Enhancing Business Process Modelling for Flexible Processes

Abstract

This research project investigated issues encountered with documenting flexibility in mostly structured business processes. Three situations first identified in a culinary environment require flexible task ownership, adapting to changes in the environment, adapting to new information, as well as high levels of interaction between participants. Attempts to generate process models for these situations cause complex and overloaded diagrams that are hard to read. Alternatively, it is sometimes only possible to draw a simplified version, hence losing some of the intended process logic. This work attempts to remedy this issue and explores the following thesis statement: "Extensions and adaptations of business process modelling notations will enable the adequate modelling and documenting of mostly structured processes containing flexible task ownership, adapting to new information, changes in context and environment as well as high levels of interaction in the orchestration between participants". A literature review determines that most process modelling notations including, BPMN, CMMN and combinations of modelling notations possess limitations in representing situations, where the process is allowed to diverge from the drawn model, where high levels of orchestration are needed, or where a task's requirements only become clear during its execution. Representing data dependencies within process models can also be problematic for notations. These findings are confirmed in an interview with a certified industry expert, who also is a member of the OMG modelling task force.