Decomposition of Business Process Models Into Reusable
Decomposition of Business Process Models Into Reusable
Decomposition of Business Process Models Into Reusable
DOI: 10.1051/itmconf/20171501002
CMES’17
Abstract. In this paper, an approach to automatic decomposition of business process models is proposed.
According to our method, an existing BPMN diagram is disassembled into reusable parts containing the
desired number of elements. Such elements and structure can work as design patterns and be validated by
a user in terms of correctness. In the next step, these component models are categorised considering their
parameters such as resources used, as well as input and output data. The classified components may be
considered a repository of reusable parts, that can be further applied in the design of new models. The
proposed technique may play a significant role in facilitating the business process redesign procedure,
which is of a great importance regarding engineering and industrial applications.
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
ITM Web of Conferences 15, 01002 (2017) DOI: 10.1051/itmconf/20171501002
CMES’17
process models [3]. This is conducted by identifying The engineering process usually starts with business
SESE (Single Entry, Single Exit) structures in a process process modelling which constitutes a set of techniques
tree. Milani et al. [4] discuss criteria and heuristics for used to represent a certain workflow by providing visual
model decomposition. They also provide an evaluation diagrams depicting a business process with its
regarding the influence of these criteria on the dependencies. Thus, a business process model presents
understandability of selected models. The decomposition the way operations are performed to accomplish the
procedure may be supported by detecting names of non- planned objective of an organisation.
uniformly specified process element in order to enable An example field of application for business process
a faster creation of consistent complex models [5]. models is the specification of Manufacturing Execution
Another solution to the discussed problem was presented Systems (MES) [18]. Building a complete modelling
in [6] where business processes were presented as framework for the integration of a system technical and
a hierarchical ontology of business tasks apt for re- functional model, as well as production process model
composition. Such a description may simplify the ensures the understandability of the specification for all
dynamic creation of models of collaborative business the participants involved in the implementation process.
processes.
This paper is also related to structured and formal
3.1 Business Process Model and Notation
process representations which facilitate process
modelling, as well as their reconstruction. One of the Business process models in BPMN notation are
user-friendly approaches is the spreadsheet-based represented by diagrams composed of a limited set of
representation [7] where the set of activities is listed in graphical symbols [19]. Visualisation of activity flows
a table with specified branches and routing conditions. allows business users and developers to understand
Process models apt for re-composition can be also processes more clearly. It is a transparent visual tool
described in a declarative specification [8], which dedicated to modelling complex processes.
focuses on constraints and dependencies between BPMN model elements can be divided into four
activities instead of determining an explicit sequence major groups: flow objects, connecting objects, swim
flow. They can be also represented as a randomly- lanes and artefacts. Flow objects represent the principal
ordered list of tasks, along with their input and output elements of the process diagram. In this set, three major
conditions, which are then used for a constraint-based object types can be distinguished [1]:
process composition [9]. Another approach is a semantic - activities (rounded rectangles) which represent a work
model for BPMN specified in the CSP process algebra that must be performed in the process,
[10]. This is especially useful for specifying time - events (circles) which represent incidents occurring at
constraints between process activities. the time of process execution,
Process model repositories are an important tool - gateways (rhombi) which control the flow of tokens in
in the area of business process redesign. They can be the process.
developed in a form of a database storing relevant There are two kinds of activities: tasks and sub-
process fragments with a reference to the process processes. A task is an atomic action that can be
metadata [11]. This approach leads to an automated performed by a person or executed as an automated
generation of complex models. In case of such activity. On the other hand, a sub-process is a compound
a composition, the correctness of the generated process activity representing a complex work, divisible into
model must be ensured. Therefore, it is necessary to smaller parts which are defined as a separate process at
mention the identification and evaluation of issues the lower level.
regarding the flow consistency [12] as well as the layout The set of events covers three types of elements: start
of the generated business process model [13]. The events which indicate the beginning of a process with
automated process modelling should also include optional triggering conditions, end events that determine
verification whether the created model contains any the end of a path in a process or subprocess, as well as
typical anomalies such as deadlocks, livelocks or the intermediate events which may happen at any time
lack of synchronisation [14] [15] or event anomalies within a process.
[16]. The analysis of the formal aspects of a BPMN Gateways control the process flow by splitting it into
model can be also conducted using Alvis Modelling branches and joining them afterwards. The most typical
Language [17]. BPMN gateways are data-based, which means that they
evaluate an expression of process data, while they cannot
3 Business Process Models decide regarding the flow of the process [20]. Gateways
can be exclusive (XOR) which enable only one outgoing
Highly developed software systems are present in many sequence flow based on given process data, inclusive
areas of industrial and business applications, which (OR) that precede potentially parallel branches, as well
range from human-machine interface systems, through as parallel (AND) used to represent concurrent flows
production management, to web services covering executed without any conditions.
a large domain of implementations. To ensure the A set of the most typically used BPMN flow objects
reliability and efficiency of such systems and simplify is presented in Figure 2.
their design and development phases, advanced process
engineering approaches are in use.
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In the analysed example presented in Figure 3, 21 presented in Section 3.4 – vertices of each subgraph
flow objects were identified. After running the represent flow objects and non-zero values of matrix 𝐷𝐷
decomposition algorithm for tri-grams 29 different correspond to the sequence flow of the process.
subgraphs were generated. An example subgraph is Each of the sub-diagrams can have a different
shown in Figure 4. number of inputs and outputs, according to the flow
objects from which it is composed. In general, flow
objects can be divided into five main groups:
1. Sources: elements that can contain only output
sequence flow, such as start events.
2. Sinks: elements that can contain only outputs, such as
end events.
3. SESE (Single Entry Single Exit): tasks.
Fig. 4. Three-element subgraph generated as a result of process 4. SEME (Single Entry Multiple Exit): split gateways,
graph decomposition. tasks with boundary events, subprocesses.
5. MESE (Multiple Entry Single Exit): merge gateways.
Properties of the flow objects corresponding to
Regarding a best practice of BPMN process
vertices of the generated subgraph are listed in Table 1
modelling [2], implicit splits and joins should be avoided
while Table 2 presents edges included in the subgraph.
and replaced by gateways. Therefore, if the decomposed
Table 1. Properties of flow objects. model is constructed correctly, all its tasks are SESE
elements, except those containing boundary events, as
Object ID 2 3 4
described in Section 3.3. Sub-Diagrams that contain at
least one SEME and one MESE object represent the
MEME type (Multiple Entry Multiple Exit).
Pool/Lane Warehouse Operator
Based on the defined groups, it is possible to
determine the number of potential inputs and outputs in
Object Type XOR split end event task
each of the generated sub-diagrams, by counting the
Inventory number of ingoing and outgoing edges of each process
Object Name -- Create PO
Available flow object and comparing it to its group. This number is
Inventory > used to define functions 𝜎𝜎𝐼𝐼/𝑂𝑂 , described by Formula 8:
Condition -- --
min
0, 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
Table 2. Properties of sequence flows. 𝜎𝜎𝐼𝐼 = { 1, 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (8)
2, 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
Source Object 2 2
Respectively, function 𝜎𝜎𝑂𝑂 is defined for exits.
Table 3 presents to which group a sub-diagram belongs
Dest. Object 3 4
depending on values of functions 𝜎𝜎𝐼𝐼 and 𝜎𝜎𝑂𝑂 .
Figures 5-7 present three sub-diagrams of different
Condition Value yes no
groups generated based on the example BPMN model
presented in Figure 3:
1. SESE (Figure 5) – one available entry for “Reserve
4.3 K-gram Decomposition
Funds” task and one for “Send Order” task.
The general problem can be solved by determining for 2. SEME (Figure 6) – one available entry for split AND
a given number 𝑘𝑘 < 𝑛𝑛, all 𝑘𝑘-element subsets of 𝑉𝑉𝑂𝑂 and gateway and two available exits, one per each task.
generating connected subgraphs of 𝐺𝐺𝑃𝑃 induced by these 3. MEME (Figure 7) – one available entry for
subsets. A related solution was presented in [26], “Reprocess Order” task, multiple available entries for
however in this paper, a use of constraint programming join XOR gateway and multiple available exits for
technique is proposed. “Review Order” subprocess.
Following input data should be prepared to solve
Table 3. Sub-Diagram groups depending on functions 𝜎𝜎𝐼𝐼/𝑂𝑂 .
a constraint satisfaction problem:
- decision variable: 𝑘𝑘-element vector 𝑠𝑠𝑘𝑘 representing
a subset of process graph vertices, 𝝈𝝈 𝑶𝑶 0 1 2
𝝈𝝈 𝑰𝑰
- constraints: all elements of 𝑠𝑠𝑘𝑘 are different and
0 subprocess source source
connected,
- domain: adjacency matrix of graph 𝐺𝐺𝑃𝑃 .
1 sink SESE SEME
5
ITM Web of Conferences 15, 01002 (2017) DOI: 10.1051/itmconf/20171501002
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7 Conclusions
The approach presented in this paper offers a set of
activities which support creation of reusable component
Fig. 8. Tri-gram generated as a result of process model business process models. The proposed method uses
decomposition.
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complete BPMN diagrams as input, based on which the 7. K. Kluza, P. Wiśniewski, Spreadsheet-based
component models are generated. business process modelling. In: 2016 Federated
Such a decomposition algorithm may be used to Conference on Computer Science and Information
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avoid common modelling anomalies. "User-guided discovery of declarative process
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Constraint-Based Composition of Business Process
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