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1 – 10 of 54Diego Toralles Avila, Rubens Ideron dos Santos, Jan Mendling and Lucineia Heloisa Thom
Process modeling guidelines are a valuable instrument for increasing the quality of process models. Since finding and selecting suitable guidelines are challenging, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Process modeling guidelines are a valuable instrument for increasing the quality of process models. Since finding and selecting suitable guidelines are challenging, this paper aims to find and select suitable guidelines because they are scattered across the many studies of the literature. Also, not all of them are supported by empirical studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a systematic literature review to collect and analyze process modeling guidelines present in the literature and the empirical evidence that supports them.
Findings
The authors investigated a total of 793 articles and identified a total of 45 process modeling guidelines in five different categories. For each of these guidelines, the authors report empirical evidence together with corresponding measures, such as comprehension accuracy and error probability.
Originality/value
Compared to the prior literature reviews on process model quality and process modeling guidelines, this article extends current knowledge by analyzing the empirical evidence and variables associated with each guideline. This analysis provides guidance for practitioners and scholars on which guidelines to use while modeling a process and perform further research on.
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Mojca Indihar Štemberger, Brina Buh, Ljubica Milanović Glavan and Jan Mendling
The paper investigates differences in the success of business process management (BPM) initiatives and their connection with organizational culture. The purpose of this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper investigates differences in the success of business process management (BPM) initiatives and their connection with organizational culture. The purpose of this paper is to identify propositions on characteristics of BPM initiative that are favorable for its success according to dominant organizational culture. Therefore, the authors’ aim was to identify connections of organizational commitment to BPM and dimensions of business process orientation (BPO) with dominant organizational culture.
Design/methodology/approach
As a research design, the authors used a questionnaire to collect data on the BPM adoption practices of organizations in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia with more than 50 employees. BPM adoption was measured with BPO and organizational culture with Competing Values Framework (CVF). Non-parametric tests have been applied for the analysis. On this survey data, the authors conducted statistical tests to identify those factors that discriminate successful from unsuccessful BPM initiatives.
Findings
The study revealed empirical insights about characteristics of successful BPM initiatives in different organizational cultures. There are several statistically significant differences with respect to the success of BPM adoption. The chance of success appears to be higher: when the BPM initiative is rolled out in the entire organization if the organization has Clan, Market or Hierarchy culture; when the BPM is run on a continuous basis in Hierarchy culture and repeatedly in Adhocracy culture; when a top-down approach is used in organizations with Market or Hierarchy dominant culture; when the BPM initiative has a strategic role and formal responsibilities are defined in Clan and Hierarchy cultures.
Originality/value
The authors’ empirical findings provide the basis for the formulation of detailed propositions on the interaction of various factors and their impact on BPM adoption in connection to organizational culture. In this way, the authors’ contribution is situated in the inductive research cycle and informs theory building for BPM adoption.
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Thomas Grisold, Jan Mendling, Markus Otto and Jan vom Brocke
This study explores how process managers perceive the adoption, use and management of process mining in practice. While research in process mining predominantly focuses on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores how process managers perceive the adoption, use and management of process mining in practice. While research in process mining predominantly focuses on the technical aspects, our work highlights organizational and managerial implications.
Design/methodology/approach
We report on a focus group study conducted with process managers from various industries in Central Europe. This setting allowed us to gain diverse and in-depth insights about the needs and expectations of practitioners in relation to the adoption, use and management of process mining.
Findings
We find that process managers face four central challenges. These challenges are largely related to four stages; (1) planning and business case calculation, (2) process selection, (3) implementation, and (4) process mining use.
Research limitations/implications
We point to research opportunities in relation to the adoption, use and management of process mining. We suggest that future research should apply interdisciplinary study designs to better understand the managerial and organizational implications of process mining.
Practical implications
The reported challenges have various practical implications at the organizational and managerial level. We explore how existing BPM frameworks can be extended to meet these challenges.
Originality/value
This study is among the first attempts to explore process mining from the perspective of process managers. It clarifies important challenges and points to avenues for future research.
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Steven Gross, Katharina Stelzl, Thomas Grisold, Jan Mendling, Maximilian Röglinger and Jan vom Brocke
Process redesign refers to the intentional change of business processes. While process redesign methods provide structure to redesign projects, they provide limited support during…
Abstract
Purpose
Process redesign refers to the intentional change of business processes. While process redesign methods provide structure to redesign projects, they provide limited support during the actual creation of to-be processes. More specifically, existing approaches hardly develop an ontological perspective on what can be changed from a process design point of view, and they provide limited procedural guidance on how to derive possible process design alternatives. This paper aims to provide structured guidance during the to-be process creation.
Design/methodology/approach
Using design space exploration as a theoretical lens, the authors develop a conceptual model of the design space for business processes, which facilitates the systematic exploration of design alternatives along different dimensions. The authors utilized an established method for taxonomy development for constructing the conceptual model. First, the authors derived design dimensions for business processes and underlying characteristics through a literature review. Second, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with professional process experts. Third, the authors evaluated their artifact through three real-world applications.
Findings
The authors identified 19 business process design dimensions that are grouped into different layers and specified by underlying characteristics. Guiding questions and illustrative real-world examples help to deploy these design dimensions in practice. Taken together, the design dimensions form the “Business Process Design Space” (BPD-Space).
Research limitations/implications
Practitioners can use the BPD-Space to explore, question and rethink business processes in various respects.
Originality/value
The BPD-Space complements existing approaches by explicating process design dimensions. It abstracts from specific process flows and representations of processes and supports an unconstrained exploration of various alternative process designs.
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Christian Novak, Lukas Pfahlsberger, Saimir Bala, Kate Revoredo and Jan Mendling
Digitalization, innovation and changing customer requirements drive the continuous improvement of an organization's business processes. IT demand management (ITDM) as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Digitalization, innovation and changing customer requirements drive the continuous improvement of an organization's business processes. IT demand management (ITDM) as a methodology supports the holistic governance of IT and the corresponding business process change (BPC), by allocating resources to meet a company's requirements and strategic objectives. As ITDM decision-makers are not fully aware of how the as-is business processes operate and interact, making informed decisions that positively impact the to-be process is a key challenge.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors address this challenge by developing a novel approach that integrates process mining and ITDM. To this end, the authors conduct an action research study where the researchers participated in the design, creation and evaluation of the approach. The proposed approach is illustrated using two sample demands of an insurance claims process. These demands are used to construct the artefact in multiple research circles and to validate the approach in practice. The authors applied learning and reflection methods for incrementally adjusting this study’s approach.
Findings
The study shows that the utilization of process mining activities during process changes on an operational level contributes to (1) increasing accuracy and efficiency of ITDM; (2) timely identification of potential risks and dependencies and (3) support of testing and acceptance of IT demands.
Originality/value
The implementation of this study’s approach improved ITDM practice. It appropriately addressed the information needs of decision-makers and unveiled the effects and consequences of process changes. Furthermore, providing a clearer picture of the process dependencies clarified the responsibilities and the interfaces at the intra- and inter-process level.
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Monika Malinova and Jan Mendling
The authors observe that actionable guidelines are missing from many reference works on business process management (BPM). Also, success factors are mostly not contextualized in…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors observe that actionable guidelines are missing from many reference works on business process management (BPM). Also, success factors are mostly not contextualized in the different phases and concerns of a BPM initiative. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design builds on a literature survey for building an integrated framework for BPM that is referred to as integrated BPM. It integrates lifecycle phases, capability areas and governance aspects. Then, the authors consolidate insights from expert interviews.
Findings
As a result, the authors provide a list of various activities that are associated with the different elements of BPM. Furthermore, the authors describe pitfalls for each of the elements that have been avoided in order to make the BPM initiative a success.
Research limitations/implications
The findings emphasize the potential to study BPM success and its factors on a more fine-granular activity level.
Practical implications
The list of activities and the list of pitfalls are directly applicable for practitioners.
Originality/value
The research on the integrated BPM framework consolidates insights from prior research and extends it with an expert perspective on pitfalls.
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Antonia Albani and Jan L.G. Dietz
Modern enterprises face a strong economical pressure to increase competitiveness, to operate on a global market, and to engage in alliances of several kinds. In order to meet the…
Abstract
Purpose
Modern enterprises face a strong economical pressure to increase competitiveness, to operate on a global market, and to engage in alliances of several kinds. In order to meet the requirements and challenges of participating in such alliances, companies must be able to cooperate effectively and efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of some major directions in inter‐organizational cooperation.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to cope with the challenges of inter‐organizational cooperation, to share innovative research issues and to facilitate profound discussions about them, the authors organized a series of workshops on Modeling Inter‐Organizational Systems (MIOS‐CIAO!) starting at the annual OTM Federated Conference and Continuing at the Annual CAiSE Conference. This paper summarizes the results of the workshops.
Findings
This paper provides an overview of what has been established and what is going on regarding the cooperation of enterprises in networks. The focus has been on the modeling of cooperation, from the business level down to the implementation level.
Practical implications
This overview is a useful source of knowledge for those who want to have a quick insight in the relevant aspects of cooperation, and in many well‐known modeling approaches and techniques. It is also an inspiring source for those who want to investigate yet unsolved or unsatisfactorily solved problems. Although developments, both in theory and in practice, will go on, no landslides are expected. Particularly for practice, the value of this report will therefore last for a considerable time.
Originality/value
Several core notions in the area of inter‐organizational cooperation are clarified, such as collaboration, cooperation, enterprise network, choreography, and orchestration. The whole process of developing or investigating an enterprise network is covered.
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Jan vom Brocke, Jan Recker and Jan Mendling
Financial information about costs and return on investments are of key importance to strategic decision making but also in the context of process improvement or business…
Abstract
Purpose
Financial information about costs and return on investments are of key importance to strategic decision making but also in the context of process improvement or business engineering. The purpose of this paper is to propose a value‐oriented approach to business process modeling based on key concepts and metrics from operations and financial management, to aid decision making in process re‐design projects on the basis of process models.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper suggests a theoretically founded extension to current process modeling approaches, and delineates a framework as well as methodical support to incorporate financial information into process re‐design. The paper uses two case studies to evaluate the suggested approach.
Findings
Based on two case studies, the paper shows that the value‐oriented process modeling approach facilitates and improves managerial decision making in the context of process re‐design.
Research limitations/implications
The paper presents design work and two case studies. More research is needed to more thoroughly evaluate the presented approach in a variety of real‐life process modeling settings.
Practical implications
The paper shows how the approach enables decision makers to make investment decisions in process re‐design projects, and also how other decisions, for instance in the context of enterprise architecture design, can be facilitated.
Originality/value
This paper reports on an attempt to integrate financial considerations into the act of process modeling, in order to provide more comprehensive decision‐making support in process re‐design projects.
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Jan Mendling and Michael Hafner
The web service choreography description language (WS‐CDL) is a specification for describing multi‐party collaboration based on web services from a global point‐of‐view. WS‐CDL is…
Abstract
Purpose
The web service choreography description language (WS‐CDL) is a specification for describing multi‐party collaboration based on web services from a global point‐of‐view. WS‐CDL is designed to be used in conjunction with the web services business process execution language (WS‐BPEL or BPEL). As WS‐CDL is a new choreography language, there has been doubt about the feasibility of a transformation to BPEL. This article aims to show how BPEL process definitions of parties involved in a choreography can be derived from the global WS‐CDL model and what the limitations of such a derivation are.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors implemented a prototype of the mappings as a proof of concept.
Findings
The automatic transformation leverages the quality of software components interacting in the choreography as advocated in the model driven architecture (MDA) concept. The mapping reveals that some information has to be added manually to the generated BPEL, in particular, choice conditions and private activities.
Research limitations/implications
A comprehensive evaluation of WS‐CDL with respect to the interaction patterns is still missing. As a resolution to this issue, the authors propose the modelling of choreographies by the help of a more abstract language – in the sense of being more independent of underlying technology – like UML 2.0 Activity Diagrams.
Practical implications
The automation of the mapping offers substantial speed‐up of the engineering process. Additionally, the automatic generation of BPEL stubs minimizes the risk of inconsistent process implementations by the parties.
Originality/value
The core contribution is to show how BPEL process definitions for parties involved in a choreography can be derived from a global WS‐CDL model.
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Peyman Badakhshan, Hendrik Scholta, Theresa Schmiedel and Jan vom Brocke
The ten principles of good business process management (BPM) support organizations in planning and scoping the organizations' BPM approach. Derived from literature and expert…
Abstract
Purpose
The ten principles of good business process management (BPM) support organizations in planning and scoping the organizations' BPM approach. Derived from literature and expert panels, the principles received much attention both in research and practice. This article develops a measurement instrument to operationalize the principles and to support organizations in measuring the degree to which they incorporate the principles in their BPM approach, that way advancing their BPM capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied the scale-development methodology, because this methodology is an established approach consisting of various techniques to develop measurement instruments. First, the authors used established techniques to develop such an instrument. Then, the authors assessed the validity and reliability of the developed instrument through a field survey with 345 participants.
Findings
The authors developed a valid and reliable measurement instrument for the ten principles of good BPM. The field survey's results reveal that the measurement instrument meets all required methodological standards. The instrument, thus, can be applied to help process owners and managers to evaluate their BPM approach and plan future actions based on potential shortcomings. Future research can both use and further develop the instrument, which serves as a conceptualization of the principles.
Originality/value
This study is the first to provide a measurement instrument for assessing an organizations' BPM practice against the ten principles of good BPM, which have become established as a much-considered and widely-used source of reference both in academia and practice. The authors also discuss how the instrument compares to and distinguishes from existing approaches to qualify BPM approaches, thus communicating the significance of the instrument.
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