R-BPMN for abstract modeling of business process patterns
Business Process Management Journal
ISSN: 1463-7154
Article publication date: 29 April 2021
Issue publication date: 10 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The authors use the extension mechanism provided by the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) to define roles, which allows roles to be fully aligned with the BPMN standard. The authors describe how a pattern can be defined in terms of roles and present the formal semantics of pattern realization and refinement to support systematic reuse of patterns in business process development.
Design/methodology/approach
It is widely agreed that the use of business process patterns improves the efficiency and quality of business process development. However, few techniques are available to describe business process patterns at an appropriate level of abstraction to facilitate the reuse of patterns. To address this, this paper presents the role-based Business Process Model and Notation (R-BPMN), an extension of BPMN for abstract modeling of business process patterns based on a novel notion of role.
Findings
The authors apply R-BPMN in case studies for pattern realization and refinement and discuss tool support via an existing tool. The case studies demonstrate the practical benefits of R-BPMN in capturing pattern variability and facilitating pattern reuse.
Practical implications
The findings imply a potential impact of R-BPMN on practical benefits when it is supported at the metamodel level in tool development.
Originality/value
This study addresses the need for abstract modeling of process patterns at the metamodel level, which facilitates the formalization of pattern variability and tool development to support various realizations of process patterns at the model level.
Keywords
Citation
Kim, D.-K. and Chung, Y.K. (2021), "R-BPMN for abstract modeling of business process patterns", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 1445-1462. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-08-2020-0371
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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