Developing a Theory to Explain the Insights Gained Concerning Information Systems and Business Process Behaviour: The ASSESS-IT Project

Business Process (BP) literature promotes the value of business processes as essential gearwheels that help organisations to reach their goals. Similarly, many process design approaches claim that information technology is a major enabler of business process, a view also shared by the Information Systems (IS) community. Despite this, BP and IS approaches do not provide clear guidance on how to coordinate the design of BP and IS. Nor is any indication of which modelling techniques could be used to detect and design IT opportunities within a business process context given.The ASSESS-IT project examined this domain and proposed the use of simulation techniques to achieve BP and IT integration. The outcome of this project gave indication that depicting the dynamic behaviour of IS could be very helpful for BP modellers to predict the impact that the insertion of IS may have on organisational processes. This paper proposes a simulation framework to depict IS behaviour within a BP simulation model, namely BPS/ISS, and tests it using the case study that was part of the ASSESS-IT project.     

构件化信息系统体系结构及其业务构件模型研究

构件化信息系统是根据用户需求通过组装现有构件的方式来建立满足不同企业需求和适应企业需求变化的信息系统,其核心是构建即插即用型领域业务构件。本文提出了构件化信息系统的体系结构及面向制造业的业务构件模型,以支持构件化信息系统及业务构件的开发。     

Business Analytics-Based Enterprise Information Systems

Big data analytics and business analytics are a disruptive technology and innovative solution for enterprise development. However, what is the relationship between business analytics, big data analytics, and enterprise information systems (EIS)? How can business analytics enhance the development of EIS? How can analytics be incorporated into EIS? These are still big issues. This article addresses these three issues by proposing ontology of business analytics, presenting an analytics service-oriented architecture (ASOA) and applying ASOA to EIS, where our surveyed data analysis showed that the proposed ASOA is viable for developing EIS. This article then examines incorporation of business analytics into EIS through proposing a model for business analytics service-based EIS, or ASEIS for short. The proposed approach in this article might facilitate the research and development of EIS, business analytics, big data analytics, and business intelligence.     

Information Systems, Operational Research and Business Reengineering

There has been much concern expressed during recent times to ensure that information technology (IT) considerations are firmly aligned with business imperatives. For example, two of the top ranked information systems management issues during the 1980s were concerned with the problems incurred in aligning the Information Systems function with that of the organisation as a whole, and in linking information systems and business strategies. Conversely, recent research and practice has provided us with a vision of IT-induced business process redesign, the opportunity for inter-organisational systems and even the redefinition and refocusing of business products and services. The reality for many organisations remains that IT investment is seen as a necessary evil at best, with many questioning whether it represents value for money. There have also been somewhat negative reactions to the topic of business process redesign itself: is it old wine in a new bottle? And is it all too risky a business to suggest that radical change rather than incremental change is what is required? This paper reviews these issues and argues for a refocussing of our attention on (i) information and business systems, and (ii) implementation issues and organisational change, as opposed to the more common practice of concentrating on information technology per se. It takes an organisational, soft operational research perspective on the subject of business reengineering, and provides some outline guidelines for the process of managing the change that is often both necessary and potentially desirable with the introduction and utilisation of new IT. It raises the question whether the lessons from the application of the softer operational research approaches over the past 20 years or so could be used to provide a more informed intervention, given the complexity of the task... and answers that question in the affirmative!     

过程感知信息系统中过程的动态演化

支持过程模型的动态修改并将过程模型的修改传播到当前正在运行的过程实例上,是柔性过程感知信息系统的基本要求.过程实例迁移是应对过程感知信息系统中过程动态演化的主流技术途径,它将尚未执行结束的过程实例动态地迁移到修改后的过程模型上继续执行,从而使得这些过程实例可以享受到过程优化带来的便利.过程实例迁移的挑战在于保证过程实例迁移的正确性以及过程实例迁移检验的高效性,以此为切入点,综述了过程感知信息系统中过程动态演化技术的研究进展.最后,展望了过程演化技术未来应当关注的研究方向.     

Information Systems Development as an Activity

Information systems development (ISD) is analysed in this paper as asystemic work activity, using Activity Analysis and Development (ActAD)as the theoretical framework. ISD is regarded here as the process bywhich some collective work activity is facilitated by newinformation-technological means through analysis, design, implementation,introduction and sustained support, as well as process management. Itis a temporary, boundary-crossing activity which draws its actors,means, rules, etc. from two sides – typically a software companyand the IS user organization. ISD is analysed as a part of a networkof activities, too, around software development and a computer-supporteduse activity. A theoretical framework and a pragmatic checklist arepresented for studying ISD activities. It is argued that the activity-theoretical framework provides a theoretically foundedbut detailed and practicable procedure for studying ISD as a workactivity in context.     

Domain Modelling and the Co-Design of Business Rules in the Telecommunication Business Area

This paper discusses the development of an enterprise domain model in an environment where part of the domain knowledge is vague and not yet formalised in company-wide business rules. The domain model was developed for a young company starting in the telecommunications sector. The company relied on a number of stand-alone business support systems and sought for a manner to integrate them. There was opted for the development of an enterprise-wide domain model that had to serve as an integration layer to coordinate the stand-alone applications. A specific feature of the company was that it could build up its information infrastructure form scratch, so that many aspects of its business were still in the process of being defined. The paper will highlight parts of the Enterprise Model where there was a need for co-designing business rules together with the domain model. A result of this whole effort was that the company got more insight into important domain knowledge and developed a common understanding across functional areas of the way of doing business.     

Information Systems Planning within Medium Environments: a Critique of Information Systems Growth Models

Nolan's and Galliers' stages-of-IS-growth models have been applied to companies of various sizes, styles and structures. The case studies in this paper have revealed some problems and difficulties related to the applicability of these models. We suggest that the causes are rooted in the different organisational cultures found in various businesses. This paper focuses on medium-sized entrepreneurial firms and argues that these models are inadequate to deal with the managerial practices and organisational structures found in these specific cultural contexts. Some considerations of the reasons behind these peculiarities and on the direction to broaden the scope of such models are set forth. The upshot is that the concept of organisational culture should become central in the study of Information Systems growth.     

基于案例推理的信息系统业务流程知识重用技术研究

本文在研究信息系统业务流程设计的知识表示与重用技术的基础上,提出了一种基于案例的智能化设计知识重用方法进行信息系统业务流程设计.重用方法包含案例表示、基于相似度算法和智能聚类的案例检索、案例优化、案例库组织四个方面.综合四个方面,实现了基于案例推理的业务流程案例检索和知识重用实验系统原型,并进行了实验.实验结果表明本重用方法具有较好的可行性、有效性、效率与质量.     

基于UML的业务流程模型分析方法研究

基于UML的业务流程建模方法是业务流程建模领域中的一种重要方法,该文对基于UML的业务流程建模方法中的重要工具活动图进行形式化定义,给出了基于活动图的业务流程模型与工作流网之间的规范化转换方法,从而可以分析和检验基于UML的业务流程模型的静态和动态属性。     

Towards a flexible information architecture: integrating business strategies,information systems strategies and business process redesign*

Abstract. . Factors which help to integrate business and information systems strategy are identified, a linchpin being the identification of what might be termed an information strategy. Information is defined and the implications of this definition for Vie provision of a flexible information environment are identified. The use of soft systems methodology in identifying key information needs and flows is summarized and an extension of this approach, which utilizes the concept of developing alternative future scenarios and associated business strategies, is introduced.     

电子商务系统分析设计方法比较研究

回顾了电子商务系统开发方法的历史演变过程,从全局层、概念设计层、导航设计层和系统实施层四个层次对五种主流的电子商务系统开发方法RMM、OOHDM、CMD-WEB、WSDM和Autoweb进行了全面的分析和比较,指出了各自的优势和劣势。     

业务过程协同中数据恢复策略建模及分析

业务过程协同允许组织之间彼此进行通信,交互和协作以完成特定的业务目标。为了确保实施的正确性和一致性,需要对业务过程协同进行建模和分析,但现有的工作鲜有关注于从架构的视角和数据的层次来对其进行讨论。为此,首先提出了一种“代理端 盟主端”业务过程协同架构;其次,通过对该协同架构进行分析,提出了一种业务过程协同的数据恢复通用模型;最后,基于该通用模型,提出了数据恢复策略模型,以此为基础提出了五种数据恢复策略并采用随机Petri网对其进行建模与仿真。实验结果表明,采用最短队列随机恢复策略能够使得业务过程协同应用在协同中确保高的系统吞吐量、快的响应时间及低的拒绝率。     

基于构件的信息系统体系结构模型

在分析信息系统层次结构的基础上，提出信息系统结构的层次化构件模型；描述了基于构件化层次模型的信息系统的抽象层次、结构元件、结构特征，给出了不同抽象粒度构件的形式化描述方法、构件连接的形式扣方法、基于企业模型的系统软件组织方式；为信息系统的设计与开发提供了参考模型。初步应用表明，层次化构件模型的设计思想架起了管理系统与信息系统之间的桥梁。提高了信息系统适应性扣开发效率。     

软件体系结构讲座：（四）共享信息系统

这一讲通过两个实例讨论共享信息系统的体系结构怎样随着技术的进步与用户需求的提高而演变的过程,进一步揭示这种普遍的软件体系结构的演化模式。所用的实例是数据库集成和软件开发环境集成。     

The UM-MAIS Methodology for Multi-channel Adaptive Web Information Systems

Multichannel Adaptive Web Information Systems (WISs) are emerging as a new class of information systems, characterized by their powerful use of mobility and context-awareness. Different methodologies have been proposed so far for the analysis and design of Multichannel Adaptive WISs, specifically focused on the front-end layer or the back-end layer, but no methodology has aimed to cover all the lifecycle and to design all the components that characterize Multichannel Adaptive WIS. This paper fills such a gap, by presenting UM-MAIS (Unified Methodology for Multichannel Adaptive Information Systems), a new methodology that capitalizes on well-established existing methods. It supports the analysis and design of the various components of Multichannel Adaptive WISs (including the user’s experience) in a comprehensive and unified manner with special emphasis on context modeling, personalization, and adaptation.     

A Comprehensive and Automated Approach to Intelligent Business Processes Execution Analysis

Business process management tools have traditionally focused on supporting the modeling and automation of business processes, with the aim of enabling faster and more cost-effective process executions. As more and more processes become automated, customers become increasingly interested in managing process executions. Specifically, there is a desire for getting more visibility into process executions, to be able to quickly spot problems and areas for improvements. The idea is that, by being able to assess the process execution quality, it is possible to take actions to improve and optimize process execution, thereby leading to processes that have higher quality and lower costs. All this is possible today, but involves the execution of specialized data mining projects that typically last months, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and only provide a specialized, narrow solution whose applicability is often relatively short in time, due to the ever changing business and IT environments. Still, the need is such that companies undertake these efforts.To address these needs, this paper presents a set of concepts and architectures that lay the foundation for providing users with intelligent analysis and predictions about business process executions. For example, the tools are able to provide users with information about why the quality of a process execution is low, what will be the outcome of a certain process, or how many processes will be started next week. This information is crucial to gain visibility into the processes, understand or foresee problems and areas of optimization, and quickly identify solutions. Intelligent analysis and predictions are achieved by applying data mining techniques to process execution data. In contrast to traditional approaches, where lengthy projects, considerable efforts, and specialized skills in both business processes and data mining are needed to achieve these objectives, we aim at automating the entire data mining process lifecycle, so that intelligent functionality can be provided by the system while requiring little or no user input. The ambitious end goal of the work presented in this paper is that of laying the foundation for a framework and tool that is capable of providing analysts with key intelligence information about process execution, affecting crucial IT and business decisions, almost literally at the click of a button.     

动态进化导向的系统分析与设计

信息系统的动态进化是其适应IT发展、组织业务和环境变化需求的一种重要能力,特别是在实时系统和分布式系统当中,正引起学者的广泛关注和深入研究。综述了相关领域的研究成果,并提出用系统化的建模方法,从信息系统动态进化的行为连续性、触发机制、系统化的抽象层次三个角度来研究信息系统的动态进化。这一系列的信息系统动态进化理论和提出的系统建模方法、建议的工具、系统构架构成了一定的动态进化导向的信息系统分析和设计的方法论,推动当前相关领域的理论研究和实践探索。     

一种服务网格动态信息聚合模型及其应用

在动态、跨组织的网格环境中如何进行适应组织重构、业务变化等动态性要求的信息聚合是现实应用中亟待解决的问题．文章提出了服务网格动态信息聚合模型。从组织模型、数据模型、协作模型三个维度描述信息聚合中变化的因素．基于此模型．给出了一种支持动态信息聚合的实现框架,它能够适应网格组织结构变化、业务变化,协调人的参与,进而提高系统动态性．最后介绍了该模型及其实现框架在远程学习评价网格LAGrid中的应用情况．     

一个基于管理信息单元的描述

先进的管理理念诸如全面质量管理、业务流程再造或是六西格马管理在企业应用过程中获得了巨大的成功。从中我们发现,这些管理创新都以业务流程改进为出发点。因此,对业务流程进行管理显得至关重要。本文描述了一个业务流程管理系统的管理信息单元组织模型和流程模型,以及系统功能模块及其实现工具,为企业进行业务流程管理提供了一定的参考。