An Empirical Analysis of Diagnosis of Industrial Business Processes at Sub-process Levels

Abstract: Business process models play an important role for the management, design, and improvement of process organizations and process-aware information systems. Despite the extensive application of process modeling in practice, there are hardly empirical results available on quality aspects of process models. This paper aims to advance the understanding of this matter by analyzing the connection between formal errors (such as deadlocks) and a set of metrics that capture various structural and behavioral aspects of a process model. In particular, we discuss the theoretical connection between errors and metrics, and provide a comprehensive validation based on an extensive sample of EPC process models from practice. Furthermore, we investigate the capability of the metrics to predict errors in a second independent sample of models. The high explanatory power of the metrics has considerable consequences for the design of future modeling guidelines and modeling tools.

Abstract: Algorithms are important tools for solving problems computationally. All computation involves algorithms, and the efficiency of an algorithm largely determines its usefulness. This chapter provides an overview of the fundamentals of algorithms and their links to self-organization, exploration, and exploitation. A brief history of recent nature-inspired algorithms for optimization is outlined in this chapter.

Abstract: Given the central role that software development plays in the delivery and application of information technology, managers are increasingly focusing on process improvement in the software development area. This demand has spurred the provision of a number of new and/or improved approaches to software development, with perhaps the most prominent being object-orientation (OO). In addition, the focus on process improvement has increased the demand for software measures, or metrics with which to manage the process. The need for such metrics is particularly acute when an organization is adopting a new technology for which established practices have yet to be developed. This research addresses these needs through the development and implementation of a new suite of metrics for OO design. Metrics developed in previous research, while contributing to the field's understanding of software development processes, have generally been subject to serious criticisms, including the lack of a theoretical base. Following Wand and Weber (1989), the theoretical base chosen for the metrics was the ontology of Bunge (1977). Six design metrics are developed, and then analytically evaluated against Weyuker's (1988) proposed set of measurement principles. An automated data collection tool was then developed and implemented to collect an empirical sample of these metrics at two field sites in order to demonstrate their feasibility and suggest ways in which managers may use these metrics for process improvement. >

Abstract: This chapter is intended to provide an overview and introduction to the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN). We will describe BPMN and its historic development. In addition, we will provide the general context and usage of BPMN, layered upon the technical details defined in the BPMN 2.0 Specification. The basics of the BPMN notation will be described—that is, the types of graphical shapes, their purpose, and how they work together as part of a Business Process Model/Diagram. Also discussed will be the different uses of BPMN diagram types, including how levels of precision affect what a modeler will include in a diagram. Finally, the value in using BPMN as a standard notation will be defined.

Abstract: Workflow management systems will change the architecture of future information systems dramatically. The explicit representation of business procedures is one of the main issues when introducing a workflow management system. In this paper we focus on a class of Petri nets suitable for the representation, validation and verification of these procedures. We will show that the correctness of a procedure represented by such a Petri net can be verified by using standard Petri-net-based techniques. Based on this result we provide a comprehensive set of transformation rules which can be used to construct and modify correct procedures.

Abstract: The Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) is a standard for capturing business processes in the early phases of systems development. The mix of constructs found in BPMN makes it possible to create models with semantic errors. Such errors are especially serious, because errors in the early phases of systems development are among the most costly and hardest to correct. The ability to statically check the semantic correctness of models is thus a desirable feature for modelling tools based on BPMN. Accordingly, this paper proposes a mapping from BPMN to a formal language, namely Petri nets, for which efficient analysis techniques are available. The proposed mapping has been implemented as a tool that, in conjunction with existing Petri net-based tools, enables the static analysis of BPMN models. The formalisation also led to the identification of deficiencies in the BPMN standard specification.