Towards the construction of workflow-suitable conceptual modelling techniques

Despite their high-level and graphical nature, workflow specifications require a significant amount of implementation detail — for example application programming interface, database access and programming mechanisms for information flow — for a more comprehensive validation than is currently possible. This is currently recognized as a deficiency in workflow conceptualization. Although conceptual modelling techniques are available which are expressive, comprehensive and precise enough, we believe, their concepts and features are not specialized enough for workflow domains. In this paper, we offer a comparative insight into techniques which characterize different aspects and approaches of workflow specifications. These are: structured process modelling, object-oriented modelling, behavioural process modelling and business-oriented modelling. In particular, we determine gaps for workflows capturing operational business transaction processing, for example those of insurance claims, bank loans and government-related registration. For technique construction, we describe five workflow suitability principles.