基于元图的工作流建模分析方法

工作流可以有效的规范业务流程、监控流程的执行，而且能够根据客户的需求创建出新流程模型。工作流的建模过程存在一定的复杂性，它要求创建的新模型具有可视化和可操作的特点，同时模型的有效性（即正确性与合理性）也是相当重要的。将元图运用于工作流建模和分析过程，以具体的业务流程为背景，逐步分析隐含在流程中的深层次问题，找出信息元素、活动和资源之间的相互关系，从而确保工作流模型的有效性。     

Operational building blocks for business process modelling

The modelling of business processes is a rather complex, difficult and therefore time-consuming process. The efficiency of this process can be significantly enhanced by employing reusable building blocks, rather than to describe business processes from scratch every time a model is being created or modified. The paper describes a reference model which identifies a set of generic building blocks needed for enterprise modelling and identifies their relationships. Further specialisation of these generic building blocks into a profession and/or industry branch oriented set enables business people to model their processes with a minimum requirement on IT know-how. The CIMOSA concepts and language have been selected as the basis for the reference model. Since CIMOSA is one of the basic concepts recognised in the relevant standardisation work, the presented approach also obeys very closely the relevant European and international standards.     

Workflow and CIMOSA—background and case study

For an enterprise engineering application in a low-volume microsystems production we used the two Reference Architectures: CIM Open System Architecture (CIMOSA) and Work Flow Management Coalition (WfMC). We applied the emerging WFMC standard to the microsystems worklist processing to design the workflow system InfoFlow. For the manufacturing activities of the workflow participants we used the appropriate CIMOSA constructs on the level of Machine Functional Operations fitting into the WFMC architecture. The paper describes the relation between the two reference architectures comparing their concepts and constructs. The application shows that both concepts bring benefit to the enterprise engineering task and to a large degree complement each other.     

WIRES: A Methodology for Developing Workflow Applications

Workflow management systems are becoming a relevant support for a large class of business applications, and many workflow models as well as commercial products are currently available. While the large availability of tools facilitates the development and the fulfilment of customer requirements, workflow application development still requires methodological guidelines that drive the developers in the complex task of rapidly producing effective applications. In fact, it is necessary to identify and model the business processes, to design the interfaces towards existing cooperating systems, and to manage implementation aspects in an integrated way. This paper presents the WIRES methodology for developing workflow applications under a uniform modelling paradigm – UML modelling tools with some extensions – that covers all the life cycle of these applications: from conceptual analysis to implementation. High-level analysis is performed under different perspectives, including a business and an organisational perspective. Distribution, interoperability and cooperation with external information systems are considered in this early stage. A set of “workflowability” criteria is provided in order to identify which candidate processes are suited to be implemented as workflows. Non-functional requirements receive particular emphasis in that they are among the most important criteria for deciding whether workflow technology can be actually useful for implementing the business process at hand. The design phase tackles aspects of concurrency and cooperation, distributed transactions and exception handling. Reuse of component workflows, available in a repository as workflow fragments, is a distinguishing feature of the method. Implementation aspects are presented in terms of rules that guide in the selection of a commercial workflow management system suitable for supporting the designed processes, coupled with guidelines for mapping the designed workflows onto the model offered by the selected system.     

需求信息管理的Petri网工作流模型

针对目前国内软件企业中需求信息管理存在的业务流程问题．提出合理的工作流建模方案。利用Petri网建模技术建立流程实例模型,再建立完整的工作流模型。按照Petri网的数学特性对结果模型进行的正确性分析和验证表明该模型具有良好的数学特性。基于Petri网的工作流建模方法能够为需求信息管理提供合理的解决方案。     

需求信息管理的Petri网工作流模型

针对目前国内软件企业中需求信息管理存在的业务流程问题,提出合理的工作流建模方案。利用Petri网建模技术建立流程实例模型,再建立完整的工作流模型。按照Petri网的数学特性对结果模型进行的正确性分析和验证表明该模型具有良好的数学特性。基于Petri网的工作流建模方法能够为需求信息管理提供合理的解决方案。摘要:     

基于图形展开及图形归约的过程模型验证方法

工作流过程模型是业务过程的形式化定义，在业务过程的分析、运行和重组方面起着关键性的作用．为了实现预期的业务目标，需要正确地定义工作流过程模型，它的正确性直接影响业务目标的实现，WfMS开始调度执行之前必须对其进行分析．针对大规模复杂应用的特点和业务过程执行的实际需要，对复杂工作流过程模型的正确性验证进行了研究；基于有向有环图(DCG图)详细讨论工作流过程模型的局部错误以及过程逻辑错误；给出了过程建模中避免错误的相关约束规则；另外了提出了一种新型的图形归约和图形展开相结合的验证方法及过程模型验证算法．     

A role-oriented service system architecture for enterprise process collaboration

Workflow management is a key technique for coordinating various business processes. Traditional workflow systems are often built with the client/server architecture, in which, a single workflow server takes the responsibility of the entire operation. This paper discusses a model-driven process enactment environment, which can support an enterprise businesses collaboration. Some key technologies regarding models and the system are discussed in the paper, including the mappings between activities in process models and the service function of applications, how to use XML in the process model, and other workflow engine techniques. A software architecture supporting role-oriented services within the process-driven enterprise enactment environment has been proposed and implemented. The proposed framework has been validated with a case study in the 4PL business system.     

Presentation and exchange of business models with CIMOSA-XML

In the modern competitive business world there is a frequent need for enterprises to modify their structure of business processes to become more effective in the market place. The solution to this management demand is an improved business integration which is only successful when it is supported by effective IT systems. The Esprit project PRIMA aims to create a competitive advantage for European companies in the process sector by providing a route to ‘smarter' IT investments that are effective across the whole enterprise. A process repository which will store business process models in suitable formats would provide users with appropriate views of the models, focusing only on their information needs. However, the existence of many incompatible modelling methodologies and tools makes it impossible to unify the modelling approach. Therefore it would be desirable to have a high level common modelling language. The PRIMA project has identified CIMOSA as the basis for common semantics of the business model language and the XML format, as a suitable format for the transfer of the model structure and content. The PRIMA working group, in an effort to elaborate these concepts, has developed the Document Type Definition concept (DTD) of the CIMOSA-XML meta-model, which can be used to build the partial enterprise models related to the Business Functional Requirements (BFR) of the PRIMA Process Methodology.     

Standards-based approaches to B2B workflow integration

E-business automates the overall activities of a company and allows distributed systems to communicate their information. Process automation and information sharing improve a company’s productivity and responsiveness, while Business-to-Business (B2B) workflow systems electronically aid the progress of business processes among trading partners, and also help companies to monitor and administrate their process execution. This study analyzes the technologies and standards for B2B workflow integration, and extracts a reference model for B2B workflow integration. Based on the reference model, three approaches to B2B workflow integration will be introduced here. In addition, we have developed a prototype system of one approach and have illustrated an example for B2B workflow integration. The result of our research can help business partners understand the workflow standards and the messaging technologies for B2B workflow integration, and also help them understand how to implement workflow integration systems that are appropriate to their e-business environments.     

Structuring and configuration of CIM systems for branch-specific medium-sized enterprises

Strong international competition makes it necessary for an enterprise to reduce organizational overhead and costs. This goal can be reached by integrating of the available islands of automation. This integration would be facilitated greatly if there were a generally agreed upon architectural structure in which the software modules of the various vendors could operate. CIMOSA (computer integrated manufacturing—open system architecture) aims at providing such an architectural structure and strives to become a European standard. An important part of CIMOSA consists of the enterprise model. In this article the results of a project are described which is aimed at the validation of CIMOSA in a typical SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) environment. In a first step, the CIMOSA partial and particular models for SMEs were developed. The authors developed a coarse model of the order management and a detailed model of the future concept of the CAD/PPC interface. In order to master the increasing complexity of the planning of software systems of an enterprise, new planning methods and tools are required. Thus in the second part, an integrated approach to software system planning and selection based on CIMOSA enterprise models was developed. The underlying idea of the approach is the conversion of the planning problem into an equivalent constraint satisfaction problem. The conversion process can be accomplished fully automatically. To interconnect a real system, in a lot of cases, it is required to configure data conversion modules. In the third part, the article focuses on a configuration system which allows a straightforward configuration of the data conversion modules.     

Dealing with forward and backward jumps in workflow management systems

Workflow management systems (WfMS) offer a promising technology for the realization of process-centered application systems. A deficiency of existing WfMS is their inadequate support for dealing with exceptional deviations from the standard procedure. In the ADEPT project, therefore, we have developed advanced concepts for workflow modeling and execution, which aim at the increase of flexibility in WfMS. On the one hand we allow workflow designers to model exceptional execution paths already at buildtime provided that these deviations are known in advance. On the other hand authorized users may dynamically deviate from the pre-modeled workflow at runtime as well in order to deal with unforeseen events. In this paper, we focus on forward and backward jumps needed in this context. We describe sophisticated modeling concepts for capturing deviations in workflow models already at buildtime, and we show how forward and backward jumps (of different semantics) can be correctly applied in an ad-hoc manner during runtime as well. We work out basic requirements, facilities, and limitations arising in this context. Our experiences with applications from different domains have shown that the developed concepts will form a key part of process flexibility in process-centered information systems. Received: 6 October 2002 / Accepted: 8 January 2003 Published online: 27 February 2003 This paper is a revised and extended version of [40]. The described work was partially performed in the research project “Scalability in Adaptive Workflow Management Systems” funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).     

Enterprise Integration—Business Processes Integrated Management: a proposal for a methodology to develop Enterprise Integration Programs

An approach to develop Enterprise Integration Programs to assist enterprises in their migration path towards integration is proposed. It is called IE—GIP (Enterprise Integration—Business Processes Integrated Management, acronyms in Spanish). The topic is very important in industrial engineering nowadays because of the growing need to improve existing industrial systems and to organise such complex systems faster, better, and in a more systematic way. The contribution to the field of Enterprise Integration is mostly a methodological one. More specifically, it is based on the integration of Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA) and Open System Architecture for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIMOSA) principles to propose an integration approach for industrial enterprises. Starting from existing leading proposals (CIMOSA, PERA, GERAM), a methodology has been defined and some extension to an architecture and supporting computer tools are discussed. The proposal covers the life cycle of an Enterprise Integration Program in a top-down approach. The approach is centred on the business process concept, but is based on a vision/process/people/technology view of the enterprise. The methodology divides the work into two major phases before system construction: master planning and CIM programme development. The method adapts the system life cycle of PERA but uses, whenever possible, the CIMOSA architecture with its business process approach. New CIMOSA-like constructs are introduced to be used in activities along with the methodology when necessary. To support the modelling phases of the proposal and to provide guidance to users of the methodology, computer supported tools have been developed in the course of this work.     

基于REST面向资源的企业集成平台框架

为解决异构环境下企业信息系统业务过程整合的问题,提出一种基于REST面向资源的企业信息集成平台框架模型,其中包括适应工作流的资源模型表征方法、支持工作流的资源应用机制以及基于RESTful Web Service的集成平台框架,通过一个实例验证该原型系统的可行性和正确性,该集成平台框架模型可以满足企业业务过程整合的需求。     

工作流管理平台的设计及其在自助服务中的应用

随着信息技术的普及,工作流技术在信息、制造和软件领域得到了广泛的应用,越来越多的企业引入了工作流引擎和工作流管理平台来管理日常的业务流程.但目前大部分工作流管理平台都有自己的业务背景并且对系统环境、接口有自己特定的要求,在不同企业之间移植会碰见水土不服的情况.本文针对银行间债券市场债券账户开户及信息披露的业务特点,基于J2EE和SOA架构,根据WFMC发布的工作流管理平台参考模型,自主设计并开发了一套工作流管理平台,并在上面成功实施相关的自助服务流程.这是工作流技术首次在银行间市场开户和信息披露等方面的应用,它较好的提高了银行间市场自助开户以及信息披露等工作的效率.从性能测试的结果来看,平台的并发性和稳定性也能满足目前业务需求.     

基于CIMOSA功能视图的经营过程建模方法研究

介绍一种基于ＣＩＭ开放系统体系结构功能视图的经营过程建模方法,并用面向对象的方法设计了建模工具,使用户可以方便有效地构建企业的内部经营过程,以这些功能单元为主体集成企业其它信息,可使企业真正成为高效,合理的经营过程的集合体。     

A Workflow Process Mining Algorithm Based on Synchro-Net

Sometimes historic information about workflow execution is needed to analyze business processes. Process mining aims at extracting information from event logs for capturing a business process in execution. In this paper a process mining algorithm is proposed based on Synchro-Net which is a synchronization-based model of workflow logic and workflow semantics. With this mining algorithm based on the model, problems such as invisible tasks and short-loops can be dealt with at ease. A process mining example is presented to illustrate the algorithm, and the evaluation is also given.     

面向服务集成的工作流模型及其实现方法

针对现有工作流系统集成已有软件服务时存在的两个问题:1)对于业务流程中所集成服务的描述信息不足,无法满足服务集成需要;2)流程定制时可选择节点类型少,节点不具有业务含义,导致其定制过程复杂;提出一种新的工作流模型。首先,通过分析服务集成环境下的实际业务流程确定了模型的三部分信息:结构信息、服务信息和人员信息;其次,将模型中各部分信息与JPDL作了对应说明,表明了模型的完备性;最后,详细介绍了三部分信息的关键要素。实验结果表明,基于35种服务可以快速搭建出满足实际业务需求的48种业务流程。模型中丰富的服务信息为流程运行提供了保障,流程运行正确率100%;流程定制更加简便快捷,流程从定制到运行平均时间小于2 min。通过该模型可以快速地基于已有服务构建新的业务流程,降低了为新需求开发软件的成本。     

Model-based analysis of the health, safety and environment domain in the process industry

The chemical process industry needs well-defined, engineering-controlled operation procedures to insure the safety of their plant operations and to protect the people working with hazardous materials. Accidents may seriously harm the employees, destroy expensive factory equipment and contaminate and deteriorate the environment of the entire areas. The engineering control can be significantly enhanced through the use of process models for situation analysis. Process models will also provide effective decision support in the plant operation. The objective was to develop in Elf-Atochem a reference model for improving the complex process for implementing and tracking a work permit for people working in plant areas with health, safety and environmental risks. This permit documents all protection and formal authorisations required prior to any work in the hazardous areas of a chemical plant. The model consists of a process model and an information model. It further provides the identification of knowledge required to manage the work permit and to facilitate the automation of a number of activities. The model serves to analyse the process and to define the user requirements for a workflow application program. The methodology CimOsa/rg, which is based on CIMOSA, has been applied together with the modelling tool CimTool to document the requirements model.