Computational Business Processes as Software

Components for Electronic Commerce

Walt Scacchi

USC ATRIUM Laboratory

Wscacchi@rcf.usc.eduhttp://www.usc.edu/dept/ATRIUM/Presentations/CSUF99.html

Overview

• What are Computational Business Processes

• Why are they useful for Intranets and Extranets

• How do they work

• Who should use them, when, where

• What about XML, CORBA, DCOM, etc.

What are CBPs; why useful• New type of software component

• Model, redesign and execute engineering or business processes over intranets/extranets

• Enable interorganizational workflow via networked process execution environment

• Can be represented, linked and navigationally traversed as a global semantic hypertext

Computational Business Processes

• Growing interest among start-ups for Internet-based sources for the provision of intermediate products or services.

• Potential trading partners can negotiate and electronically contract for remote sourcing agreements via network ties.

• Can lead to the configuration of virtual enterprises via CBP components

How do they work, for who, when and where

• Link people (“agents in roles”), tasks, resources, products, tools and network infrastructure into organizational process architecture

• Organizational operating system manages, updates and supports execution of OPA

• Businesses form virtual enterprises by interlinking their OPAs via OOSs

Example Problem

Computational Business Processes--Life Cycle Activities

Meta-modeling Visualization Enactment

Modeling Prototyping Measurement

Analysis Administration History andReplay

Simulation Integration Articulation

Redesign EnvironmentGeneration

AssetManagement

Computational Business Processes

• See http://www.usc.edu/dept/ATRIUM/Process_Life_Cycle.html for definitions, experience reports, and examples.

• See http://www.usc.edu/dept/ATRIUM/Papers/ Process_Life_Cycle.html for the paper.

A Computational Business Process

Computational Business Processes

Computational Business Processes

Computational Business Processes

Virtual Enterprise Solution as Process-Driven Extranet

What about XML, CORBA, DCOM, etc.

• CBPs are neutral on choice of data definition notation and integration middleware

• CBPs operate at a higher, business-oriented level

• XML, CORBA, etc. are neither necessary nor sufficient as CBP infrastructure

• Goal is to accommodate heterogeneity, integration and legacy IS in transparent, autonomy preserving manner.

Research and Education Opportunities in EC

• We need to adopt, implement, and proliferate the use of experimental learning laboratories for trying out new forms of EC

• ELLs can serve as testbeds for computational business processes for EC.

• ELLs can be developed for each of the academic, corporate, and government markets.

Conclusions

• There are substantial R&D opportunities in figuring out how to model, integrate, and enact inter-organizational business processes for use in EC information infrastructures.

References • Process-Driven Intranets, IEEE Internet

Computing, 1(5):42-49, September 1997

• Process Life Cycle Engineering, Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, 6(1):83-107, 1997

• Supporting Software Development Projects in Virtual Enterprises, Journal of Digital Information, 1(4), December 1998

• Wscacchi@rcf.usc.edu