A domain specific language for complex dynamic decision making

Effective decision making of organisation requires deep understanding of various organisational aspects such as its goals, structure, business-as-usual operational processes in the context of dynamic, socio-technical and uncertain business envi-ronment. Decision making approaches adopt a range of modelling and analysis techniques for effective decision making. The current state-of-practice of deci-sion-making typically relies heavily on human experts using intuition aided by ad-hoc representation of an organisation. Existing technologies for decision mak-ing are not able to represent all constructs that are needed for effective decision making nor do they comprehensively address the analysis needs. This paper pro-poses a meta-model to represent organisation and decision artifacts in a compre-hensive, relatable and analysable form that serves as a basis for a domain specific language (DSL) for complex dynamic decision making. The efficacy of the pro-posed meta-model as regards specification and analysis is evaluated using a real-life scenario

A model based approach for complex dynamic decision-making

Current state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art of decision-making aids are inadequate for modern organisations that deal with significant uncertainty and business dynamism. This paper highlights the limitations of prevalent decision-making aids and proposes a model-based approach that advances the modelling abstraction and analysis machinery for complex dynamic decision-making. In particular, this paper proposes a meta-model to comprehensively represent organisation, establishes the relevance of model-based simulation technique as analysis means, introduces the advancements over actor technology to address analysis needs, and proposes a method to utilise proposed modelling abstraction, analysis technique, and analysis machinery in an effective and convenient manner. The proposed approach is illustrated using a near real-life case-study from a business process outsourcing organisation

Concept into Architecture (CiA) – Integration von Expertenwissen im Rahmen einer automatisierten Erstellung operationeller NAF-Architekturen

Prozessmodelle als Bestandteil von Unternehmensarchitekturen (EA) sollen einen Beitrag zur Bewältigung der Komplexität von Informationssystemen liefern. Die Erstellung dieser Prozessmodelle stellt eine herausfordernde Aufgabe in einer Organisation dar. Das Wissen von Fachexperten und die Einbindung von Fachexperten in die Erstellung dieser Modelle sind dabei wichtige Merkmale erfolgreicher Projekte. Den Fokus der vorliegenden Arbeit bildet die Entwicklung und Anwendung, unter Beachtung des Action Design Research (ADR), einer leicht verständliche Modellierungsmethode und eines Tools zur automatisierten Überführung des damit generierten Expertenwissens in eine operationelle NAF-Architektur. Diese sollen die Einbindung von Fachexperten in den Prozess der Modellierung unterstützen und zur Integration des Expertenwissens beitragen

ARCHITECTURE WORK: MODES OF ARCHITECTING IN LARGE-SCALE INFRASTRUCTURES

IT architecture forms the digital core of contemporary organisations; thus, architecture work directly concerns the transformation of these organisations. The literature on architecture work and architecting has identified the principles, styles and characteristics that define the policy ideals of architecture work and has demonstrated how these drivers play out in real-world projects. With an in-depth case study, we add to this literature by investigating the multilevel challenges that architects address in transforming large-scale infrastructures and how major challenges come to the surface during the architecting process. Our empirical evidence comes from our longitudinal investigation in a large health region in Norway. We offer two contributions. First, identification and a rich description of three modes of architecting framed as functional, spatial and temporal dualities. Second, we integrate the empirical data into a process model and theorise how contextual and professional drivers are transformed through the architecting modes and form the actual results

Applying Socio-technical Thinking in the Competitive, Agile, Lean, Data-Driven World of Knowledge Work and Smart, Service-Oriented, Customer-Centric Value Creation Ecosystems

This article responds to a need for a socio-technical systems (STS) perspective that fits in a world that has changed greatly over the decades since the socio-technical movement began. This article identifies conditions and paradoxes that limit traditional STS approaches in current business practice. A newer work system perspective (WSP) combines aspects of work system theory (WST), WST extensions, and the work system method (WSM). This WSP frames socio-technical thinking in a straightforward way that helps in describing and discussing socio-technical systems. It also provides many ideas that can help in negotiating and designing improvements. After summarizing WSP and some of its possible applications to work systems, this article uses the various topics in its title to indicate how WSP-based socio-technical thinking might be more suitable for today’s world

Enterprise Modelling for the Masses – From Elitist Discipline to Common Practice

Enterprise modelling (EM) as a discipline has been around for several decades with a huge body of knowledge on EM in academic literature. The benefits of modelling and its contributions to organizational tasks are largely undisputed. Thus, from an inside-out perspective, EM appears to be a mature and established discipline. However, for initiating serious innovations this view is not sufficient. This position paper takes an outside-in perspective on enterprise modelling and argues that EM is far away from reaching its maximum potential. EM is typically done by a limited number of people in organizations inclined to methods and modelling. What is captured in models is only a fragment of what ought to be captured. Many people actually develop some kind of model in their local practice without thinking about it consciously. Exploiting the potential of this “grass roots modelling” could lead to groundbreaking innovations in EM. The aim is to investigate integration of the established, often systematic and formalized practices of modelling in enterprises with local practices of creating, using and communicating modellike artifacts or objects of relevance for the overall organization