On the verification of EPCs using T-invariants

To verify a (business) process model, for example expressed in terms of an Event-driven Process Chain (EPC), most of the approaches described in literature require the construction of its state space. Unfortunately, for complex business processes the state space can be extremely large (if at all finite) and, as a result, constructing the state space may require excessive time. Moreover, semi-formal modeling languages such as the EPC language require a rather lenient interpretation of their semantics. To circumvent both the state-explosion problem and the semantics-related problems of EPCs, we propose an alternative approach based on transition invariants (T-invariants). T-invariants are well-known in the Petri-net community. They do not require the construction of the state space and can be computed efficiently. Moreover, we will show that our interpretation of T-invariants in this context can be used to deal effectively with the semantics-related problems of EPCs. To demonstrate our approach we will use two case studies: one is based on the reference model of SAP R/3 while the other one is based on a trade execution process within a large Dutch bank. We will also argue that the approach can be applied to other (informal or formal) modeling techniques

On the verification of EPCs using T-invariants

To verify a (business) process model, for example expressed in terms of an Event-driven Process Chain (EPC), most of the approaches described in literature require the construction of its state space. Unfortunately, for complex business processes the state space can be extremely large (if at all finite) and, as a result, constructing the state space may require excessive time. Moreover, semi-formal modeling languages such as the EPC language require a rather lenient interpretation of their semantics. To circumvent both the state-explosion problem and the semantics-related problems of EPCs, we propose an alternative approach based on transition invariants (T-invariants). T-invariants are well-known in the Petri-net community. They do not require the construction of the state space and can be computed efficiently. Moreover, we will show that our interpretation of T-invariants in this context can be used to deal effectively with the semantics-related problems of EPCs. To demonstrate our approach we will use two case studies: one is based on the reference model of SAP R/3 while the other one is based on a trade execution process within a large Dutch bank. We will also argue that the approach can be applied to other (informal or formal) modeling techniques

On the relevance of design knowledge for design-oriented business and information systems engineering : supplemental considerations and further application examples

This contribution represents a supplement to the article "On the Relevance of Design Knowledge for Design-Oriented Business and Information Systems Engineering — Conceptual Foundations, Application Example, and Implications" in the special issue on Science of Business and Information Systems Engineering of the journal Business and Information Systems Engineering (BISE) in 2010. It contains further application examples concerning the introduced reference framework for systemizing design knowledge. Besides the comprehensive documentation of design knowledge concerning eventdriven process chains (EPC) with the dedicated literary sources and an evaluation of the evidence of the provided statements, in this report the framework is furthermore applied for the documentation of design knowledge about the Process Grammar Approach, another technique for process design presented by Lee et al. in MIS Quarterly in 2008. Subsequently the results are discussed.Der vorliegende Beitrag dient als Anhang zum Artikel "On the Relevance of Design Knowledge for Design-Oriented Business and Information Systems Engineering — Conceptual Foundations, Application Example, and Implications", der in der Zeitschrift Business and Information Systems Engineering (BISE) zum Schwerpunktheft "Science of Business and Information Systems Engineering" im Jahr 2010 erschienen ist. Er ergänzt das dort aufgeführte Beispiel zur Anwendung des Bezugsrahmens zur Dokumentation von Gestaltungswissen. Der Bezugsrahmen wurde verwendet, um Gestaltungswissen zur Modellierungstechnik "Ereignisgesteuerte Prozesskette" (EPK) zu systematisieren, zu explizieren und hinsichtlich seiner Evidenz zu bewerten. Die dort gegebene Übersicht wird im vorliegenden Beitrag ergänzt. Darüber hinaus findet sich in diesem IWi-Heft ein weiteres Anwendungsbeispiel, das aufgrund von Platzrestriktionen im Journalartikel nicht präsentiert werden konnte. Der Bezugsrahmen dient hier der Systematisierung und Dokumentation von Gestaltungswissen zur Technik des Process Grammar Approach, der von Lee et al. 2008 im Journal MIS Quarterly präsentiert wurde. Weiterhin werden die erhobenen Ergebnisse im vorliegenden Beitrag diskutiert

On the degree of behavioral similarity between business process models

Quality aspects become increasingly important while business process modeling is used in a large-scale enterprise setting. In order to facilitate a storage without redundancy and an efficient retrieval of relevant process models in model databases it is required to develop a theoretical understanding of how a degree of behavioral similarity can be defined. In this paper we address this challenge in a novel way. We use causal footprints as an abstract representation of the behavior captured by a process model, since they allow us to compare models defined in both formal modeling languages like Petri nets and informal ones like EPCs. Based on the causal footprint derived from two models we calculate their similarity based on the established vector space model from information retrieval. We illustrate this concept with an example from the SAP Reference Model and present a prototypical implementation as a plug-in to the ProM framework

Business Process Modelling with Continuous Validation

In this paper, we demonstrate the prototype of a modelling tool that applies graph-based rules for identifying problems in business process models. The advantages of our approach are twofold. Firstly, it is not necessary to compute the complete state space of the model in order to find errors. Secondly, our technique can even be applied to incomplete business process models. Thus, the modeller can be supported by direct feedback during the model construction. This feedback does not only report problems, but it also identifies their reasons and makes suggestions for improvements

Progress in Implementing Capacity-Building Provisions under the Labor Chapter of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement

The report provides relevant background on the CAFTA-DR. It describes the efforts of the CAFTA-DR countries to identify areas for improvement of labor standards, make additional reforms to their labor laws, and develop strategies for continued capacity-building and improvement

Progress in Implementing Capacity-Building Provisions under the Labor Chapter of the Dominican Republic – Central America – United States Free Trade Agreement

[Excerpt] Section 403(a) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act includes a reporting requirement on labor issues related to the CAFTA-DR. Specifically, that section requires the President to submit a biennial report to Congress on the progress made by the CAFTA-DR countries in implementing (i) Chapter Sixteen (Labor) of the CAFTA-DR, and (ii) the White Paper. The President delegated this reporting function to the Secretary of Labor, to be carried out in consultation with the United States Trade Representative (USTR). This is the first report in fulfillment of Section 403(a) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act. As required, this report includes: A. A description of the progress made by the Labor Cooperation and Capacity Building Mechanism established by Article 16.5 and Annex 16.5 of the CAFTA-DR, and the Labor Affairs Council established by Article 16.4 of the CAFTA-DR, in achieving their stated goals, including a description of the capacity-building projects undertaken, funds received, and results achieved, in each CAFTA-DR country; B. Recommendations on how the United States can facilitate full implementation of the recommendations contained in the White Paper; C. A description of the work done by the CAFTA-DR countries with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to implement the White Paper recommendations and to advance common commitments regarding labor matters; and D. A summary of public comments received on these matters

Progress in Implementing Capacity-Building Provisions under the Labor Chapter of the Dominican Republic – Central America – United States Free Trade Agreement

[Excerpt] Section 403(a) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act includes a reporting requirement on labor issues related to the CAFTA-DR. Specifically, that section requires the President to submit a biennial report to Congress on the progress made by the CAFTA-DR countries in implementing (i) Chapter Sixteen (Labor) of the CAFTA-DR, and (ii) the White Paper. The President delegated this reporting function to the Secretary of Labor, to be carried out in consultation with the United States Trade Representative (USTR). This is the first report in fulfillment of Section 403(a) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act. As required, this report includes: A. A description of the progress made by the Labor Cooperation and Capacity Building Mechanism established by Article 16.5 and Annex 16.5 of the CAFTA-DR, and the Labor Affairs Council established by Article 16.4 of the CAFTA-DR, in achieving their stated goals, including a description of the capacity-building projects undertaken, funds received, and results achieved, in each CAFTA-DR country; B. Recommendations on how the United States can facilitate full implementation of the recommendations contained in the White Paper; C. A description of the work done by the CAFTA-DR countries with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to implement the White Paper recommendations and to advance common commitments regarding labor matters; and D. A summary of public comments received on these matters

Root Cause Analysis in Business Processes

Conceptual modeling is an important tool for understanding and revealing weaknesses of business processes. Yet, the current practice in reengineering projects often considers simply the as-is control flow and uses the respective model barely as a reference for brain-storming about improvement opportunities. This approach heavily relies on the intuition of the participants and misses a clear description of steps to identify root causes of problems. In contrast to that, this paper introduces a systematic methodology to detect and document the quality dimension of a business process. It builds on the definition of softgoals for each process activity, of correlations between softgoals, and metrics to measure the occurrence of quality issues. In this regard our contribution is a foundation of root-cause analysis in business process modeling, and a conceptual integration of goal-based and activity-based approaches to capturing processes