Abstract
This paper addresses the open technical problems of evolving executable, event-based process models by refinement, that is, by iteratively expanding a model until it has the required level of detail. Such iterative development is helpful because of the expectation that the next-step model is semantically compatible with the previous one, only with more detail. We provide in this paper a formal notion of refinement of single atomic actions (events) into entire subprocesses, and a theoretical framework for providing guarantees that such a next-step model is formally a refinement of the previous one. Our work is set within the declarative, event-based process modelling language of timed Dynamic Condition Response (DCR) graphs, which can express timed constraints (conditions with delay and obligations with deadlines) between events, liveness, safety, and concurrency. Concretely, we extend DCR graph syntax and semantics with a notion of subprocess, provide examples of its use, and give sound approximations of situations where replacing an event with a subprocess formally is a refinement of the original process.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
This number should be seen in light of the fact that subprocesses only become relevant in larger graphs, where compositionality matters.
- 2.
A time step is a discrete duration of time orthogonal to the execution of events. A time step can represent any duration, examples being a computers clock cycle, a day or a year. For the examples in this paper a time step is a day.
References
Van der Aalst, W.M.: Decomposing petri nets for process mining: a generic approach. Distributed Parallel Databases 31(4), 471–507 (2013)
Ayari, S., Ben Dali Hlaoui, Y., Jemni Ben Ayed, L.: A new approach for the verification of BPMN models using refinement patterns (2018)
Barba, I., Lanz, A., Weber, B., Reichert, M., Del Valle, C.: Optimized time management for declarative workflows (2012)
Burattin, A., Maggi, F.M., Sperduti, A.: Conformance checking based on multi-perspective declarative process models. Expert Syst. Appl. 65(C), 194–211 (2016)
Choi, Y., Zhao, J.L.: Decomposition-based verification of cyclic workflows (2005)
Costa Seco, J., Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T., Slaats, T.: Reseda: Declaring live event-driven computations as reactive semi-structured data (Oct 2018)
De Masellis, R., Di Francescomarino, C., Ghidini, C., Maggi, F.M.: Declarative process models: Different ways to be hierarchical (2016)
Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T.: The DCR workbench: declarative choreographies for collaborative processes. In: Gay, S., Ravara, A. (eds.) Behavioural Types: From Theory to Tools, pp. 99–124. River Publishers, June 2017
Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T., Marquard, M., Slaats, T.: Hybrid process technologies in the financial sector: the case of BRFkredit. In: Business Process Management Cases, pp. 397–412. Management for Professionals, Springer, Cham (2017)
Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T., Slaats, T.: Concurrency and asynchrony in declarative workflows. In: Motahari-Nezhad, H.R., Recker, J., Weidlich, M. (eds.) BPM 2015. LNCS, vol. 9253, pp. 72–89. Springer, Cham (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23063-4_5
Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T.T., Slaats, T.: Replication, refinement & reachability: complexity in dynamic condition-response graphs. Acta Informatica 55(6), 489–520 (2018)
Debois, S., Slaats, T.: The analysis of a real life declarative process. In: SSCI 2015, pp. 1374–1382. IEEE (2015)
Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T.T., Slaats, T.: Hierarchical declarative modelling with refinement and sub-processes (2014)
Decker, G., Kopp, O., Leymann, F., Pfitzner, K., Weske, M.: Modeling service choreographies using BPMN and bpel4chor (2008)
Ding, Z., Jiang, C., Zhou, M.: Design, analysis and verification of real-time systems based on time petri net refinement. ACM Trans. Embed. Comp. Syst. 12(1), 1–18 (2013)
van Glabbeek, R., Goltz, U.: Equivalence notions for concurrent systems and refinement of actions (1989)
van Glabbeek, R., Goltz, U.: Refinement of actions in causality based models (1989)
Hildebrandt, T., Mukkamala, R.R.: Declarative event-based workflow as distributed dynamic condition response graphs. In: Post-Proceedings of PLACES 2010. EPTCS, vol. 69, pp. 59–73 (2010)
Hildebrandt, T.T., Mukkamala, R.R., Slaats, T., Zanitti, F.: Contracts for cross-organizational workflows as timed dynamic condition response graphs. J. Log. Algebr. Program. 82(5–7), 164–185 (2013)
Horita, H., Honda, K., Sei, Y., Nakagawa, H., Tahara, Y., Ohsuga, A.: Transformation approach from kaos goal models to BPMN models using refinement patterns (2014)
Lee, K., Favrel, J.: Hierarchical reduction method for analysis and decomposition of petri nets. IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. SMC-15(2), 272–280 (1985)
Marquard, M., Shahzad, M., Slaats, T.: Web-based modelling and collaborative simulation of declarative processes (2015)
Merlin, P., Farber, D.: Recoverability of communication protocols - implications of a theoretical study. IEEE Trans. Commun. 24(9), 1036–1043 (1976)
Polyvyanyy, A., Weidlich, M., Weske, M.: Isotactics as a foundation for alignment and abstraction of behavioral models (2012)
Schönig, S., Zeising, M.: The DPIL framework: tool support for agile and resource-aware business processes. BPM (Demos) 1418, 125–129 (2015)
Slaats, T., Schunselaar, D.M., Maggi, F.M., Reijers, H.A.: The semantics of hybrid process models (2016)
Slaats, T., Debois, S., Hildebrandt, T. T.: Open to Change: A Theory for Iterative Test-Driven Modelling (2018)
Srba, J.: Comparing the expressiveness of timed automata and timed extensions of petri nets. In: Cassez, F., Jard, C. (eds.) FORMATS 2008. LNCS, vol. 5215, pp. 15–32. Springer, Heidelberg (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85778-5_3
Suzuki, I., Murata, T.: A method for stepwise refinement and abstraction of petri nets. J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 27(1), 51–76 (1983)
Turetken, O., Dikici, A., Vanderfeesten, I., Rompen, T., Demirors, O.: The influence of using collapsed sub-processes and groups on the understandability of business process models. Bus. Inf. Sys. Eng., 1–21 (2019)
Turetken, O., Rompen, T., Vanderfeesten, I., Dikici, A., van Moll, J.: The effect of modularity representation and presentation medium on the understandability of business process models in BPMN (2016)
Valette, R.: Analysis of petri nets by stepwise refinements. J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 18(1), 35–46 (1979)
Van Glabbeek, R., Goltz, U.: Refinement of actions and equivalence notions for concurrent systems. Acta Informatica 37(4–5), 229–327 (2001)
Weidlich, M., Polyvyanyy, A., Mendling, J., Weske, M.: Efficient computation of causal behavioural profiles using structural decomposition (2010)
Wirth, N.: Prog. development by stepwise refinement. CACM 14(4), 221–227 (1971)
Wong, P.Y., Gibbons, J.: Formalisations and applications of BPMN. Sci. Comput. Programm. 76(8), 633–650 (2011), special issue on the 7th Int’l Workshop on the Foundations of Coordination Lang. and Soft. Arch. (FOCLASA’08)
Zerguini, L.: A novel hierarchical method for decomposition and design of workflow models. J. Integr. Des. Process. Sci. 8(2), 65–74 (2004)
Zugal, S., Pinggera, J., Weber, B.: Creating declarative process models using test driven modeling suite. In: Nurcan, S. (ed.) CAiSE Forum 2011. LNBIP, vol. 107, pp. 16–32. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29749-6_2
Zugal, S., Pinggera, J., Weber, B.: The impact of testcases on the maintainability of declarative process models. Ent., Bus.-Proc. and Inf. Sys. Modelling, 163–177 (2011)
Zugal, S., Pinggera, J., Weber, B., Mendling, J., Reijers, H.A.: Assessing the impact of hierarchy on model - a cognitive perspective. In: EESSMod (2011)
Zugal, S., Soffer, P., Haisjackl, C., Pinggera, J., Reichert, M., Weber, B.: Investigating expressiveness and understandability of hierarchy in declarative business process models. Softw. Syst. Modeling 14(3), 1081–1103 (2015)
Zugal, S., Soffer, P., Pinggera, J., Weber, B.: Expressiveness and understandability considerations of hierarchy in declarative business process models. In: Bider, I., Halpin, T., Krogstie, J., Nurcan, S., Proper, E., Schmidt, R., Soffer, P., Wrycza, S. (eds.) BPMDS/EMMSAD -2012. LNBIP, vol. 113, pp. 167–181. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31072-0_12
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Normann, H., Debois, S., Slaats, T., Hildebrandt, T.T. (2021). Zoom and Enhance: Action Refinement via Subprocesses in Timed Declarative Processes. In: Polyvyanyy, A., Wynn, M.T., Van Looy, A., Reichert, M. (eds) Business Process Management. BPM 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12875. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85469-0_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85469-0_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85468-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85469-0
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)