaan luotettavia varmoja järjestelmiä, välillä. Tietoturvariskiin liittyviä ongelmia on löydetty esimerkiksi MIFARE Ultralight ja DESFire MF3ICD40 tageista. Tärkeä havainto, joka saatiin erilaisten NFC sovelluksien tutkimisesta, oli oivaltaa NFCteknologian potentiaalinen kaikkialle ulottuva, yleiskäyttöinen luonne