Scenario-based process querying for compliance, reuse, and standardization

Abstract

Process models constitute valuable artifacts for organizations. A process model formally captures the way an organization works internally and interacts with its customers and partners. Over time, more models may be created as business practices evolve (leading to different versions of models) or an organization expands, e.g., through mergers or acquisitions. It is not uncommon for large organizations to have to manage thousands of process models. Retrieval of process models with desired properties then poses a significant challenge, particularly when one is concerned with finding models that describe certain process scenarios, i.e., sequences of tasks captured in models. This paper proposes a method for automated process model retrieval based on scenario compatibility. A process model is retrieved if it has the potential to perform the specified process scenario. To allow for scenarios to be underspecified, wildcards may be used in their description. The paper reports on a formal language for scenario-based process querying, its implementation, and evaluation in the context of industrial and synthetic process models. The results show that the technique works in (close to) real time.