Integration of legal constraints into business process models

Abstract

PurposeTo demonstrate the value of formal process modelling languages for the description of legal constraints and their verification in public and private business processes.Design/methodology/approachA highly regulated governmental process in Germany – applying for premium rate service numbers at the German Federal Network Agency – is taken as an example to demonstrate that laws and rules define processes for those who want to use them. A novel formal process language is used to verify whether applicants' processes fulfil these constraints or not.FindingsWith the presented approach, contradictions between business processes of private organisations and the given laws could precisely be identified.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are currently restricted to the use of formal process languages as the one suggested in the paper. It would be helpful to extend the work on conceptual process models.Practical implicationsThe paper motivates a process‐oriented analysis of laws and rules. The approach can be used for both, verification after the event and as a normative guideline for the development of new workflows.Originality/valueThis paper identifies a need for formal process definitions as a medium to understand legal constraints and to behave in accordance with them.