Towards Role-Distributed Collaborative Business
Process Elicitation Stefan Oppl
Johannes Kepler University of Linz
Context• Retrieve process knowledge where it actually
resides - at the people involved in the work process
• Account for different understandings of how work is/should be performed and who is collaborating with whom
• Create model that is valid for further processing (e.g. executable)
History
Problem
• Lay-modelers are rarely used to step out of their immediate work system and take a bird-eyes-view
• Very heterogenous involvement of people
• Created models are of limited use for further processing
Idea
• Separate modeling along involved roles
• Describe individual contributions to work regarding activities and communication with others
• Consolidate role-models to form a common model of the work process
Approach
• Actors in each involved role describe their contribution to the work process (i.e. activities) per role
• Overall model is created by collaboratively bringing together the model parts and resolving conflicts that become apparent during coupling
Modeling Elements• Roles
• Activities
• Messages
• send / receive
• expected from others / requested by others
Methodology
Variants
• ex-ante communication negotiation
• ex-post communication negotiation
• ongoing communication negotiation
Example: ex-post communication negotiation
Develop model of work environment
Develop models of individual work contributions
Consolidate models of individual contributions
Steps
Example: ex-post communication negotiation
Develop model of work environment
Develop models of individual work contributions
Consolidate models of individual contributions
Steps
Example: ex-post communication negotiation
Develop model of work environment
Develop models of individual work contributions
Consolidate models of individual contributions
Steps
Example: ex-post communication negotiation
setting the stage
reflection on own work
negotiation of interfaces and contributions
Objectives
Develop model of work environment
Develop models of individual work contributions
Consolidate models of individual contributions
Steps
Example: ex-post communication negotiation
setting the stage
reflection on own work
negotiation of interfaces and contributions
Objectives
conceptualization, no constraints
procedural modeling
communication-oriented modeling
Skills
Develop model of work environment
Develop models of individual work contributions
Consolidate models of individual contributions
Steps
Tool support (I)
Tool support (II)
Findings• produces incomplete process models
• immediate executability allows to complete models while playing them through for validation
• different variants are suitable for different objectives and target groups
• ongoing communication negotiation requires experienced users and/or technical support
Contribution
• Low initial modeling complexity for lay-modelers
• Resolution of different understandings of work during elicitation
• Produces directly executable models
Ongoing Work
• More thorough evaluation of methodology in all three variants in organizational and teaching settings
• Tools support for elicitation and further processing, especially refinement of models through enactment validation