Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

BPMN-E2: a BPMN extension for an enhanced workflow description

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
Software & Systems Modeling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper discusses a business process model and notation (BPMN) extension that includes new elements designed to improve its expressiveness. In previous works, different shortcomings concerning the BPMN language were detected. As a result, a set of requirements to overcome these issues was collected and used to guide this work. The proposed extension supports the representation of information commonly used by experts in the hazard analysis and critical control points domain, usually expressed in natural language, in a machine-understandable fashion. To take full advantage of the features introduced in this BPMN extension, tools such as ProM can be easily upgraded with appropriate plugins to support the new elements. In this line, an advanced conformance checking plugin was developed for process mining on BPMN models. A real-world example of use showing the benefits of applying the new elements is also discussed. This proposal paves the way for novel advanced analysis mechanisms for traceability systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alonso-Rorís, V.M., Álvarez-Sabucedo, L., Santos-Gago, J.M., Ramos-Merino, M.: Towards a cost-effective and reusable traceability system. a semantic approach. Comput. Ind. 83, 1–11 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Baumgrass, A., Herzberg, N., Meyer, A., Weske, M.: BPMN extension for business process monitoring. In: EMISA, pp. 85–98 (2014)

  3. Bocciarelli, P., D’Ambrogio, A.: A BPMN extension for modeling non functional properties of business processes. In: Proceedings of the 2011 Symposium on Theory of Modeling and Simulation: DEVS Integrative M&S Symposium, pp. 160–168. Society for Computer Simulation International (2011)

  4. BPI LAB Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology: Samsung electro-mechanics. http://www.win.tue.nl/ieeetfpm/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=:casestudies:unist_samsung_case_study.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec 2017 (2013)

  5. Braun, R., Schlieter, H., Burwitz, M., Esswein, W.: BPMN4CP: Design and implementation of a BPMN extension for clinical pathways. In: Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM), 2014 IEEE International Conference on, pp. 9–16. IEEE (2014)

  6. Decker, G., Puhlmann, F.: Extending BPMN for modeling complex choreographies. In: On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems 2007: CoopIS, DOA, ODBASE, GADA, and IS pp. 24–40 (2007)

  7. Eindhoven University of Technology: Isala’s question. http://www.win.tue.nl/ieeetfpm/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=:casestudies:isalacasestudy.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec 2017 (2013)

  8. Ellson, J., Gansner, E., Koutsofios, L., North, S.C., Woodhull, G.: Graphviz—open source graph drawing tools. In: International Symposium on Graph Drawing, pp. 483–484. Springer (2001)

  9. Fluxicon: Case study—refund service process. http://www.win.tue.nl/ieeetfpm/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=:casestudies:processmining_refundprocess-en.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec 2017 (2013)

  10. Friedenstab, J.P., Janiesch, C., Matzner, M., Muller, O.: Extending BPMN for business activity monitoring. In: System Science (HICSS), 2012 45th Hawaii International Conference on, pp. 4158–4167. IEEE (2012)

  11. FSF: Gnu general public license. http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html. Accessed 12 Dec 2017 (2007)

  12. Gagne, D., Trudel, A.: Time-BPMN. In: Commerce and Enterprise Computing, 2009. CEC’09. IEEE Conference on, pp. 361–367. IEEE (2009)

  13. Gansner, E., Koutsofios, E., North, S.: Drawing graphs with dot. Tech. rep., Technical report, AT&T Research (2006)

  14. Herzberg, N., Kunze, M., Rogge-Solti, A.: Towards process evaluation in non-automated process execution environments. In: ZEUS, pp. 97–103. Citeseer (2012)

  15. Kafetzopoulos, D.P., Psomas, E.L., Kafetzopoulos, P.D.: Measuring the effectiveness of the haccp food safety management system. Food Control 33(2), 505–513 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Korherr, B., List, B.: Extending the EPC and the BPMN with business process goals and performance measures. In: ICEIS (3), pp. 287–294 (2007)

  17. Laue, R., Mueller, C.: The business process simulation standard (bpsim): Chances and limits. In: ECMS, pp. 413–418 (2016)

  18. Lexmark: Case study—electric and gas utility. alliander. http://www.win.tue.nl/ieeetfpm/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=:casestudies:perceptive_alliander_case_study.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec 2017 (2012)

  19. Lodhi, A., Küppen, V., Saake, G.: An extension of BPMN meta-model for evaluation of business processes. Sci. J. Riga Tech. Univ. Comput. Sci. 43(1), 27–34 (2011)

  20. Mans, R.S., Schonenberg, M., Song, M., van der Aalst, W.M., Bakker, P.J.: Application of Process Mining in Healthcare: A Case Study in a Dutch Hospital. Springer, Berlin (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Merino, M.R., Gago, J.S., Sabucedo, L., Roris, V.A., Valero, J.S.: BPMN-E2 extension examples. https://github.com/MateoRamosUvigo/BPMNE2. Accessed 12 Dec 2017 (2016)

  22. Merino, M.R., Sabucedo, L., Gago, J.S., Roris, V.A.: Extending BPMN model for improving expressiveness and machine-understandability. In: New Advances in Information Systems and Technologies, pp. 297–306. Springer, Berlin (2016)

  23. Meyer, S., Ruppen, A., Hilty, L.: The things of the internet of things in BPMN. In: International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, pp. 285–297. Springer, Berlin (2015)

  24. Object Management Group: Business process model and notation (BPMN) version 2.0 (2011). Version 2.0

  25. Object Management Group: Decision model and notation (DMN) version 1.1 (2016). Version 1.1

  26. Pillat, R.M., Oliveira, T.C., Alencar, P.S., Cowan, D.D.: BPMNt: a BPMN extension for specifying software process tailoring. Inf. Softw. Technol. 57, 95–115 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Rodríguez, A., Caro, A., Cappiello, C., Caballero, I.: A BPMN extension for including data quality requirements in business process modeling. In: International Workshop on Business Process Modeling Notation, pp. 116–125. Springer, Berlin (2012)

  28. Rodríguez, A., Fernández-Medina, E., Piattini, M.: A BPMN extension for the modeling of security requirements in business processes. IEICE Trans. Inf. Syst. 90(4), 745–752 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Roris, V.M.A., Sabucedo, L.M.A., Wanden-Berghe, C., Gago, J.M.S., Sanz-Valero, J.: Towards a mobile-based platform for traceability control and hazard analysis in the context of parenteral nutrition: description of a framework and a prototype app. JMIR Res. Protoc. 5(2) (2016)

  30. Roris, V.A., Gago, J.S., Sabucedo, L.Á., Merino, M.R., Valero, J.S.: An ICT-based platform to monitor protocols in the healthcare environment. J. Med. Syst. 40(10), 225 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Saeedi, K., Zhao, L., Sampaio, P.R.F.: Extending BPMN for supporting customer-facing service quality requirements. In: Web Services (ICWS), 2010 IEEE International Conference on, pp. 616–623. IEEE (2010)

  32. Soria, B.B., García, M.M., Wanden-Berghe, C., Peris, M.C., Corrales, G.P., Sanz-Valero, J.: Development of the management for parenteral nutrition traceability in a standard hospital. Farm. Hosp 39(06), 358–377 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Stroppi, L.J.R., Chiotti, O., Villarreal, P.D.: A BPMN 2.0 extension to define the resource perspective of business process models. In: XIV Iberoamerican Conference on Software Engineering, pp. 25–38 (2011)

  34. Van Der Aalst, W.: Process mining: overview and opportunities. ACM Trans. Manag. Inf. Syst. 3(2), 7 (2012)

  35. Van Der Aalst, W., Adriansyah, A., de Medeiros, A.K.A., Arcieri, F., Baier, T., Blickle, T., Bose, J.C., van den Brand, P., Brandtjen, R., Buijs, J., et al.: Process mining manifesto. In: Business Process Management Workshops, pp. 169–194. Springer, Berlin (2012)

  36. Van Der Aalst, W.: Process Mining: Discovery, Conformance and Enhancement of Business Processes. Springer, Berlin (2011)

  37. Van der Aalst, W.M., van Dongen, B.F., Günther, C.W., Rozinat, A., Verbeek, E., Weijters, T.: Prom: the process mining toolkit. BPM (Demos) 489, 31 (2009)

  38. Zor, S., Leymann, F., Schumm, D.: A proposal of BPMN extensions for the manufacturing domain. In: Proceedings of 44th CIRP International Conference on Manufacturing Systems. Citeseer (2011)

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work has been partially funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the PI16/00788 project (Quality control and traceability of biohazardous medicinal products (BPM) through the Hospital at Home using Big Data models applied to risk analysis).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escola de Enxeñaría de Telecomunicación, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36.310, Vigo, Galicia, Spain

    Mateo Ramos-Merino, Juan M. Santos-Gago, Luis M. Álvarez-Sabucedo & Victor M. Alonso-Roris

  2. Departmento de Salud Pública, Historia de la Ciencia y Ginecología, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Campus Sant Joan, 03.550, Alicante, Spain

    Javier Sanz-Valero

Authors
  1. Mateo Ramos-Merino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Juan M. Santos-Gago
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luis M. Álvarez-Sabucedo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Victor M. Alonso-Roris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Javier Sanz-Valero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mateo Ramos-Merino.

Additional information

Communicated by Professor Wil M.P. van der Aalst.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ramos-Merino, M., Santos-Gago, J.M., Álvarez-Sabucedo, L.M. et al. BPMN-E2: a BPMN extension for an enhanced workflow description. Softw Syst Model 18, 2399–2419 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-018-0669-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-018-0669-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation