Changing the Focus of an Organization: From Information Systems to Process Aware Information Systems

Many present-day companies carry out a huge amount of daily operations through the use of their information systems without ever having done their own enterprise modeling. Business process mining is a well-proven solution which is used to discover the underlying business process models that are supported by existing information systems. Business process discovery techniques employ event logs as input, which are recorded by process-aware information systems. However, a wide variety of traditional information systems do not have any in-built mechanisms with which to collect events (representing the execution of business activities). Various mechanisms with which to collect events from non-process-aware information systems have been proposed in order to enable the application of process mining techniques to traditional information systems. Unfortunately, since business processes supported by traditional information systems are implicitly defined, correlating events into the appropriate process instance is not trivial. This challenge is known as the event correlation problem. This paper presents an adaptation of an existing event correlation algorithm and incorporates it into a technique in order to collect event logs from the execution of traditional information systems. The technique first instruments the source code to collect events together with some candidate correlation attributes. Based on several well-known design patterns, the technique provides a set of guidelines to support experts when instrumenting the source code. The event correlation algorithm is subsequently applied to the data set of events to discover the best correlation conditions, which are then used to create event logs. The technique has been semi-automated to facilitate its validation through an industrial case study involving a writer management system and a healthcare evaluation system. The study demonstrates that the technique is able to discover an appropriate correlation set and obtain well-formed event logs, thus enabling business process mining techniques to be applied to traditional information systems.

The increasing adoption of Process-aware Information Systems (PAISs), together with the variability of Business Processes (BPs) across different application contexts, has resulted in large process model repositories with collections of related process model variants. To reduce both costs and occurrence of errors, the explicit management of variability throughout the BP lifecycle becomes crucial. In literature, several proposals dealing with BP variability have been proposed. However, the lack of a method for their systematic comparison makes it difficult to select the most appropriate one meeting current needs best. To close this gap, this work presents an evaluation framework that allows analyzing and comparing the variability support provided by existing proposals developed in the context of BP variability. The framework encompasses a set of language requirements as well as a set of variability support features. While language requirements allow assessing the expressiveness required to explicitly represent variability of different process perspectives, variability support features reflect the tool support required to properly cover such expressiveness. Our evaluation framework has been derived based on an in-depth analysis of several large real-world process scenarios, an extensive literature review, and an analysis of existing PAISs. In this vein, the framework helps to understand BP variability along the BP lifecycle. In addition, it supports PAISs engineers in deciding, which of the existing BP variability proposals meets best their needs.

Enterprise information systems created with model-driven software engineering methods need to handle not only data but also business processes in an automated way. This paper shows how to engineer process-aware information systems following the model-driven and generative software engineering paradigms. Existing approaches realize either the generation of automated or manual activities but do not employ model-driven engineering of all system aspects through systematic language composition. A generative approach that additionally uses process modeling languages allows developers to evolve generated data-centric information systems into process-aware information systems. To be usable within our generation process, we have developed a textual BPMN version and a corresponding language tooling to check the soundness of the models. We have included these process models into the generation process of an information system together with other domain-specific modeling languages, e.g., for data structures, and generate an extendable, process-aware information system that is open for continuous regeneration and hand-written additions. This approach allows us to lift a generated data-centric information system to a process-aware information system. Agile development enabled through the opportunity to validate assumptions automatically and adapt changes efficiently, enhances the engineering process as well as the generated systems themselves.

Business processes and information systems mutually affect each other in non-trivial ways. Frequently, the business process design and the information system design are not well aligned. This means that business processes are designed without taking the information system impact into account, and vice versa. Missing alignment at design time often results in quality problems at runtime, such as large response times of information systems, large process execution times, overloaded information systems or interrupted processes. Aligning business process quality and information system quality at design time requires to
\nsolve the following problems (P). Business process quality and information system quality have to be characterized. P1: In contrast to information system quality, which is specified in the ISO/IEC 9126 standard, for example, there is no common and comprehensive understanding of business process quality. P2: Beyond that, current business process
\nmodeling notations do not aim to represent quality aspects. The impact of a business process on the quality of an information system, and vice versa, is unknown at design
\ntime. P3: The mutual impact between business processes and information systems must be predicted at design time.
\nIn this thesis, the Business Process Quality Reference-Model (BPQRM), a quality model for business processes, is introduced. The model allows for a comprehensive characterization of business process quality (P1). The BPQRM is applied successfully in a case study to
\nidentify potential for process quality improvement in practice. Based on the BPQRM an existing process modeling notation is extended by model elements to represent quality
\naspects (P2). Simulation is a powerful means to predict the impact of a business process on the quality of an information system, and vice versa, at design time. This thesis proposes two simulation approaches to predict the mutual impact between business processes and information systems, in terms of performance (P3). The approach Business
\nIT Impact Simulation (BIIS) defines interfaces between the business process simulation and the information system simulation. Performance-relevant information is exchanged
\nvia the interfaces between both simulations. Using business process simulation and information system simulation in isolation, workload burstiness is not adequately reflected.
\nThis is especially true for occasional, volatile peak loads. Workload burstiness can significantly affect the performance of business processes and information systems. The approach Integrated Business IT Impact Simulation (IntBIIS) for the integration of business processes and information systems in a single simulation allows for reflecting workload burstiness correctly. The simulation approaches support the comparison of design alternatives and the verification of a certain design against requirements. A case study confirms the feasibility in practice and the acceptance from practitioners’ point of
\nview.

Companies are demanding more flexibility from their Process Aware Information Systems (PAIS). However, regulations and standards that impose limits to process executions are becoming increasingly important for business process management. The need for a compliance agenda and the security requisites for PAIS are pushing companies to search and to acquire new systems and technics for control and audit business processes. The aim is to avoid process execution that violates some business rules. In order to build an approach that support companies in auditing and controlling their business processes, there is a need for a formal and systematic modeling of business rules. In the present paper we have two objectives. The first one is to propose a set of business rules related to the ordering of tasks and to the involvement of a role or agent in cases. The second one is to build a supervisory control of PAIS that ensures compliance of business rules. To evaluate the correctness of our approach we applied it in two different business processes.KeywordsProcess-Aware Information Systembusiness rulessupervisory controlcompliancesecurity

Process aware information system (PAIS) is important in the recent business environment. Developments of PAIS need to consider contexts about technical and business elements. They are needed to develop PAIS effectively (e.g. monitoring environment and constructing adequate business process). Process mining is an important method for analyzing a business environment and utilizing PAIS development and improvement. LTL checking is an important method for checking a specific property to be satisfied with business processes, but correctly writing formal language like LTL is difficult. In this paper, we use LTL checking and prediction based on decision-tree learning for checking goal achievement, false detection and oversight detection. It helps writing properly LTL formula for representing the correct goal property. We conducted a case study using a real life log of traffic fine management process in Italy.

Information System is one of the key domain in which lot of research has been done in the past few years. Applying Information systems to heterogeneous and distributed environments is one of the current research areas. Business Process Management Systems is the information systems which deal with the administration of tasks in the business processes, organizational structures, or in the related context. The Workflow Management system, the early idea of BPM, controls the workflow in an organization, data transfer, and integration of legacy information systems with existing programs and program modules, delegation of business tasks. Offering task management services especially modeling of business processes and underlying organizations, BPM serves it meaning and incorporates the WFM system. BPM supporting the use of knowledge concerning the awareness/unawareness of integrated software, and analysis of processes and organizational structure in terms of verification, modification, evaluation are key management in BPM system I.INTRODUCTION TO BPM: Combination of corporate restructuring and mergers urged the department and processes to be automated and linked together. Unfortunately it created largely disconnected spaghetti of systems and applications. Business Process Management (BPM) was born from a strong need to streamline internal processes and connections between both internal and external functions. It provides ability to model, monitor, manage and manipulate processes quickly in response to changes in strategy and market forces. BPM is an extension of classical Work Flow Management (WFM) systems and approaches. BPM delivers the maximum utility of legacy system. It is a method for revolutionizing the way the work moves throughout an organization. II.COMPONENTS OF BPM: The four key elements in Business Process Management are: Process modeling, Process rule, Process management, and Process performance analytics. Process modeling: Process modeling describes the flow of information (business process).It helps in building a model of process and mapping into an implementation frame work. Modeling requires a consistent analysis and representation of the processes. It forms the basis for the userspecific process environment. Process Rule: Process Rule is a heart of the BPM. It involves execution of discrete steps & integration of information. A process rules engine is used for this purpose. The engine is to monitor and manage the given steps by providing a flow control over the business process. If a process fails or delayed, a compensated action can be done to rectify. Process Management: Process Management is to correlate business/application events to fundamental business metrics .It enables the organization to monitor and optimize the business process. Once the process has been analyzed, modeled and the associated rules are formed. The next stage involves the visualization and management. Visualization means transaction data ranging from holistic to process-state or client state specific rules. Process Performance Analytics: Process Performance Analytics is a transition data source available for sophisticated management analytics .This data should be available on a retrospective or real-time basis. It should answer to one of the most difficult question like “how much does it cost to process a specific transaction?” By this way BPM mainly addresses four components. They are Work Flow Management, Content and records management Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) and Business Activity monitoring (BAM). III.RELEVENCE TO SYSTEM INTEGRATION: BPM can be fitted easily on the top of existing IT system. It is the Process rules that governs all the happenings and optimizes the process. BPM will not be able to work without the connectivity provided by the EAI layer. EAI layer provides BPM to gain and measure the value from the investment. On the other hand, BPM provides value to the EAI technology layer of Information technology. BPM layer offers business management the view of the message processing layer. It is used to unlock the value of the information held in the integration layer. It is also used to gather data of every transaction in the lifecycle. IV.APPLICATION OF BPM: BPM can be applied to any application which needs these advantages. BPM reduces unnecessary high losses in time critical transactions, helps to provide any critical information, practical application yield fast ROI ,better control over the information, identifying and maximizing the benefits faster, better analysis and tracking, provides enterprise-wide visibility of business processes, improve the effectiveness of the core operations, provides ability to coordinate interactions between information systems, business process and the people, flexible and easily changed by non-technical business people.

Business process modelling is an important part of system design. When designing or redesigning a business process, stakeholders specify, negotiate, and agree on business requirements to be satisfied, including non-functional requirements that concern the quality of the business process. This thesis addresses the question of how to specify and compute the quality of a business process, given the model that stakeholders use. The motivation for this thesis is the increasing importance of the quality of business processes. Knowing the quality of specific business processes enables stakeholders to judge if these processes need improvement. Knowing the quality of the constructs of those processes (viz., events, inputs, activities, and outputs) and the way they are structured enables a more detailed analysis of their shortcomings and provides a basis for the design of improvements. The research challenge of this thesis is grounded in the assumption that: “Organisations need an appropriate means to effectively compute achievement of their goals and objectives by their business processes.” Given this challenge, the main research question on which this thesis focuses is: “Can the quality of a business process be computed quantitatively at different levels of granularity?” The research objective is: “To develop frameworks, factors, and metrics for computing non-functional requirements (quality) of business processes quantitatively at different levels of granularity.” The outcomes of this thesis are: 1) BPIMM, a language-independent business process integrating meta-model, based on the concepts of seven mainstream business process modelling languages: BPMN, EPC, RAD, UML AD, SADT, IDEF0, and IDEF3. 2) BPC-QC (Business Process Concept - Quality Computation), an approach to quality computation at the lowest level of granularity of a business process. The approach consists of: i. BPC-QEF (Business Process Concept - Quality Evaluation Framework), a language-independent generic framework and algorithm to compute the quality of the constructs of a business process: event, input, activity, and output. ii. A set of business process quality dimensions and factors. The following quality dimensions are distinguished: performance, efficiency, reliability, recoverability, permissibility, and availability. Each dimension categorises different quality aspects in terms of factors. A non-exhaustive set of sixteen quantitative factors is provided. iii. Quality metrics for each of the quality factors, to facilitate a quantitative computation of the quality of a specific construct of a business process. 3) BP-QC (Business Process - Quality Computation), an approach to compute the quality at the highest level of granularity of a business process. The approach consists of: i. BP-CQCF (Business Process - Compositional Quality Computation Framework), a language-independent generic framework and algorithm to compute the quality of a business process as a whole, given the quality of its constructs. ii. A set of generic business process modelling patterns to decompose a business process into more succinct parts, namely: sequential, parallel with synchronisation, exclusive, inclusive, simple loop, and complex loop. iii. A set of over one hundred computational formulae. For each combination of modelling pattern and a quality factor, there is a formula to compute the quality. 4) AAV (Approach to Application and Validation), an evaluation plan to evaluate BPIMM, BPC-QC and BP-QC in practice, together with expert stakeholders. The plan consists of the units of measure, a measurement model, and a case study procedure. To evaluate the applicability of the contributions of this thesis to real world business needs, four case studies have been conducted in different environments: a Dutch educational institution, a global financial institution, an international financial service provider, and a Dutch research project on crisis management. Each of these case studies concerns a different, single business process. This thesis shows that: 1) A quality computation approach can be adopted independent of a business process modelling language. 2) Quantitative quality factors can be introduced specifically for the constructs of a business process. 3) Quantitative metrics and computational formulae can be developed for specific quality factors, allowing the computation of different aspects of the quality of a business process quantitatively at different levels of granularity. 4) An evaluation plan can be developed to evaluate the applicability of the contributions of this thesis (viz., BPIMM, BPC-QC, and BP-QC). The contributions of this thesis are designed to be beneficial to the areas of business and management, requirements engineering, software engineering, and business process modelling. In the areas of requirements engineering and software engineering, these contributions are intended to help practitioners to consider non-functional requirements at the earliest stage. In the area of business process modelling, information systems, service computing, and cloud computing, the contributions can be used for quality-driven modelling, design, and redesign. To conclude, knowing the quality value of a business process at different levels of granularity provides a basis for its improvement.

Business process (BP) designs and enterprise information system (IS) designs are often not well aligned. Missing alignment may result in performance problems at run-time, such as large process execution time or overloaded IS resources. The complex interrelations between BPs and ISs are not adequately understood and considered in development so far. Simulation is a promising approach to predict performance of both BP and IS designs. Based on prediction results, design alternatives can be compared and verified against requirements. Thus, BP and IS designs can be aligned to improve performance. In current simulation approaches, BP simulation and IS simulation are not adequately integrated. This results in limited prediction accuracy due to neglected interrelations between the BP and the IS in simulation. In this paper, we present the novel approach Integrated Business IT Impact Simulation (IntBIIS) to adequately reflect the mutual impact between BPs and ISs in simulation. Three types of mutual impact between BPs and ISs in terms of performance are specified. We discuss several solution alternatives to predict the impact of a BP on the performance of ISs and vice versa. It is argued that an integrated simulation of BPs and ISs is best suited to reflect their interrelations. We propose novel concepts for continuous modeling and integrated simulation. IntBIIS is implemented by extending the Palladio tool chain with BP simulation concepts. In a real-life case study with a BP and IS from practice, we validate the feasibility of IntBIIS and discuss the practicability of the corresponding tool support.

This paper investigates the idea of organization transformation appropriate to the advent of information technologies (IT). Specifically, we describe a traceable framework of transformation, which accommodates the shift of information system (IS) support from automating to informating to knowledging. The paper intends to clarify the context of IT/IS-based organization transformation through the contextualization of IS support and its relation to organizational design. This is done by elaborating the design issue of IS support that help structure and facilitate knowledge interconnectivity, through the exposition of the social processes in which, in a specific organizational context, a particular group of people can conceptualize their world and hence the purposeful action they wish to undertake. That provides the basis for ascertaining what information support is needed by those who undertake that action. Only then does it become appropriate to ask how modern IT can help to provide that support. We conclude by reiterating the challenge of designing IS’s as meaning attribution systems in which people select certain resources out of the mass potentially available and get them processed by means of IT, to make them meaningful in order to support their purposeful actions.

With the broad use of business process management technology, there are more and more business process models. Since the ability of different modelers is different, the quality of these models varies. A question arises here is that, can we refactor these models to improve the quality as practised in software engineering? Business process modeling can be regarded as declarative programming, and business process models can be used to drive the process aware information systems, which are generally developed with model driven architecture, so business process models are crucial for the efficiency of process aware information systems. In this paper, we propose a novel approach on how to systematically refactor business process models with parallel structures for sequence structures for the first time. More specifically, we analyze the real causal relations between business tasks based on data operation dependency analysis, and refactor business process models with process mining technology. After comprehensive model refactoring, parallel execution of business tasks can be maximized, so the efficiency of business processing can be improved, that is, the quality of business process models can be improved. Analysis and experiments show that our approach is effective and efficient.

In principle, information systems should be tuned to provide optimal support for the business processes of the organisation in which they are used. In particular, this means maintaining alignment between information systems and business processes as an organisation evolves. Where this strategy becomes difficult, however, is when an organisation reaches a point where a ‘step change’ in information system support is required. This paper examines how such step changes can arise and considers the factors involved in realigning the organisation when encountered. The discussion is illustrated through an industrial study in KTL, an Irish telecommunications service company. The analysis of the situation uses Soft Systems Methodology.

This paper is devoted to the MEDSET (Modelling, Engineering, Deployment, Support and Evolution Technology) system for the development, deployment and support of information systems (IS) in clinical medicine and other poorly-formalized subject domains. This technology supports all stages of the IS life-cycle: modelling, engineering, deployment, support and evolution. The focus of the paper is on the evolutionary nature of clinical ISs. MEDSET allows ISs to develop in an evolutionary way, along different dimensions: the number of supported business processes, the number of user functions, the number of users and the degree of formalization of data. The program component of MEDSET is based on Internet technology, so ISs built under MEDSET can be used in a remote mode as well as locally. The development of the EPR/NSI (Electronic Patient Records for a NeuroSurgical Institute) system for the N.N. Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute, Moscow, Russia is briefly described.

The increasingly rapid rate of development of information technology's impact on human life. Both in favor of the activities of individuals or an organization. Organizations must now be able to use Information Technology or Information Systems in support of the overall business process and can become an overloaded organization in today's business competition. The research looked at the needs of the organization and the constraints that impede business processes at the Department of Libraries and Archives at Salatiga. Therefore, in this study researchers used a method of Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP), which is the stage of planning quality data and pivot on business needs and also how the implementation of the architecture that will do efforts to vision, mission, and goals of the organization. The results of this study provide a blueprint picture related to technology, namely data architecture, application architecture, technology architecture, the implementation plan is a guideline need of Information Systems

Process time patterns: A formal foundation