Evaluating Completeness of Conceptual Business Process Models (CBPMs): A Metric Based on Case Studies

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Conceptual models representing data and business processes bridge the gap between requirements specified by end-users and software systems specifications used to fulfill these requirements. More often than not, the entire systems development methodology is driven by a specific conceptual model used in a given situation. For example, a well-known database system development methodology uses the Entity-Relationship data model to capture end-user requirements and to drive the development of the ensuing database application.Several models have been proposed and some have been used as front-end inputs for automated tools to help in systems development. The question facing systems development managers is: which conceptual model to adopt? One important criterion for the effectiveness of a model is its completeness. The completeness of conceptual models has been widely accepted as an important attribute for efficient development of an effective system. Our survey of existing work on evaluating and comparing existing conceptual business process models indicates that almost no work has been done on empirically evaluating completeness of the models in real business situations. The primary contribution of this research is the development of a metric to measure the level of completeness of conceptual business process models (CBPMs). A case study demonstrates the use of this metric to evaluate the completeness of a CBPM - the Integrated Definition Standards Model.