Checking Consistency of Process Model Variants using Behavioural Profiles

Jan Mendling Institute of Information Systems, Humboldt-

Universität zu Berlin

Joint Work with Matthias Weidlich and Mathias Weske, HPI Potsdam

Why business process modeling?

How to improve service processesinvolving 25,000 people?

3

4

The Essence of Modeling

is model ofis model of1) Mapping

2) Simplifying

3) Purpose

5

The Essence of Business Process Modeling

is model ofis model of1) Mapping

2) Simplifying

3) Purpose

Business Process

Business Process Model

Business Process Model

1) Mapping of a Business Process

Car Assembly (Business Process)

• Construct Engine (Activity)

• Install Engine (Activity)

• Install Hood (Activity)

• Install Wheels (Activity)

• Install Screen (Activity)

Resources (Agents and Machines)

Inputs and Outputs

Suppliers and Customers

2) Simplification of a Business Process Model

2.1) Classification

• Types of Activities

• Types of Resources

• Types of Input and Output

• Types of Suppliers & Customers

2.2.) Projection

• Ignore irrelevant aspects

3) Purpose of a Business Process Model

3.1) Business Scenarios

• Process Documentation

• Process Improvement

• Quality Management Certification

3.2.) Information Systems Scenarios

• Software Development

• Workflow-System Implementation

• ERP System Selection

Challenges of Business Process Modeling

• Lodge LoanApplication

• Validate Form Completeness

• Check Credit Rating

• Decide

• Grant Loan

• Refinance

• Provide Payment

Why can‘t I directlyprovide cash after

approval?

We bundlerefinancing to get

better interest rates.

I make a photocopybefore handing over

the application

Systematic Description usingBusiness Process Modeling Languages

Reasons for Inconsistencies

From Consistent Process Variants to Service Reuse

Process Models ConsistentProcess Models

ReusableService

Find Consistent Parts Integrate

Different Variants of Processes

North America44 Companies – 16,300 Empl.

Europe156 Companies – 54,500 Empl.

Latin Am./Africa/Middle East45 Companies – 16,000 Empl.

Asia/Pacific57 Companies – 21,600 Empl.

Different Perspectives of Process Models

Lead-to-Order Process with Correspondences

ICoP ArchitecturePair Searchers

Searcher 1

Searcher n

Scorefor Set

Process Graph 2

Process Graph 1

Multiset(overlapping)

Scored Match n

Scored Match 1

Boosters

Booster 1

Booster n

Set(overlapping)

Scored Match n

Scored Match 1

Set (non-overlapping)

Match nMatch 1

Set(non-overlapping)

Match n

Match 1Selector

Evaluator

•Architecture for the creation of matchers•Multi-step heuristic approach•Reuse of matching components•Adaptable & extendable

•Concrete matching components•Exemplify and evaluate the architecture•Generalise existing approaches

Why Behavioural Profiles?

A B C D E F GA + → → → → → →

B ← + || → → → →

C ← || + → → → →

D ← ← ← + → → →

E ← ← ← ← || → +F ← ← ← ← ← + +G ← ← ← ← + + +

Comparing Activities is not enough

Trace Equivalence is too strict

Concept of a Behavioural Profile

• Strict Order between C and D• Exclusiveness between E and G• Interleaving between B and C

A C

B

DE F

GA B C D E F G

A + → → → → → →

B ← + || → → → →

C ← || + → → → →

D ← ← ← + → → →

E ← ← ← ← || → +F ← ← ← ← ← + +G ← ← ← ← + + +

Computable in O(n3) for Free Choice nets

What about Trace Equivalence?

22

How to validate the concept?

Case Study with SAP Reference Model

• Computation based on results proved for Petri nets

• Transformation– BPMN to PN– EPC to PN– UML AD to PN

• Computation in low polynomial time for certain class of models– EPC is sound – EPC has unambiguous instantiation semantics

Varying Degree of Profile Consistency

Same elements, but inconsistent behaviour

Consistent but not trace equivalent

Profiles meet Consistency Perception

Questionnaire with 11 pairs of models Results from 69 ConsistencyAssessments

Further applications

Compliance of Service Processes (IBM India)

A B C D E F G

A + → → → → → →

B ← + || → → → →

C ← || + → → → →

D ← ← ← + → → →

E ← ← ← ← || → +

F ← ← ← ← ← + +

G ← ← ← ← + + +

E G C A CBAE G C A CBA

E G C A CBAE G C A CBA

E G C A CBAE G C A CBA

E G C A CBAE G C A CBA

Compute

Compare

Event Query Optimization

Process Models

Alert if A -> B and …

MonitoringQueries

ExtractingBehavioral

Profiles

QueryTranslation

sub(A) pull(B) …

Process TailoredExecution Plans

AnalystDomain Expertfor Processes

war

ning

s

32

Get Change from Process Model 1 to Process Model 2

– Assumptions• Change can be localized as a single node • Behavioural profile is consistent for aligned nodes

– Find boundary nodes for change• Aligned with target model• Closest nodes in strict order preceding and succeeding change

A XD E

C

B G ...

H ...

F

33

Change Propagation

D

B

H

F

...6

4

2

5

1

3A

C

Bibliography• M. Weidlich, A. Polyvyanyy, N. Desai, J. Mendling, M. Weske: Process Compliance Analysis

based on Behavioural Profiles. Information Systems (IS). to appear. 2011. Elsevier B.V.

• M. Weidlich, J. Mendling: Perceived Consistency between Process Models. Information Systems (IS). to appear. 2011. Elsevier B.V.

• M. Weidlich, J. Mendling, M. Weske: Efficient Consistency Measurement based on Behavioural Profiles of Process Models. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (TSE). To appear, 2011.

• M. Weidlich, H. Ziekow, J. Mendling, O. Günther, M. Weske, and N. Desai. Event-based Monitoring of Process Execution Violations. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Business Process Management (BPM'11), 2011. To appear.

• S. Smirnov, M. Weidlich, J. Mendling: Business Process Model Abstraction based on Behavioral Profiles . In: 8th International Conference on Service Oriented Computing (ICSOC 2010), December 7-10, 2010, San Francisco, CA, USA. pages 1-16. (Best Paper Award)

• R.M. Dijkman, M. Dumas, B.F. van Dongen, R. Käärik, J. Mendling: Similarity of Business Process Models: Metrics and Evaluation. Information Systems (IS). Volume 36, Number 2, pages 498-516. 2011. Elsevier B.V.

• M. Weidlich, R. Dijkman, J. Mendling: The ICoP Framework: Identification of Correspondences between Process Models. In: 22nd International Conference on AdvancedInformation Systems Engineering (CAiSE 2010), Hammamet, Tunesia, 07-11 June 2010.

What to take home

Behavioural Profiles are useful Abstraction

A B C D E F G

A + → → → → → →

B ← + || → → → →

C ← || + → → → →

D ← ← ← + → → →

E ← ← ← ← || → +

F ← ← ← ← ← + +

G ← ← ← ← + + +

E G C A CBAE G C A CBA

E G C A CBAE G C A CBA

Useful and EfficientConsistency Check

Useful and EfficientCompliance Check

Process Model Execution Traces

BehaviouralProfile