Modelling the Co-Evolution of Business Processes and IT Systems

Abstract

Modelling is a core element of IT development. System development involves developing models which describe both business processes and the IT systems which support them. Modelling is typically undertaken during the design stage. To a large extent it is separated from the normal running of the business. The view is one of periods of stable business punctuated by changes associated with IT developments. However, there are many pressures which mean that business processes are also subject to continual change, and IT systems need to be responsive to this. This provokes an alternative view where business processes and IT systems are continually changing and influencing each other; they co-evolve. There are modelling approaches which directly address the issues of ongoing evolution. The Viable System Model (VSM) is a management model which categorises essential functions a business needs in order to evolve and survive. The Process for Process Evolution (P2E) is a generic model which has been implemented to provide an evolutionary framework for process models. We review our work with both VSM and P2E and identify common themes: the relationship between an operational system and its meta-system, the importance of feedback, and the use of recursion to manage complexity. These themes underpin our ongoing research on tackling the problems associated with the co-evolution of business processes and IT systems.