Process Modelling Notations

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Process Modelling Notations

Event-driven Process Chains (EPC)

Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN)

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Workflow Management and Petri Nets Dr. Armin Stein

Motivation for BPM

EPC

BPMN

Case Study

Agenda

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

Warenausgang zur Lieferung

Abgebende Ges. Kunde

Wareneingang Bestellung Kundenauftrag

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Auftragsfertigung Auftragsfertigung

Lager Lager

Phys. Transport

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Kommiliste Nur bei Produkten, die

auftragsbezogen endgefertigt werden

Not standardized Notation;

Powerpoint!

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

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What is the semantics of the arrows?

Source: Janiesch, Stein (2007)

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

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Has top-down

semantics? Which?

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

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No common expressions

Source: Janiesch, Stein (2007)

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

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GB SD XY7

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Druck)

GB SD XY7

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Phys. Transport

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No document

specification

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

Goods Issue Buyer Party (Customer)Seller Party (Issuing Batch)

Place Order

Receiver Order Delivery

Product is made-to-order

Create Delivery

Document Packaging Despatch

Order Receive Despatch

Advice

Pick- list

Despatch Advice Order

Made-to-order Production

Standard-Notation:

Subset of BPMN Usage of UBL

expressions

Business Semantics:

Common, standardized expressions

Source: Janiesch, Stein (2007)

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Why Business Process Modelling Notations

Some examples

Improved understandability

Fulfills requirements of process documentation like those of ISO 9000ff.

Simplifies derivation of executable languages

Not only academic nonsense…

Extremely important in practice!

Simplifies ≠ Enables

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Motivation for BPM

EPC

BPMN

Case Study

Agenda

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EPC: Event Driven Process Chains

Label

Initially consisted of Events and Functions Extended by shapes, resulting in EEPC De facto: EPC = EEPC

What does it do

Represent business processes as chain of events and functions Representation of connections between data, functional and organizational view

Each function needs a trigger event and a resulting event

Proposed Tool: ARIS Express

Download: http://www.ariscommunity.com/aris-express/

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Introduction: EPC

Exclusive OR

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Introduction: EPC

Exclusive OR

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Introduction: EPC

Refinement

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EPC: Event Driven Process Chain

Overview

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EPC: Event Driven Process Chain

Tool Alternative: ARIS Business Architect

Start from wi-farm via mstsc

(wi-farm.uni-muenster.de)

Use one of the Licence Keys

Use local Database

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Motivation for BPM

EPC

BPMN

Case Study

Agenda

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BPMN – Background

Developed by the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI – http://www.bpmi.org)

First Draft: March 2001

In 2005: Strategic fusion with OMG (Object Management Group)

Members: Department of National Defense, NASA, Daimler AG, Intel International Standardization – not for profit

MDA UML

CORBA…

Now: Business Modeling & Integration (BMI) Domain

Task Force (DTF) inside OMG

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What is BPMN?

BPMN is a standardized notation for modelling…

Business Processes Messages

Partners in Business Processes

Business Process Diagram (BPD)

Answer Call Verify

Responsibility

Help Client

Hang up

responsible

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Goals

Notation, which can be understood by all users

Business analysts (Design / Modeling of Business Processes) Technical developers (Implementation and Execution in WFMS)

Visualization of existing WF-XML-Dialects with one notation…

BPEL4WS (Business Process Execution Language for Web Services)

XPDL

Thus: Interface between Functional Requirements

Analysis and Implementation

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Application Scenarios

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Development Path of BPMN

http://www.bpm-netzwerk.de/pic/xlarge/339.gif

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EPC vs. BPMN

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Guidelines of the OMG

Processes should be chronologically ordered…

…from left to right,…

…starting with a trigger event,…

…ending with a „significant“ event

Tasks…

…should be associated with roles

…can and should be refined

…get connected by decision elements

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Guidelines of the OMG

Additional Guidelines:

Naming Conventions for Objects Prevent Homonyms / Synonyms

No Redundancies: Task „Judge Incoming Offer“ should not be labelled „Judge Incoming Offer Task“

Use a reasonable amount of characters (<32)

Start all Important Terms with Capitals (kind of Camel Case)

Use standard Terminology as often as possible

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Basic Concepts of BPMN

BPMN is the Graphical Representation Result after Modeling:

Business Process Diagram (BPD)

Based on Flow Charts

Separates one or more Business Processes Holds Elements of the Shapes used

Elements can be divided into four Types

Flow Objects

Connectors

Swim Lanes

Artifacts

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Flow Objects

Elements Shapes Description

Event

Activity

An Activity is a generic term for work that a company performs. An Activity can be atomic or nonatomic (compound). The types of Activities are: Task and Sub-Process. The Sub-Process is distinguished by a small plus sign in the bottom center of the shape.

Gateway

A Gateway is used to control the divergence and convergence of a Sequence Flow. Thus, it will determine traditional decisions, as well as the forking, merging, and joining of paths.

Internal Markers indicate the type of behavior Start

Intermediate

End Task

Sub- process

XOR AND

An Event is something that “happens” during the course of a business process. These Events affect the flow of the process and usually have a cause (trigger) or an impact (result). Events are circles with open centers to allow internal markers to differentiate different triggers or results.

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Connectors

Element Shape Description

Sequence Flow

A Sequence Flow used to show the order (the sequence) that activities will be performed in a Process. Note that the term

“control flow” is generally not used in BPMN.

Message Flow

A Message Flow is used to show the flow of messages between two separate Process Participants (business entities or business roles) that send and receive them. In BPMN, two separate Pools in the Diagram will represent the two Participants.

Association

An Association used to associate data, text, and other Artifacts with flow objects.

Associations are used to show the inputs and outputs of activities.

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Swim Lanes

Element Shape Description

Pool

A Pool represents a Participant in a Process.

It is also acts as a graphical container for partitioning a set of activities from other Pools usually in the context of B2B situations.

Lane

A Lane is a sub-partition within a Pool and will extend the entire length of the Pool, either vertically or horizontally. Lanes are used to organize and categorize activities.

Pool LaneLanePool

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Artifacts

Element Shape Description

Data Object

Data Objects are a mechanism to show how data is required or produced by activities.

They are connected to activities through Associations.

Group

A Group is represented by a rounded corner rectangle. The grouping can be used for documentation or analysis purposes, but does not affect the Sequence Flow.

Annotation

Annotations are a mechanism for a modeler to provide additional text information for the reader of a BPMN Diagram.

Name [State]

Text Annotation Allows a Modeler to provide additional Information

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Exemplary Processes

Identify Payment

Method

Payment Method?

Prepare Package for

Customer Accept Cash

or Check

Credit Card Check or Cash

Process Credit Card

Start Event Task

Sequence Flow

End Event

Gateway

Patient

Send Doctor Request

Receive Appointment

Send Symptoms

Receive Prescription

Pickup

Send Medicine

Request

Receive Medicine

octor’s Office

Receive Doctor Request

Send Appointment

Receive Symptoms

Send Prescription

Pickup

Receive Medicine

Request

Send Medicine

I want to see the doctor Go see the doctor I feel sick Pick up your medicine I need my medicine

and you can leave Here is your medicine

Illness Occurs

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Extensions of Events

Extension of Basic Elements

Different Circumstances for Trigger or Results

Improvement of sematic Expressiveness

However: Higher Complexity!

Terminate Multiple Link Rule

Compen- sation Cancel Error Timer

Message

Endereignis ereignis

Start- ereignis

Terminate Multiple Link Rule

Compen- sation Cancel Error Timer

Message

End Event Intermediate

Event Start Event

Event Type

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Extensions of Activities

Activities can be specialized

Loop

Representation of multiple succeeding instantiations Can be combined with compensations

Multiple Instance

Several parallel Instances of one Activity Can be combined with compensations

Compensation

Describes how to reset an Activity

Loop

Multiple Instance

Compensation

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Extentions of Connections

Conditional Sequence

Explicites Conditions for Sequences Fires at exact fulfillment of Condition Here: AND Operator

Standard Sequence

Representation of Standard Sequence

Active, if none of the others fire

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Motivation for BPM

EPC

BPMN

Case Study

Agenda

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Case Studies

Two Scenarios

Pink Blob and ISS

Design Agency in cooperation with Internet Security-Consulting PB provides Web Graphics

ISS uses them for their Clients

VBIG and VPLACM

VBIG is a rapidly growing business in the IT market

VPLACM connects applicants with job offers

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Grading

Date Topic Counts

Fr 19.11.2010 Presentation of EPC and BPMN Models 15%

Mo 06.12.2010 Presentation of Workflow Models 25%

Mo (20.12.2010) (Presentation of First Implementation Results)

Fr 28.01.2010 Final Presentation Workflows 60%

 + Solution is innovative and attractive

 Solution is innovative or attractive

 Solution correctly does what it should do

 Solution is faulty

 - Solution is completely wrong

Case Study 40%

Written Exam 60%

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Workflow Management Dr. Armin Stein