Showing papers on "Process modeling published in 2006"

Advanced Process Control

Abstract: This chapter explores both run-by-run and supervisory process control strategies. Such advanced process control techniques are required more and more for increasingly sophisticated modern semiconductor manufacturing applications. The chapter addresses control in two main categories. In this first, we deal with controllers that utilize polynomial process models, but limit their adaptation to the constant term of the model. Afterwards, we discuss controllers that can adapt the entire model.

A declarative approach for flexible business processes management

Abstract: Management of dynamic processes in an important issue in rapidly changing organizations. Workflow management systems are systems that use detailed process models to drive the business processes. Current business process modelling languages and models are of imperative nature – they strictly prescribe how to work. Systems that allow users to maneuver within the process model or even change the model while working are considered to be the most suitable for dynamic processes management. However, in many companies it is not realistic to expect that end-users are able to change their processes. Moreover, the imperative nature of these languages forces designer to over-specify processes, which results in frequent changes. We propose a fundamental paradigm shift for flexible process management and propose a more declarative approach. Declarative models specify what should be done without specifying how it should be done. We propose the ConDec language for modelling and enacting dynamic business processes. ConDec is based on temporal logic rather than some imperative process modelling language.

On the suitability of BPMN for business process modelling

Abstract: In this paper we examine the suitability of the Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) for business process modelling, using the Workflow Patterns as an evaluation framework. The Workflow Patterns are a collection of patterns developed for assessing control-flow, data and resource capabilities in the area of Process Aware Information Systems (PAISs). In doing so, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the capabilities of BPMN, and its strengths and weaknesses when utilised for business process modelling. The analysis provided for BPMN is part of a larger effort aiming at an unbiased and vendor-independent survey of the suitability and the expressive power of some mainstream process modelling languages. It is a sequel to previous work in which languages including BPEL and UML Activity Diagrams were evaluated.

How do practitioners use conceptual modeling in practice

Abstract: Much research has been devoted over the years to investigating and advancing the techniques and tools used by analysts when they model. As opposed to what academics, software providers and their resellers promote as should be happening, the aim of this research was to determine whether practitioners still embraced conceptual modeling seriously. In addition, what are the most popular techniques and tools used for conceptual modeling? What are the major purposes for which conceptual modeling is used? The study found that the top six most frequently used modeling techniques and methods were ER diagramming, data flow diagramming, systems flowcharting, workflow modeling, UML, and structured charts. Modeling technique use was found to decrease significantly from smaller to medium-sized organizations, but then to increase significantly in larger organizations (proxying for large, complex projects). Technique use was also found to significantly follow an inverted U-shaped curve, contrary to some prior explanations. Additionally, an important contribution of this study was the identification of the factors that uniquely influence the decision of analysts to continue to use modeling, viz., communication (using diagrams) to/from stakeholders, internal knowledge (lack of) of techniques, user expectations management, understanding models' integration into the business, and tool/software deficiencies. The highest ranked purposes for which modeling was undertaken were database design and management, business process documentation, business process improvement, and software development.

A survey of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining process models

Abstract: Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining is a very dynamic research and development area that is reaching maturity. As such, it requires stable and well-defined foundations, which are well understood and popularized throughout the community. This survey presents a historical overview, description and future directions concerning a standard for a Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining process model. It presents a motivation for use and a comprehensive comparison of several leading process models, and discusses their applications to both academic and industrial problems. The main goal of this review is the consolidation of the research in this area. The survey also proposes to enhance existing models by embedding other current standards to enable automation and interoperability of the entire process.

Discovering expressive process models by clustering log traces

Abstract: Process mining techniques have recently received notable attention in the literature; for their ability to assist in the (re)design of complex processes by automatically discovering models that explain the events registered in some log traces provided as input. Following this line of research, the paper investigates an extension of such basic approaches, where the identification of different variants for the process is explicitly accounted for, based on the clustering of log traces. Indeed, modeling each group of similar executions with a different schema allows us to single out "conformant" models, which, specifically, minimize the number of modeled enactments that are extraneous to the process semantics. Therefore, a novel process mining framework is introduced and some relevant computational issues are deeply studied. As finding an exact solution to such an enhanced process mining problem is proven to require high computational costs, in most practical cases, a greedy approach is devised. This is founded on an iterative, hierarchical, refinement of the process model, where, at each step, traces sharing similar behavior patterns are clustered together and equipped with a specialized schema. The algorithm guarantees that each refinement leads to an increasingly sound mDdel, thus attaining a monotonic search. Experimental results evidence the validity of the approach with respect to both effectiveness and scalability

Potential pitfalls of process modeling: part A

Abstract: Purpose – This paper summarizes typical pitfalls as they can be observed in larger process modeling projects.Design/methodology/approach – The identified pitfalls have been derived from a series of focus groups and semi‐structured interviews with business process analysts and managers of process management and modeling projects.Findings – The paper provides a list of typical characteristics of unsuccessful process modeling. It covers six pitfalls related to strategy and governance (1‐3) and the involved stakeholders (4‐6). Further issues related to tools and related requirements (7‐10), the practice of modeling (11‐16), the way we design to‐be models (17‐19), and how we deal with success of modeling and maintenance issues (19‐21) will be discussed in the second part of this paper.Research limitations/implications – This paper is a personal viewpoint, and does not report on the outcomes of a structured qualitative research project.Practical implications – The provided list of total 22 pitfalls increases th...

Fundamentals of Semiconductor Manufacturing and Process Control

Abstract: Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Introduction to Semiconductor Manufacturing. Objectives. Introduction. 1.1. Historical Evolution. 1.2. Modern Semiconductor Manufacturing. 1.3. Goals of Manufacturing. 1.4. Manufacturing Systems. 1.5. Outline for Remainder of the Book. Summary. Problems. References. 2. Technology Overview. Objectives. Introduction. 2.1. Unit Processes. 2.2. Process Integration. Summary. Problems. References. 3. Process Monitoring. Objectives. Introduction. 3.1. Process Flow and Key Measurement Points. 3.2. Wafer State Measurements. 3.3. Equipment State Measurements. Summary. Problems. References. 4. Statistical Fundamentals. Objectives. Introduction. 4.1. Probability Distributions. 4.2. Sampling from a Normal Distribution. 4.3. Estimation 4.4. Hypothesis Testing. Summary. Problems. Reference. 5. Yield Modeling. Objectives. Introduction. 5.1. Definitions of Yield Components. 5.2. Functional Yield Models. 5.3. Functional Yield Model Components. 5.4. Parametric Yield. 5.5. Yield Simulation. 5.6. Design Centering. 5.7. Process Introduction and Time-to-Yield. Summary. Problems. References. 6. Statistical Process Control. Objectives. Introduction. 6.1. Control Chart Basics. 6.2. Patterns in Control Charts. 6.3. Control Charts for Attributes. 6.4. Control Charts for Variables. 6.5. Multivariate Control. 6.6. SPC with Correlated Process Data. Summary. Problems. References. 7. Statistical Experimental Design. Objectives. Introduction. 7.1. Comparing Distributions. 7.2. Analysis of Variance. 7.3. Factorial Designs. 7.4. Taguchi Method. Summary. Problems. References. 8. Process Modeling. Objectives. Introduction. 8.1. Regression Modeling. 8.2. Response Surface Methods. 8.3. Evolutionary Operation. 8.4. Principal-Component Analysis. 8.5. Intelligent Modeling Techniques. 8.6. Process Optimization. Summary. Problems. References. 9. Advanced Process Control. Objectives. Introduction. 9.1. Run-by-Run Control with Constant Term Adaptation. 9.2. Multivariate Control with Complete Model Adaptation. 9.3. Supervisory Control. Summary. Problems. References. 10. Process and Equipment Diagnosis. Objectives. Introduction. 10.1. Algorithmic Methods. 10.2. Expert Systems. 10.3. Neural Network Approaches. 10.4. Hybrid Methods. Summary. Problems. References. Appendix A: Some Properties of the Error Function. Appendix B: Cumulative Standard Normal Distribution. Appendix C: Percentage Points of the chi2 Distribution. Appendix D: Percentage Points of the t Distribution. Appendix E: Percentage Points of the F Distribution. Appendix F: Factors for Constructing Variables Control Charts. Index.

A discourse on complexity of process models

Abstract: Complexity has undesirable effects on, among others, the correctness, maintainability, and understandability of business process models. Yet, measuring complexity of business process models is a rather new area of research with only a small number of contributions. In this paper, we survey findings from neighboring disciplines on how complexity can be measured. In particular, we gather insight from software engineering, cognitive science, and graph theory, and discuss in how far analogous metrics can be defined on business process models.

From BPMN Process Models to BPEL Web Services

Abstract: The Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) is a graph-oriented language in which control and action nodes can be connected almost arbitrarily. It is supported by various modelling tools but so far no systems can directly execute BPMN models. The Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL) on the other hand is a mainly block-structured language supported by several execution platforms. In the current setting, mapping BPMN models to BPEL code is a necessary step towards unified and standards-based business process development environments. It turns out that this mapping is challenging from a scientific viewpoint as BPMN and BPEL represent two fundamentally different classes of languages. Existing methods for mapping BPMN to BPEL impose limitations on the structure of the source model. This paper proposes a technique that overcomes these limitations. Beyond its direct relevance in the context of BPMN and BPEL, this technique addresses difficult problems that arise generally when translating between flow-based languages with parallelism.

Key concepts in modeling product development processes

Abstract: This paper provides a foundation for modeling the set of activities and their relationships by which systems are engineered, or, more broadly, by which products and services are developed. It provides background, motivations, and formal definitions for process modeling in this specialized environment. We treat the process itself as a kind of system that can be engineered. However, while product systems must be created, the process systems for developing complex products must, to a greater extent, be discovered and induced. Then, they tend to be reused, either formally as standard processes, or informally by the workforce. We distinguish and clarify several important concepts in modeling processes, including: product development versus repetitive business processes, descriptive versus prescriptive processes, activities as actions versus deliverables as interactions, standard versus deployed processes, centralized versus decentralized process modeling, “as is” versus “to be” process modeling, and multiple phases in product development. We also present a basically simple yet highly extendable and generalized framework for modeling product development processes. The framework enables building a single model to support a variety of purposes, including project planning (scheduling, budgeting, resource loading, and risk management) and control, and it provides the scaffolding for knowledge management and organizational learning, among numerous other uses. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 9: 104–128, 2006This paper would not be possible without the benefits of uncounted interactions with professional and academic colleagues over the past decade. We thank the many participants in our tutorials at the 2001–2003 International Symposia of INCOSE for their helpful comments and feedback. We also thank Andy Sage for his comments and advice and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions, all of which improved the paper.

Designing compliant business processes with obligations and permissions

Abstract: The sequence and timing constraints on the activities in business processes are an important aspect of business process compliance. To date, these constraints are most often implicitly transcribed into control-flow-based process models. This implicit representation of constraints, however, complicates the verification, validation and reuse in business process design. In this paper, we investigate the use of temporal deontic assignments on activities as a means to declaratively capture the control-flow semantics that reside in business regulations and business policies. In particular, we introduce PENELOPE, a language to express temporal rules about the obligations and permissions in a business interaction, and an algorithm to generate compliant sequence-flow-based process models that can be used in business process design.

Process equivalence: comparing two process models based on observed behavior

Abstract: In various application domains there is a desire to compare process models, e.g., to relate an organization-specific process model to a reference model, to find a web service matching some desired service description, or to compare some normative process model with a process model discovered using process mining techniques. Although many researchers have worked on different notions of equivalence (e.g., trace equivalence, bisimulation, branching bisimulation, etc.), most of the existing notions are not very useful in this context. First of all, most equivalence notions result in a binary answer (i.e., two processes are equivalent or not). This is not very helpful, because, in real-life applications, one needs to differentiate between slightly different models and completely different models. Second, not all parts of a process model are equally important. There may be parts of the process model that are rarely activated while other parts are executed for most process instances. Clearly, these should be considered differently. To address these problems, this paper proposes a completely new way of comparing process models. Rather than directly comparing two models, the process models are compared with respect to some typical behavior. This way we are able to avoid the two problems. Although the results are presented in the context of Petri nets, the approach can be applied to any process modeling language with executable semantics.

How Good is BPMN Really? Insights from Theory and Practice

Abstract: The increased interest in a more disciplined approach for Business Process Management has motivated many organizations to make significant investments in process modelling initiatives This, in turn, has triggered significant related research One outcome of this development is the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), which has been proposed as the new process modelling industry standard BPMN has become over the last two years a popular process modelling technique This paper represents the first contribution towards a theoretically sound and empirically validated analysis of BPMN Based on an established process, we conducted a representational analysis of BPMN using a representation model based on the Bunge ontology In addition to the theoretical identification of possible shortcomings of BPMN, we conducted a comprehensive series of interviews with BPMN users in order to seek empirical evidence for our propositions Through this study, we identified a number of critical issues related to the practice of modelling with BPMN in contemporary process management initiatives, for example, the capture of business rules and the specification of the Lane and the Pool constructs

How Good is BPMN Really? Insights from Theory and Practice

Abstract: The increased interest in a more disciplined approach for Business Process Management has motivated many organizations to make significant investments in process modelling initiatives. This, in turn, has triggered significant related research. One outcome of this development is the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), which has been proposed as the new process modelling industry standard. BPMN has become over the last two years a popular process modelling technique. This paper represents the first contribution towards a theoretically sound and empirically validated analysis of BPMN. Based on an established process, we conducted a representational analysis of BPMN using a representation model based on the Bunge ontology. In addition to the theoretical identification of possible shortcomings of BPMN, we conducted a comprehensive series of interviews with BPMN users in order to seek empirical evidence for our propositions. Through this study, we identified a number of critical issues related to the practice of modelling with BPMN in contemporary process management initiatives, for example, the capture of business rules and the specification of the Lane and the Pool constructs.

Querying business processes

Abstract: We present in this paper BP-QL, a novel query language for querying business processes. The BP-QL language is based on an intuitive model of business processes, an abstraction of the emerging BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) standard. It allows users to query business processes visually, in a manner very analogous to how such processes are typically specified, and can be employed in a distributed setting, where process components may be provided by distinct providers(peers).We describe here the query language as well as its underlying formal model. We consider the properties of the various language components and explain how they influenced the language design. In particular we distinguish features that can be efficiently supported, and those that incur a prohibitively high cost, or cannot be computed at all. We also present our implementation which complies with real life standards for business process specifications, XML, and Web services, and is used in the BP-QL system.

Context-aware Process Design: Exploring the Extrinsic Drivers for Process Flexibility

Abstract: Research on process flexibility has traditionally explored alternative ways of considering flexibility during the design of a business process. The focus typically has been on ways of how the demand for process flexibility can be satisfied by advanced process modeling techniques, i.e., issues intrinsic to the process. This paper proposes to extent current research by studying the extrinsic drivers for flexibility. These drivers can be found in the context of the process, which may include among others time, location, legislation, culture, performance requirements etc. Exemplary scenarios for such extrinsic flexibility drivers will be discussed and preliminary thoughts on context-aware process design approaches will be shared. The paper ends with a proposed research agenda in this area.

Component-Based Development Process and Component Lifecycle

Abstract: The process of component- and component-based system development differs in many significant ways from the "classical" development process of software systems. The main difference is in the separation of the development process of components from the development process of systems. This fact has a significant impact on the development process. Since the component-based approach is a relatively young approach in software engineering, the main emphasis in the area has been in development of technologies, while process modeling is still an unexplored area. This paper analyses the basic characteristics of the component-based approach and its impact on the development process and lifecycle models. The generic lifecycle of component-based systems and the lifecycle of components are discussed, and the different types of development processes are discussed in detail: architecture-driven component development, productline development and COTS-based development. Finally a short case study illustrates the principles and specifics of component-based processes.

A study of the evolution of the representational capabilities of process modeling grammars

Abstract: A plethora of process modeling techniques has been proposed over the years. One way of evaluating and comparing the scope and completeness of techniques is by way of representational analysis. The purpose of this paper is to examine how process modeling techniques have developed over the last four decades. The basis of the comparison is the Bunge-Wand-Weber representation model, a benchmark used for the analysis of grammars that purport to model the real world and the interactions within it. This paper presents a comparison of representational analyses of several popular process modeling techniques and has two main outcomes. First, it provides insights, within the boundaries of a representational analysis, into the extent to which process modeling techniques have developed over time. Second, the findings also indicate areas in which the underlying theory seems to be over-engineered or lacking in specialization.

Enterprise SOA: Designing IT for Business Innovation

Abstract: Information Technology professionals can use this book to move beyond the excitement of web services and service oriented architecture (SOA) and begin the process of finding actionable ideas to innovate and create business value. In Enterprise SOA: Designing IT for Business Innovation, SAP's blueprint for putting SOA to work is analyzed from top to bottom. In addition to design, development, and architecture, vital contextual issues such as governance, security, change management, and culture are also explored. This comprehensive perspective reduces risk as IT departments implement ESA, a sound, flexible architecture for adapting business processes in response to changing market conditions.This book answers the following questions:What forces created the need for Enterprise Services Architecture?How does ESA enable business process innovation?How is model-driven development used at all levels of design, configuration, and deployment?How do all the layers of technology that support ESA work together?How will composite applications extend business process automation?How does ESA create new models for IT governance?How can companies manage disruptive change?How can enterprise services be discovered and designed?How will the process of adapting applications be simplified?Based on extensive research with experts from the German software company SAP, this definitive book is ideal for architects, developers, and other IT professionals who want to understand the technology and business relevance of ESA in a detailed way--especially those who want to move on the technology now, rather than in the next year or two.

Translating standard process models to BPEL

Abstract: Standardisation of languages in the field of business process management has long been an elusive goal. Recently though, consensus has built around one process implementation language, namely BPEL, and two fundamentally similar process modelling notations, namely UML Activity Diagram (UML AD) and BPMN. This paper presents a technique for generating BPEL code from process models expressed in a core subset of BPMN and UML AD. This model-to-code translation is a necessary ingredient to the emergence of model-driven business process development environments based on these standards. The proposed translation has been implemented as an open source tool.

Updating and utilizing dynamic process simulation in an operating process environment

Abstract: A simulation system that includes interconnected simulation blocks which use process models to perform simulation activities for a process plant is integrated into a process control environment for the process plant in a manner that makes the simulation system easy to use and easily updated for on-line process simulation. The disclosed simulation system enables future predicted values as well as the current predicted values of process parameters produced by the simulation system to be made available for performance evaluation as well as to guide plant operations. Additionally, the simulation system is connected to the operating process plant to receive various on-line process plant measurements, and uses these measurements to automatically update the process models used in the simulation system, to thereby keep the simulation system coordinated with the actual operating conditions of the process plant.

Method and Apparatus for Service-Oriented Architecture Process Decomposition and Service Modeling

Abstract: Techniques are provided for service-oriented (SOA) process decomposition and service modeling. In one aspect of the invention, the techniques include identifying meta-data entities, attributes of the meta-data entities and relationships between stereotypes of the meta-data model, managing the meta-data model for creating, modifying and removing modeling artifacts, and creating modeling templates from the meta-data model to facilitate addressing at least one need of industry-specific applications. In another aspect the invention, the techniques include packaging the method for SOA process decomposition and service modeling, facilitating lifecycle management of modeling assets, and facilitating maintenance of the modeling assets.

Translating standard process models to BPEL

Abstract: Standardisation of languages in the field of business process management has long been an elusive goal. Recently though, consensus has built around one process implementation language, namely BPEL, and two fundamentally similar process modelling notations, namely UML Activity Diagram (UML AD) and BPMN. This paper presents a technique for generating BPEL code from process models expressed in a core subset of BPMN and UML AD. This model-to-code translation is a necessary ingredient to the emergence of model-driven business process development environments based on these standards. The proposed translation has been implemented as an open source tool.

Business process design by view integration

Abstract: Even though the design of business processes most often has to consolidate the knowledge of several process stakeholders, this fact is utilized only to a limited extent by existing modeling methodologies. We address this shortcoming in this paper by building an analogy between database schema design by view integration on the one hand and process modeling on the other hand. In particular, we specify a method for business process design by view integration starting from two views of a process as input. We identify formal semantic relationships between elements of the two process views which are then used to calculate the integrated process model applying the merge operator. Finally, the integrated model is optimized using reduction rules. A case study with two EPC business process models from the SAP reference model demonstrates the applicability of our approach.

A Rule-Based Approach for Process Discovery: Dealing with Noise and Imbalance in Process Logs

Abstract: Effective information systems require the existence of explicit process models. A completely specified process design needs to be developed in order to enact a given business process. This development is time consuming and often subjective and incomplete. We propose a method that constructs the process model from process log data, by determining the relations between process tasks. To predict these relations, we employ machine learning technique to induce rule sets. These rule sets are induced from simulated process log data generated by varying process characteristics such as noise and log size. Tests reveal that the induced rule sets have a high predictive accuracy on new data. The effects of noise and imbalance of execution priorities during the discovery of the relations between process tasks are also discussed. Knowing the causal, exclusive, and parallel relations, a process model expressed in the Petri net formalism can be built. We illustrate our approach with real world data in a case study.