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A layered approach for actor modelling in business processes

Christine Natschläger (Software Competence Center Hagenberg, Hagenberg, Austria)
Verena Geist (Software Competence Center Hagenberg, Hagenberg, Austria)

Business Process Management Journal

ISSN: 1463-7154

Article publication date: 4 November 2013

1105

Abstract

Purpose

A major problem of business process modelling languages that primarily express the flow of activities is the limited support for actor modelling provided by rigid swimlane concepts. Thus, the aim of this work is to present a general approach for actor modelling in business processes that supports different layers of abstraction, thereby increasing the expressiveness and avoiding inaccuracy and redundancy.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed actor modelling approach supports task-based assignment of actors and roles based on deontic logic and speech act theory. The semantics of the approach is formally specified based on abstract state machines.

Findings

The new approach for actor modelling is more expressive and provides the possibility to reduce the structural complexity of the process flow as shown by a case study and a comparison of an ordinary business process modelling approach using swimlanes and the actor modelling approach based on the workflow resource patterns. In particular, the evaluation showed that important patterns such as separation of duties and retain familiar are only supported by the actor modelling approach.

Research limitations/implications

The research is to some degree in the context of the business process model and notation as a representative of a business process modelling language using swimlanes.

Originality/value

Different gradations concerning the extent to which actor modelling is supported make the new approach outstanding for modelling activities, actors, and constraints in an expressive and legible way.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The project Vertical Model Integration is supported within the program “Regionale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit OÖ 2007-2013” by the European fund for regional development as well as the state of Upper Austria. This work was further supported in part by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) under Grant No. TRP 223-N23.

Citation

Natschläger, C. and Geist, V. (2013), "A layered approach for actor modelling in business processes", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 917-932. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-10-2012-0107

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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