Business Process Management Systems Research Articles

Improving care pathways through BPM and telemedicine: an Italian study

PurposeThe future increase of chronic diseases in the world requires new challenges in the health domain to improve patients' care from the point of view of the organizational processes, clinical pathways and technological solutions of digital health. For this reason, the present paper aims to focus on the study and application of well-known clinical practices and efficient organizational approaches through an innovative model (TALIsMAn) to support new care process redesign and digitalization for chronic patients.Design/methodology/approachIn addition to specific clinical models employed to manage chronic conditions such as the Population Health Management and Chronic Care Model, we introduce a Business Process Management methodology implementation supported by a set of e-health technologies, in order to manage Care Pathways (CPs) digitalization and procedures improvement.FindingsThis study shows that telemedicine services with advanced devices and technologies are not enough to provide significant changes in the healthcare sector if other key aspects such as health processes, organizational systems, interactions between actors and responsibilities are not considered and improved. Therefore, new clinical models and organizational approaches are necessary together with a deep technological change, otherwise, theoretical benefits given by telemedicine services, which often employ advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems and devices, may not be translated into effective enhancements. They are obtained not only through the implementation of single telemedicine services, but integrating them in a wider digital ecosystem, where clinicians are supported in different clinical steps they have to perform.Originality/valueThe present work defines a novel methodological framework based on organizational, clinical and technological innovation, in order to redesign the territorial care for people with chronic diseases. This innovative ecosystem applied in the Italian research project TALIsMAn is based on the concept of a continuum of care and digitalization of CPs supported by Business Process Management System and telemedicine services. The main goal is to organize the different socio-medical activities in a unique and integrated IT system that should be sustainable, scalable and replicable.

Workforce ecosystems as a model for human capital management in the digital age

This paper discusses the use of workforce ecosystems to manage human intellectual capital. The need for work ecosystems has emerged in the digital age because of the rapid growth in the number of engaged partners and freelancers in the digitalization of enterprises. It is shown that this growth is directly related to the use of agile management systems in design and development: agile, DevOps, microservice architecture, turquoise practices, etc. The information systems needed to manage workforce ecosystems should have competency-based metrics to link business needs, recruitment and training, and finding new partners. At the same time, training should be prioritized over recruitment and the search for new partners in the context of staff shortages. When automating workforce ecosystems, a platform approach should be used to integrate both corporate HR, time and business process management systems, and similar systems from partners.

RF direct sampling and processing electronics for SHINE cavity BPM system

Cavity BPMs are crucial for achieving submicron beam alignment in X-ray Free-Electron Lasers (XFEL), particularly in undulator sections. These monitors typically generate RF signals in the S, C, or X band regions. Due to the limitations of analog-to-digital converter's (ADC) bandwidth and sampling rates, and digital signal processing capabilities, heterodyne and homodyne receivers are often employed to down-convert the RF signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband (Zero IF) respectively before digital sampling. The digitized signal is then processed by Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to get the beam position and phase information. An RF direct-sampling beam signal processor has been developed using ADCs with a bandwidth of 9 GHz and a sampling rate of 2.6 GSPS, and a powerful system-on-chip FPGA. In addition, a prototype RF module without complex down conversion devices has been designed for the SHINE (Shanghai High Repetition Rate XFEL and Extreme Light Facility) cavity BPM. The processor and the RF module make a novel RF direct sampling and processing cavity BPM electronics for SHINE. This is the first attempt to use direct sampling electronics in the C band cavity BPM system. The analog signal processing chain is greatly simplified compared to the down-conversion structure. The performance of this electronics has been analyzed and evaluated in laboratory. The amplitude relative error is 2.0 × 10-4, surpassing the required accuracy of 1 × 10-3 for cavity BPM systems. The phase error is 14 femtoseconds (fs), which also meets the requirements for an RF Beam Arrival Time Monitor (BAM) system. Additionally, the paper introduces the cavity BPM signal processing algorithms and their implementation in FPGA. The processor can deliver pulse-to-pulse beam position measurement above 1 MHz. The RF direct-sampling electronics represents significant advancements in cavity BPM system, large-scale application can be carried out in accelerator facilities like SHINE.

Backbone Engineering of Polymeric Catalysts for High‐Performance CO2 Reduction in Bipolar Membrane Zero‐Gap Electrolyzer

AbstractBipolar membranes (BPMs) have emerged as a promising solution for mitigating CO2 losses, salt precipitation and high maintenance costs associated with the commonly used anion‐exchange membrane electrode assembly for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the industrial implementation of BPM‐based zero‐gap electrolyzer is hampered by the poor CO2RR performance, largely attributed to the local acidic environment. Here, we report a backbone engineering strategy to improve the CO2RR performance of molecular catalysts in BPM‐based zero‐gap electrolyzers by covalently grafting cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine onto a positively charged polyfluorene backbone (PF‐CoTAPc). PF‐CoTAPc shows a high acid tolerance in BPM electrode assembly (BPMEA), achieving a high FE of 82.6 % for CO at 100 mA/cm2 and a high CO2 utilization efficiency of 87.8 %. Notably, the CO2RR selectivity, carbon utilization efficiency and long‐term stability of PF‐CoTAPc in BPMEA outperform reported BPM systems. We attribute the enhancement to the stable cationic shield in the double layer and suppression of proton migration, ultimately inhibiting the undesired hydrogen evolution and improving the CO2RR selectivity. Techno‐economic analysis shows the least energy consumption (957 kJ/mol) for the PF‐CoTAPc catalyst in BPMEA. Our findings provide a viable strategy for designing efficient CO2RR catalysts in acidic environments.

АНАЛИЗ РИСКОВ ПРЕДПРИНИМАТЕЛЬСКИХ СТРУКТУР В ЦИФРОВОЙ ЭКОНОМИКЕ

The article analyzes the current risks and threats aimed at reducing the economic efficiency of entrepreneurial structures on the example of small and medium-sized businesses. The following types of risks are analyzed and detailed: market, credit, operational, informational, and legal. The scientific novelty and practical significance of the work lies in the fact that a new type of economic risk has been identified and justified – a systemic one, which represents a loss of confidence in the entrepreneur and his business process management system.

ANALYSIS OF VILLAGE ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM MODELS TO IMPROVE GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

This study aims to analyze and design the modeling of the village administration information system. This design aims to improve the quality of village governance because the village government is the foremost representative in the state order that is very close to people's lives. The research method uses Research and Development, while the analysis model uses the Business Process Management System (BPMS) framework. The research stage starts with problem analysis, then describes the business process for submitting village documents, next is process modeling, and finally, conclusion analysis. The study results indicate that the application of the village administration information system described in this research model is proven to facilitate the administrative process and village governance and improve government and community institutions' control and supervision functions. These positive impacts have implications for improving the practice of Good Public Governance, including democracy, transparency, accountability, legal culture, and fairness and equality.

Determination of key factors success of innovative and active industrial enterprises in a competitive environment

Introduction. In the process of growing competition and saturation of markets with goods, the role of the sales function of innovatively active enterprises (IAP) is constantly growing, turning into a basic one, on which production, procurement, logistics and other processes carried out by IAP depend. The purpose of the paper is to develop the elements of an improved business process management system in the field of sales of IAP with the help of developed indicators of key success factors (KFU), which will allow making more informed strategic decisions. Results. The paper considers the issue of improving the system of indicators of KFU in the market of innovative products and services, which is important for modern innovatively active enterprises. It is emphasized that the role of the sales function of the IAP is growing and is constantly turning into a basic one, on which production and logistics processes depend. Enterprises are gradually moving from a production concept to a market-oriented marketing concept, which is reflected in the improvement of the sales system and the active use of marketing tools. It has been proven that the growth of competition leads to the need to improve the management system of business processes of an innovatively active enterprise and, first of all, in sales processes, which ensures the reliability of the enterprise's interaction with consumers. The control of the processes taking place in the sales channels should be carried out entirely with the help of KFU, the high level of which allows you to maintain a circle of customers and withstand pressure from competitors. Conclusion. The growth of competition leads to the need to improve the IAP business process management system that ensures the interaction of the enterprise with customers. It is advisable to control the processes occurring in sales channels with the help of KFU, the high level of which will allow you to retain your customers and withstand pressure from competitors. It is necessary not only to identify CFUs, but also to regularly measure them, which will allow making more informed strategic decisions regarding the development of IAP sales.

The Influence of Business Process Management System Implementation on an Organization’s Process Orientation: A Case Study of a Financial Service Provider

ABSTRACT This study investigates the influence of Business Process Management System (BPMS) implementation on an organization’s process orientation through a case study of a financial service provider. Business process maturity models are utilized to capture change in process orientation. Explorative data analysis, Bayesian ordinal regression, and structured interviews are employed for the analysis. Findings suggest that a successful BPMS introduction positively influences diverse aspects of process orientation, extending both process and organizational capabilities beyond process automation.

Exploiting network science in business process management: A conceptual framework

This paper investigates whether the introduction of network science tools in Business Process Management (BPM) leads to better identification of the entities themselves and to the structure of their interactions within an organization. The objective is to provide more formal measures and metrics to be considered as a support for suitable decisions during the re-engineering phases. A novel conceptual framework is presented for organizational decision making; one that is able to synthesize the relationships established in the network and provide an overview of the characteristics of the entities. Decision makers can improve the knowledge of the current organizational policies and procedures to be used in process re-engineering. The framework is an innovative initiative of integration of classic BPM and network science methodologies. It allows a systematic assessment of the interplay between the different organizational units and the indirect effects on the performance and it can be used in any kind of organization that implements a Business Process Management System.

A Conceptual Framework for Logistics Management and Project Planning in the Clinical Trials Industry

Background: Logistics management in the clinical trials industry is a very challenging undertaking because it involves multiple stakeholders, complex processes, diverse software applications, intensive white-collar jobs, and onerous quality standards. Current business practices are inefficient and difficult to automate technologies. Methods: This paper reviews the theories and concepts of clinical trials logistics management. The inefficiencies in current logistics management industry are then addressed by building a conceptual framework based on contemporary software tools and architectures, such as web portals, software agents, business process management system, project cards, and resource cards, all interacting with specialized software applications such as accounting, inventory, and label design software. The framework supports data analysis at multiple levels of decision making. To this end, a project planning tool for facilitating and optimizing the operational planning in this industry is designed and presented. Results: The planning tool also contributes to the literature by contrasting several different resource scenarios such as the shared pool, dedicated resources for each project, and the creation of several work groups with dedicated resources. These are Pareto trade-offs. Conclusions: A framework employing a business process management is proposed for clinical trials logistics management. Different managerial scenarios with shared, dedicated, and work group resources are investigated using a case study.

Modeling of Accounting Information Systems in Companies Implementing the Sharing Economy Business Model

The purpose of this study is to offer modeling of the Accounting Information System, especially the payroll system, using the concept of the Business Process Management System. The object of this research is the online media company PT Kreasi Ngalam Media (AboutMalang.com). Currently, the system that is being used to manage employee data, calculate salaries, and generate reports still relies on manual processes. The use of a web-based employee payroll information system application is expected to provide significant assistance to companies in managing employee data, calculating salaries, and preparing reports. The research method used is qualitative, and the data collection uses primary data sources in the form of direct observation and secondary data sources from the company's payroll reports. The results of this research are in the form of a business process model based on the Business Process Model Notation (BPMN), which can improve effectiveness and efficiency, with an impact on improving the quality of the company's business processes.

Smart-IoT Business Process Management: A Case Study on Remote Digital Early Cardiac Arrhythmia Detection and Diagnosis

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and Internet of Things (IoT) systems are mainly in charge of sensing, acting, computing, communicating, managing, and evolving the software integrated in devices. The wide variety of technologies and devices that support IoT systems and the decentralization of services through infrastructures such as fog or edge computing, has led companies to complex business models. These complex business models require decentralized and business-aware architectures driven by the Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) that define the tasks involved in IoT workflows. Well-defined and established IoT BPM are required for companies to remain competitive. However, there are still challenges that must be addressed to smoothly integrate IoT BPM and their architectures into a digitally native company’s daily workflow. In this paper, we present an IoT architecture to support a smart IoT BPM that focuses on addressing the challenges of scheduling, resource allocation, and state management of Smart IoT systems. In particular, the IDOVEN company’s adoption of this Smart IoT BMP in an IoT system for remote digital early cardiac arrhythmia detection and diagnosis is illustrated which has been validated with 2188 patients across the 7 continents.

Theoretical and methodological foundations of business process management of a modern enterprise based on the «lean production management» approach

Business process management is an important aspect of supply chain management. Effective management of business processes by supply chains makes it possible to increase operational activity, reduce transportation and storage costs, increase the level of service for the end customer, as well as increase competitiveness in the market. The ability to effectively manage business processes is provided by the lean production management model. This scientific article discusses the theoretical and methodological foundations of business process management in logistics based on the lean production management approach. The article describes the concept of a business process, the essence and main characteristics of business processes, the concept of lean manufacturing, tools and the formation of a business process management system. Special attention is also paid to the business process improvement model. The purpose of the article is to study the relevance of this study, the research methods used, as well as its results and conclusions. In conclusion the article highlights the importance of logistics business process management and the potential benefits of lean manufacturing as a methodology for enterprise development, such as creating value for customers, reducing costs, reducing waste, improving working conditions, increasing competitiveness and developing innovation.

Developing an enhanced business process improvement methodology (EBPIM)

PurposeThis research paper aims to develop and validate an enhanced business process improvement methodology (EBPIM) by integrating the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) and the comprehensive business process management (CBPM) methodologies.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review and analysis were conducted to prove the novelty of the research approach and identify the similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses of the DMAIC and the CBPM methodologies. The EBPIM was proposed based on the analysis results. Then, a focus group approach was used to evaluate and validate the methodology.FindingsThe EBPIM consists of nine activities: preparation, selection, description, quantification, modeling, enactment, improvement opportunities selection, analysis and improvement and monitoring. The proposed methodology adopted the systematic and structured process of the DMAIC methodology by having one tollgate between every two activities to check the progress and authorize the team to go to the next activity. At the same time, it has the ability of the CBPM methodology to enhance the interaction between human activities and business process management systems (BPMS).Research limitations/implicationsThe EBPIM was evaluated and validated by a focus group of academic professors. However, the main limitation of the proposed methodology is that it is still theoretical and needs to be empirically tested. Therefore, future work will focus on testing the EBPIM in different industries and organization sizes.Practical implicationsFrom the theoretical perspective, the proposed methodology adds value to the knowledge in the scope of business processes improvement methodologies (BPIMs) by integrating the DMAIC and the CBPM methodologies. It takes advantage of and combines the strengths of the DMAIC and CBPM methodologies. From the practical perspective, the proposed methodology presents a valuable tool that can facilitate the organization’s mission to improve the areas that need improvement using a systematic improvement methodology that will effectively enhance organizational performance (OP).Originality/valueThe BPIMs literature analysis proved that most of the reviewed methodologies could not support all phases of the business process improvement (BPI) activities. It was concluded that integrating the DMAIC and the CBPM methodologies is a novel approach. The proposed methodology will enhance the efficiency of both methodologies, fill the gaps that may exist in both of them and lead to better results in terms of BPI.

Information systems for automating work flows: a comparative analysis

Workflow is a sequence of repeated and controlled steps aimed at completing a specific task or work. The urgency of the task of optimizing such works contributed to the development of methods and means of operations research to optimize such processes for the needs of various subject areas. Information technologies to support such workflow are workflow engines that enable faster automation, ensure compliance with norms and standards, formalize business processes, improve communication, etc. The workflow management systems are divided into the following categories: automation using robotics, intelligent integration platforms, intelligent business process management systems, open-source engines, the cloud-supported, as well as data flow processing systems. For a more detailed analysis, it is advisable to choose the following engines and services: built-in, cloud-oriented, and those to support both scenarios (jBPM, Camunda, Zeebe, Amazon Step Functions). It is appropriate to define evaluation criteria and compare such workflow automation systems to form further recommendations regarding their selection and application. Such criteria are development activity, stability and history of commercial use, versioning support, standards support, support for timers and asynchronous execution, support for human-oriented and manual tasks, integration with other solutions, monitoring and logging, scaling, cloud support, the possibility of scanning in private infrastructure, the presence of a visual interface, the convenience of local development and testing, open source code, the necessary programming for implementation and cost. A comparison of advantages and disadvantages can be used to decide on a workflow automation system.

Determinants of BPMS use for knowledge management

PurposeCompanies are increasingly implementing business process management systems (BPMSs) to support their processes. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding whether users also use BPMSs to manage the knowledge needed for processes to be completed. This study aims to analyze the factors that cause users to use BPMSs to manage the knowledge required in business processes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes an original model that integrates two successful information system models applied to BPMSs and knowledge management systems. To test the hypotheses derived from this new model, data were collected from 242 mature BPMS users from 12 Spanish and Latin American companies. Structural equation modeling with AMOS was used to examine the model.FindingsUsers’ perceived usefulness of a BPMS when using it for knowledge management (KM) is the only factor influencing them to use it for KM.Practical implicationsThis study has practical implications for managers wishing to successfully implement a BPMS to support processes and for employees to use the knowledge embedded in the tool. The latter will only happen if users perceive the tool’s usefulness for KM.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this model is the first empirically validated model to successfully analyze BPMS users’ tendency to use BPMSs as a tool to support necessary KM in processes.

Process fragments discovery from emails: Functional, data and behavioral perspectives discovery

Significant research work has been conducted in the area of business process (BP) mining leading to mature solutions for discovering process knowledge. These solutions were generally limited to the analysis of structured event logs generated by BP management systems (BPMS). Given the recent spread of digital workplaces, there have been several initiatives to extend the scope of these analysis to consider other information systems (IS) supporting BP execution informally. More precisely, emailing systems have attracted much attention as they are widely used as alternative tools to collaboratively perform BP activities. However, due to the unstructured nature of email logs data, traditional process mining techniques could not be applied or at least not directly applied. Existing approaches that discovered BP from emails are usually supervised or at least require significant human intervention. They focused on discovering BP with respect to their behavioral perspective (i.e. that defines the conditions for activity execution) while neglecting the discovery of their data perspective (i.e. that defines the informational entities manipulated by BP activities). In addition, they did not studied how emailing systems are used in the context of BP executions. They assume that emailing systems are used in the same way employees use ordinary BPMS. However, employees actually use emails to perform poorly structured BP fragments (i.e. parts) rather than complete and well-structured ones. These BP fragments are not necessary defined in advance as in the case of BPMS. This induces the need to discover BP functional perspective (i.e. that defines what a BP performs and what are its activities). Furthermore, employees use emails with different purposes when talking about BP activities (e.g. information about activity execution, request or planning activity execution, etc.). This results in the occurrence of new event types referring to the purpose of considering activities in emails rather than events referring only to their execution.In this paper, we propose to discover BP from email logs with respect to their functional, data and behavioral perspectives. The paper first formalizes these perspectives. Then, it introduces a completely non-supervised approach for discovering them based on: (i) speech act detection for recognizing the purposes of considering activities in emails, (ii) overlapping clustering of activities to discover their manipulated artifacts (i.e. informational entities), (iii) overlapping clustering of BP elements (i.e. activities, artifacts and activity actors) to discover BP fragments and, (iv) mining sequencing constraints between event types deduced from activities and speech acts to discover behavioral perspective. Our approach is finally validated using the public email dataset Enron.

УПРАВЛІННЯ ЯКІСТЮ БІЗНЕС-ПРОЦЕСІВ НА ПІДПРИЄМСТВІ

This article addresses a crucial aspect of modern management - the quality management of business processes. It emphasizes the need for a systematic and effective approach to managing all aspects of an enterprise, including its business processes, in a constantly changing and highly competitive business environment. The article explores contemporary approaches to business process management, with a focus on a systemic approach to organizing and optimizing processes. These approaches take into account not only technical aspects but also quality management issues. The concept of "quality management of business processes" is thoroughly examined, encompassing a set of properties and characteristics related to interconnected activities that transform resources to deliver a final product or service. The article highlights the importance of combining technologicaland managerial aspects while formulating goals and allocating resources necessary for the execution of business processes. Optimization of processes becomes essential, especially when performance indicators do not meet the predefined standards. Furthermore, it acknowledges the potential to achieve superior results through efficient resource utilization and alignment of all aspects of enterprise functioning, including business process management systems, with the demands of external consumers. The implementation of a quality management system for business processes at various levels of an enterprise is demonstrated to help organizations improve their efficiency and adapt to changes in the business environment. It is argued that quality management of business processes is an indispensable component of modern management, aiding enterprises in achieving success and stability amidst constant change and fierce competition.

BUSINESS PROCESSES ARE THE BASIS FOR EFFECTIVE ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

This article reveals the role and description of business processes in the effective management of an enterprise and studies the main factors affecting the effectiveness of a business process. It also substantiates the need to create a business process management system at the enterprise, which will unite all the links of its work, will allow the enterprise to correctly assess the prospects for business development and find the best solution to achieve its goals. Disputes in science do not end; in contrast, they attract special interest for the researcher. To reasonably prove your opinion to the opponent, it is necessary to specifically understand the essence of the concept of this problem. That is why, in the article, an attempt was made to reveal the various opinions of scientists who gave their interpretations in disclosing the problems that arise in the business process. KEYWORDS: business processes, efficiency, modeling, approach, order, management, enterprise.

Quickening Data-Aware Conformance Checking through Temporal Algebras

A temporal model describes processes as a sequence of observable events characterised by distinguishable actions in time. Conformance checking allows these models to determine whether any sequence of temporally ordered and fully-observable events complies with their prescriptions. The latter aspect leads to Explainable and Trustworthy AI, as we can immediately assess the flaws in the recorded behaviours while suggesting any possible way to amend the wrongdoings. Recent findings on conformance checking and temporal learning lead to an interest in temporal models beyond the usual business process management community, thus including other domain areas such as Cyber Security, Industry 4.0, and e-Health. As current technologies for accessing this are purely formal and not ready for the real world returning large data volumes, the need to improve existing conformance checking and temporal model mining algorithms to make Explainable and Trustworthy AI more efficient and competitive is increasingly pressing. To effectively meet such demands, this paper offers KnoBAB, a novel business process management system for efficient Conformance Checking computations performed on top of a customised relational model. This architecture was implemented from scratch after following common practices in the design of relational database management systems. After defining our proposed temporal algebra for temporal queries (xtLTLf), we show that this can express existing temporal languages over finite and non-empty traces such as LTLf. This paper also proposes a parallelisation strategy for such queries, thus reducing conformance checking into an embarrassingly parallel problem leading to super-linear speed up. This paper also presents how a single xtLTLf operator (or even entire sub-expressions) might be efficiently implemented via different algorithms, thus paving the way to future algorithmic improvements. Finally, our benchmarks highlight that our proposed implementation of xtLTLf (KnoBAB) outperforms state-of-the-art conformance checking software running on LTLf logic.