Linking data and BPMN processes to achieve executable models

We describe a formally well founded approach to link data and processes conceptually, based on adopting UML class diagrams to represent data, and BPMN to represent the process. The UML class diagram together with a set of additional process variables, called Artifact, form the information model of the process. All activities of the BPMN process refer to such an information model by means of OCL operation contracts. We show that the resulting semantics while abstract is fully executable. We also provide an implementation of the executor.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Integration of BPM systems

New technologies have emerged to support the global economy where for instance suppliers, manufactures and retailers are working together in order to minimise the cost and maximise efficiency. One of the technologies that has become a buzz word for many businesses is business process management or BPM. A business process comprises activities and tasks, the resources required to perform each task, and the business rules linking these activities and tasks. The tasks may be performed by human and/or machine actors. Workflow provides a way of describing the order of execution and the dependent relationships between the constituting activities of short or long running processes. Workflow allows businesses to capture not only the information but also the processes that transform the information - the process asset (Koulopoulos, T. M., 1995). Applications which involve automated, human-centric and collaborative processes across organisations are inherently different from one organisation to another. Even within the same organisation but over time, applications are adapted as ongoing change to the business processes is seen as the norm in today’s dynamic business environment. The major difference lies in the specifics of business processes which are changing rapidly in order to match the way in which businesses operate. In this chapter we introduce and discuss Business Process Management (BPM) with a focus on the integration of heterogeneous BPM systems across multiple organisations. We identify the problems and the main challenges not only with regards to technologies but also in the social and cultural context. We also discuss the issues that have arisen in our bid to find the solutions

A survey on business processes management suites

Over the last decade, processes have become an important asset for daily life in organizations because an adequate Business Processes Management (BPM) of an organization (e.g. software development companies) can help achieve organizational objectives. Especially, it is important to efficiently manage these processes vital for the organizational performance in order to continually improve, therefore increasing productivity and competitiveness within the organization (e.g. software processes in software companies). This management is associated with the process lifecycle and, at present, there are many tools (Business Process Management Suites, BPMS) for managing this lifecycle. However, all BPMSs do not provide full support for this lifecycle what makes it more difficult to choose the right BPMS (according to the needs of the organization). This paper presents a survey on BPMS highlighting each phase of the process lifecycle what enables organizations to compare specific BPMS according to their own organizational objectives. This survey has been carried out using a methodology that combines systematic literature review with quality models. This methodology has been used successfully in other contexts. Finally, this paper also describes how this survey has been instantiated on specific open source BPMSs.Ministerio de Economía y competitividad TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015- 71938-RED

Ontology mapping of business process modeling based on formal temporal logic

A business process is the combination of a set of activities with logical order and dependence, whose objective is to produce a desired goal. Business process modeling (BPM) using knowledge of the available process modeling techniques enable a common understanding and analysis of a business process. Industry and academics use informal and formal methods respectively to represent business processes (BP), having the main objective to support an organization. Despite both are aiming at BPM but the methods used are quite different in their semantics. While carrying out literature research, it has been found that there is no general representation of business process modeling is available that is expressive than the commercial modeling tools and techniques. Therefore, it is primarily conceived to provide an ontology mapping of modeling terms of Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), Unified Modeling Language (UML) Activity Diagrams (AD) and Event Driven Process Chains (EPC) to temporal logic. Being a formal system, first order logic assists in thorough understanding of process modeling and its application. However, our contribution is to devise a versatile conceptual categorization of modeling terms/constructs and also formalizing them, based on well accepted business notions, such as action, event, process, sub-process, connector and flow. It is demonstrated that the new categorization of modeling terms mapped to formal temporal logic, provides the expressive power to subsume business process modeling techniques i.e. BPMN, UML AD and EPC

Modeling the role variability in the MAP process model

International audienceBusiness process modeling is a valuable technique helping organizations to specify their processes, to analyze their structure and to improve their performance. Conventional process modeling techniques are proven to be inefficient while dealing with non-repetitive, knowledge-intensive processes such as Case Management processes. In this work we use the MAP notation to model a Mortgage Approval Process as defined in Banking. To increase the navigability and practical value of map models, we extend the MAP notation with the concepts of Roles, Relations between roles, and Role Configuration Rules

Modelling and accessing regulatory knowledge for computer-assisted compliance audit

The ingredients for an effective automated audit of a building design include a building model containing the design information, a computerised regulatory knowledge model, and a practical method of processing these computable representations. There have been numerous approaches to computer-aided compliance audit in the AEC/FM domain over the last four decades, but none has yet evolved into a practical solution. One reason is that they have all been isolated attempts that lack any form of industry-wide standardisation. The current research project, therefore, focuses on investigating the use of the industry standard building information model and the adoption of open standard legal knowledge interchange and executable workflow models for automating conventional compliant design processes. This paper provides a non-exhaustive overview of common approaches to model and access regulatory knowledge for a compliance audit. The strengths and weaknesses of two comparative open standard knowledge representation approaches are discussed using an example regulatory document