Process Modeling Abstraction Levels for Enterprise Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Business process modeling is complex and time-consuming due to the need for broad knowledge across multiple enterprise functions and levels, lack of support for process perspectives, and absence of abstraction levels that enable different stakeholders to view process models relevantly.
Innovation Solution
Integration of semantic web technologies to provide process perspectives and abstraction levels within a unified meta-model framework, allowing for intuitive navigation and filtering of information based on roles, using a process-oriented enterprise ontology framework.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If business process modeling is performed to achieve holistic view of enterprise processes, then process understanding and communication are improved, but modeling time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the enterprise process model into multiple abstraction levels (executive, managerial, operational) and perspectives (process, organizational, informational, technical). Each level contains only the information relevant to that level, allowing stakeholders to access tailored views without being overwhelmed by complete enterprise complexity. This segmentation enables faster modeling by focusing on specific aspects rather than requiring comprehensive enterprise-wide detail.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an additional dimension of abstraction levels beyond traditional process modeling. By organizing processes hierarchically across multiple abstraction levels (from high-level executive views to detailed operational views), the system allows users to navigate and analyze processes at appropriate granularities, reducing the time required to understand and model enterprise processes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If comprehensive process models including all enterprise functions are created, then complete process coverage is achieved, but model complexity and difficulty of maintenance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the comprehensive enterprise process model into distinct abstraction levels (executive, managerial, operational) and perspectives (process, organizational, informational, technical). Each segment contains subset of information relevant to its purpose, maintaining complete process coverage while reducing individual model complexity. The segmented structure allows independent maintenance of each level without affecting others.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic navigation between abstraction levels and perspectives, allowing the model to adapt to different user needs and queries. Users can dynamically switch between executive, managerial, and operational views, and between different perspectives, without dealing with static complex models. This dynamic approach maintains versatility while managing complexity through adaptive view selection.
3Loss of information
If detailed process information is provided to all stakeholders, then complete information availability is achieved, but information relevance and understanding decrease due to overwhelming detail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different information densities and details at different abstraction levels. Executive level receives high-level strategic information, managerial level receives intermediate operational information, and operational level receives detailed process information. Each stakeholder group receives information with appropriate local quality tailored to their specific needs, improving understanding without sacrificing overall information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments information into multiple perspectives (process, organizational, informational, technical) and abstraction levels, allowing stakeholders to access only the information relevant to their role and concerns. This segmentation filters out overwhelming irrelevant detail while maintaining complete information availability across all levels, improving ease of operation for each stakeholder group.
4Reliability
If process modeling requires broad knowledge across multiple enterprise functions and levels, then comprehensive process analysis is achieved, but modeling difficulty and skill requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the modeling task into multiple abstraction levels and perspectives, allowing modelers to focus on specific aspects (process flow, organizational structure, information systems, technical infrastructure) at appropriate granularities. This segmentation reduces modeling difficulty by breaking down comprehensive enterprise analysis into manageable segments while maintaining reliable process analysis through integration of all segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal meta-model framework that can represent processes at multiple abstraction levels and from multiple perspectives using consistent modeling concepts and notation. This universal framework reduces modeling difficulty by providing reusable patterns and standards across different enterprise functions and levels, while maintaining reliable comprehensive process analysis through the integrated multi-functional model.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for integrating process perspectives and abstraction levels into business process modeling are described. In one example embodiment, modeling business processes for an enterprise can include selecting a segmented view of an enterprise meta-model. The segmented view is associated with a business process to be modeled. The enterprise meta-model is a machine-readable representation of business rules and policies for the enterprise. A business process model is created using a set of visual modeling tools, which are limited by the segmented view. A business policy having some relevance to the process being modeled can be selected for annotation to the business process. Once completed, the business process model is transformed into a machine-readable representation and stored in a repository.