A modelling framework for capturing business processes dynamics

Abstract

A significant amount of research effort has been spent in the last years on the redesign of business processes using information technology. This research area is commonly referred to as business process redesign or re-engineering, both abbreviated as BPR. Some reports in the literature on BPR are written from a manager's perspective, focusing on pragmatic guidelines, checklists and step approaches for BPR. These reports do not pay much attention to precision and modelling. Other reports in this area are written from an information scientist's perspective, focusing on the use of methodologies and tools, originally devised for the development of information systems, for BPR. These reports normally do not properly discuss the relationship between the models that have to be produced according to these methodologies and their interpretation in the domain of the business processes. This paper tries to contribute in bringing these two perspectives into a common modelling framework. This modelling framework allows business process engineers to capture and analyse both structural and behavioural aspects of business processes, without having to actually build these processes first. Business process models built using this framework can be judged and redesigned using the typical guidelines and checklists from a manager's perspective. Also, computer tools can be developed to support this off-line modelling, (extensive) analysis and redesign of business processes. This paper presents the current status of our framework and illustrates its application to the modelling and redesign of a typical business process from service industry. The use of the modelling framework in a BPR trajectory is also discussed. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and Cornwallis Emmanuel Ltd.