Business Process Model And Notation Models Research Articles

Not yet another BPM lifecycle: A synthesis of existing approaches using BPMN

ContextBusiness Process Management (BPM) is considered an important management approach that encompasses a set of methods for managing the business processes of an organization. To maximize the benefits of BPM, scholars have conceptualized its steps in schematic diagrams with interrelated phases called BPM lifecycles. As this approach has been established, the phenomenon of perpetual proposition of BPM lifecycles has been observed in relevant literature. This practice obscures what should be relatively straightforward: a consensus among researchers and practitioners regarding the steps that a business process should flow through during its lifecycle. ObjectiveThe aim of this work is to investigate the existing BPM lifecycle models proposed in literature, identify convergences and variations in these models, analyze their core components and locate common patterns that will enable the synthesis of a BPM lifecycle that is conceptualized with Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), the community de-facto business process modeling notation. MethodTo formalize the research problem and develop the design of a solution, the Design Science Research Process (DSRP) model was adopted. To investigate the perpetual proposition of BPM lifecycles in literature, the authors conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). On whether recurring patterns can emerge from the BPM lifecycles, a normalization process was introduced to homogenize the data and four metrics were used to evaluate the results. The emerging patterns were assembled into a graph that formed the basis for proposing a synthetic BPM lifecycle. ResultsThe outcome of the paper is three-fold: First, the identification of four major inefficiencies of existing BPM lifecycles, namely varying granularity, inconsistent nomenclature, subjective polysemy, and lack of formal conceptualization approaches. Also, a standardized definition of the inclusive steps that exist in the lifecycles by clustering the existing ones in a conceptually systematic manner. Finally, a synthetic BPM lifecycle is conceptualized that systematizes the existing concepts and their interrelations based on a formalized BPMN model in two levels of granularity: a basic version that illustrates the functional and control-flow aspects of the BPM lifecycle and an enhanced version incorporating additionally the resource and data perspectives. ConclusionThis paper proposes a BPMN-based conceptualization of the BPM lifecycle that can facilitate the management of business processes by providing enhanced clarity, improved resource management, and predefined error handling in a BPM initiative. By systematizing the control-flow, data, and resource perspective of the BPM lifecycle, stakeholders can gain a clear understanding of the sequence of steps, the interrelated data flows, and the distribution of work.

T ransforming A utomatically B PMN Models to S mart Contracts with Nested Trade Transactions (TABS+)

Development of blockchain smart contracts is more difficult than mainstream software development because the underlying blockchain infrastructure poses additional complexity. To ease the developer's task of writing smart contract, we use Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) modeling to describe application requirements for trade of goods and services and then transform automatically the BPMN model into the methods of a smart contract. In our previous research we described our approach and a tool to T ransform A utomatically B PMN models into S mart contracts ( TABS ). In this paper, we describe how the TABS approach is augmented with the support for a BPMN trade transaction that is a collaboration by several actors. Our approach analyzes the BPMN model to determine which patterns in the BPMN model are suitable for use as trade transactions and show those patterns to the developer who decides which ones should be deployed as trade transactions. We describe how our approach automatically transforms the BPMN model into a smart contract that provides a transaction mechanism to enforce the transactional properties of the nested transactions. Our approach greatly reduces the developer's task as synchronization of collaborative activities is provided by our approach, so that the developer needs to code only isolated tasks with well-defined inputs and outputs. We also overview the TABS+ tool we built as a proof of concept to show that our approach is feasible, and we provide estimates on the cost of supporting the nested trade transactions.

Toward an interoperable, intraoperative situation recognition system via process modeling, execution, and control using the standards BPMN and CMMN

PurposeFor the modeling, execution, and control of complex, non-standardized intraoperative processes, a modeling language is needed that reflects the variability of interventions. As the established Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) reaches its limits in terms of flexibility, the Case Management Model and Notation (CMMN) was considered as it addresses weakly structured processes.MethodsTo analyze the suitability of the modeling languages, BPMN and CMMN models of a Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy and Cochlea Implantation were derived and integrated into a situation recognition workflow. Test cases were used to contrast the differences and compare the advantages and disadvantages of the models concerning modeling, execution, and control. Furthermore, the impact on transferability was investigated.ResultsCompared to BPMN, CMMN allows flexibility for modeling intraoperative processes while remaining understandable. Although more effort and process knowledge are needed for execution and control within a situation recognition system, CMMN enables better transferability of the models and therefore the system. Concluding, CMMN should be chosen as a supplement to BPMN for flexible process parts that can only be covered insufficiently by BPMN, or otherwise as a replacement for the entire process.ConclusionCMMN offers the flexibility for variable, weakly structured process parts, and is thus suitable for surgical interventions. A combination of both notations could allow optimal use of their advantages and support the transferability of the situation recognition system.

Assessing business process models: a literature review on techniques for BPMN testing and formal verification

PurposeTesting business processes is crucial to assess the compliance of business process models with requirements. Automating this task optimizes testing efforts and reduces human error while also providing improvement insights for the business process modeling activity. The primary purposes of this paper are to conduct a literature review of Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) testing and formal verification and to propose the Business Process Evaluation and Research Framework for Enhancement and Continuous Testing (bPERFECT) framework, which aims to guide business process testing (BPT) research and implementation. Secondary objectives include (1) eliciting the existing types of testing, (2) evaluating their impact on efficiency and (3) assessing the formal verification techniques that complement testing.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used is based on Kitchenham's (2004) original procedures for conducting systematic literature reviews.FindingsResults of this study indicate that three distinct business process model testing types can be found in the literature: black/gray-box, regression and integration. Testing and verification approaches differ in aspects such as awareness of test data, coverage criteria and auxiliary representations used. However, most solutions pose notable hindrances, such as BPMN element limitations, that lead to limited practicality.Research limitations/implicationsThe databases selected in the review protocol may have excluded relevant studies on this topic. More databases and gray literature could also be considered for inclusion in this review.Originality/valueThree main originality aspects are identified in this study as follows: (1) the classification of process model testing types, (2) the future trends foreseen for BPMN model testing and verification and (3) the bPERFECT framework for testing business processes.

Optimization of purchasing business process in Moroccan public universities based on COBIT and artificial intelligence techniques

PurposeThe main goal of this research work is the optimization of the purchasing business process in the Moroccan public sector in terms of transparency and budgetary optimization. The authors have worked on the public university as an implementation field.Design/methodology/approachThe design of the research work followed the design science research (DSR) methodology for information systems. DSR is a research paradigm wherein a designer answers questions relevant to human problems through the creation of innovative artifacts, thereby contributing new knowledge to the body of scientific evidence. The authors have adopted a techno-functional approach. The technical part consists of the development of an intelligent recommendation system that supports the choice of optimal information technology (IT) equipment for decision-makers. This intelligent recommendation system relies on a set of functional and business concepts, namely the Moroccan normative laws and Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology's (COBIT) guidelines in information system governance.FindingsThe modeling of business processes in public universities is established using business process model and notation (BPMN) in accordance with official regulations. The set of BPMN models constitute a powerful repository not only for business process execution but also for further optimization. Governance generally aims to reduce budgetary wastes, and the authors' recommendation system demonstrates a technical and methodological approach enabling this feature. Implementation of artificial intelligence techniques can bring great value in terms of transparency and fluidity in purchasing business process execution.Research limitations/implicationsBusiness limitations: First, the proposed system was modeled to handle one type products, which are computer-related equipment. Hence, the authors intend to extend the model to other types of products in future works. Conversely, the system proposes optimal purchasing order and assumes that decision makers will rely on this optimal purchasing order to choose between offers. In fact, as a perspective, the authors plan to work on a complete automation of the workflow to also include vendor selection and offer validation. Technical limitations: Natural language processing (NLP) is a widely used sentiment analysis (SA) technique that enabled the authors to validate the proposed system. Even working on samples of datasets, the authors noticed NLP dependency on huge computing power. The authors intend to experiment with learning and knowledge-based SA and assess the' computing power consumption and accuracy of the analysis compared to NLP. Another technical limitation is related to the web scraping technique; in fact, the users' reviews are crucial for the authors' system. To guarantee timeliness and reliable reviews, the system has to look automatically in websites, which confront the authors with the limitations of the web scraping like the permanent changing of website structure and scraping restrictions.Practical implicationsThe modeling of business processes in public universities is established using BPMN in accordance with official regulations. The set of BPMN models constitute a powerful repository not only for business process execution but also for further optimization. Governance generally aims to reduce budgetary wastes, and the authors' recommendation system demonstrates a technical and methodological approach enabling this feature.Originality/valueThe adopted techno-functional approach enabled the authors to bring information system governance from a highly abstract level to a practical implementation where the theoretical best practices and guidelines are transformed to a tangible application.

Graphical user Interfaces Generation from BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) via IFML (Interaction Flow Modeling Language) up to PSM (Platform Specific Model) Level

The fundamental concept behind the MDA (Model Driven Architecture) approach is the development of many models, first the Computation Independent Model (CIM), then the Platform Independent Model (PIM), and lastly the Platform Specific Model (PSM) for the concrete implementation of the system. Web applications are just one example of customized software that is now being developed at an increasing rate. Interaction Flow Modeling Language (IFML) was developed to represent the front end of any program that necessitates a powerful interaction with a user through the use of an interface, regardless of the technical details of its implementation. There are various modeling tools for IFML; the Webratio tool is an illustration that facilitates the generation of the entire web application. This article discusses the model transformations in the MDA’s approach, starting from the CIM level up to the PSM level through the PIM level. To begin, we created the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and IFML metamodels in Eclipse tool, we created also the BPMN model, and we get the IFML model by applying the shift rules in Atlas Transformation Language (ATL). Finally, we generated the application using a standard tool that implements IFML Webratio tool. A CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) features for the after-sales service case study were provided to illustrate the conversion strategy from the CIM level via the PIM level to the PSM level.

Blockchain-Based, Confidentiality-Preserving Orchestration of Collaborative Workflows

Business process collaboration between independent parties is challenging when participants do not completely trust each other. Tracking actions and enforcing the activity authorizations of participants via blockchain-hosted smart contracts is an emerging solution to this lack of trust, with most state-of-the-art approaches generating the orchestrating smart contract logic from Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) models. However, compared to centralized business process orchestration services, smart contract state typically leaks potentially sensitive information about the state of the collaboration, limiting the applicability of decentralized process orchestration. This paper presents a novel, collaboration confidentiality-preserving approach where the process orchestrator smart contract only stores encrypted and hashed process states and validates participant actions against a BPMN model using zero-knowledge proofs. We cover a subset of BPMN, which is sufficient from the practical point of view, support messagepassing between participants, and provide an open-source, endto-end prototype implementation that automatically generates the key software artifacts.

A SOFTWARE TOOL FOR QUALITY MEASUREMENT OF BUSINESS PROCESS MODELS USING DISTANCES IN N-DIMENSIONAL SPACE

This paper considers the problem of quality measurement of business process models using the n-dimensional space distances. Business process models are graphical schemes similar to flowcharts or activity diagrams utilized in software engineering, usually represented using the BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) or EPC (Event-driven Process Chain) notations. Business process modeling aims to capture current enterprise workflows for their analysis and then improvement using automation through IT (Information Technology) systems deployment. Therefore, designed business process models should be of high quality, so all “weak spots” of described organizational workflows could be properly identified and replaced with more efficient solutions. Whereas process models, which are not understandable, un-structured, and/or uncertain, may cause even more issues when used to improve organizational activities. Therefore, this study proposes quality measures and a software tool that can be used to detect errors in BPMN and EPC business process models using distances in n-dimensional space. The formal problem statement based on the graph-based description of business process models was given. Business process model quality characteristics and measures that consider features of both BPMN and EPC notations were proposed. Distances in n-dimensional space were suggested for usage to measure the quality of business process models. The algorithm for business process model quality measurement was proposed. The software tool to measure the quality of BPMN and EPC business process models was designed and developed. The quality of sample business process models was measured using the software tool. Obtained results were analyzed and discussed. This paper considers the Euclidean distance only, while other existing n-dimensional space distance measures or, on the opposite, similarity measures, can be used to evaluate business process model quality in further research.

Blockcheck: A consortium blockchain-based conformance checking framework for business processes

In this paper, the problem of distributed, multi-perspective conformance checking for Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is addressed. Traditionally, conformance checking has been performed centrally by a trusted entity, however that may not be applicable in the case of collaborative processes between multiple organizations. Consortium Blockchain has been adopted to overcome the need for a trusted entity and foster transparency, accountability, and workflow. Existing blockchain-based conformance checking frameworks focus on translating BPMN models into smart contracts, however they do not support complex BPMN constructs, which limits their applicability in real-life collaborations. In this paper, distributed, multi-perspective conformance checking framework is proposed. This framework supports complex BPMN constructs such as Timers or Boundary processes running on a Consortium blockchain. The proposed framework includes: (1) A process to extract Process Conformance Rules from BPMN models, and (2) A blockchain-based technique to perform checking of the extracted rules to determine process conformance. Furthermore, it can be used by businesses in both after-the-fact checking or during process execution in a transparent and trusted manner. Evaluation of the framework implemented over Quorum conducted with real-life logs proves the effectiveness of the proposed framework in terms of detecting various violation types in a traceable and transparent manner.

TABS: Transforming automatically BPMN models into blockchain smart contracts

Research on blockchains addresses multiple issues, with one being the automated creation of smart contracts. Developing smart contract methods is more difficult than mainstream software development as the underlying blockchain infrastructure poses additional complexity. We report on a new approach to developing smart contracts with the objective of automating the process to increase developer efficiency and reduce the risk of errors introduced by software developers. To support industry adoption, we use Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) modeling to describe an application while targeting applications in the trade vertical. We describe a system that transforms a BPMN model into a multi-modal model that combines Discrete Event (DE) modeling for concurrency with Hierarchical State Machines (HSMs) to represent application functionality. Then, further transformations are used to transform the DE-HSM model into methods in smart contracts. The system lets the modeler decide which of the independent patterns should be transformed into methods of a separate smart contract that is deployed on a sidechain for the purpose of (i) reducing processing costs and/or (ii) providing privacy so that other participants in the smart contract do not have visibility into the processing of the pattern. We also briefly describe a proof-of-concept tool we built to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach.

How Do Dental Clinicians Obtain Up-To-Date Patient Medical Histories? Modeling Strengths, Drawbacks, and Proposals for Improvements.

BackgroundAccess to up-to-date patient medical history is essential for dental clinicians (DCs) to avoid potential harm to patients and to improve dental treatment outcomes. The predominant approach for dental clinicians (DCs) to gather patients' medical history is through patient-reported medical histories and medical consults. However, studies reported varied concordance and reliability of patient-reported medical conditions and medication histories compared to the patient medical records and this process also places a significant burden on patients. Information technology tools/platforms such as an integrated electronic health record containing an electronic dental record module may address these issues. However, these integrated systems are expensive and technically complex and may not be easily adopted by DCs in solo and small group practice who provide the most dental care. The recent expansion of regional healthcare information exchange (HIE) provides another approach, but to date, studies on connecting DCs with HIE are very limited. Our study objectives were to model different aspects of the current approaches to identify the strengths and weaknesses, and then model the HIE approach that addresses the weaknesses and retain the strengths of current approaches. The models of current approaches identified the people, resources, organizational aspects, workflow, and areas for improvement; while models of the HIE approach identified system requirements, functions, and processes that may be shared with software developers and other stakeholders for future development.MethodsThere are three phases in this study. In Phase 1, we retrieved peer-reviewed PubMed indexed manuscripts published between January 2013 and November 2020 and extracted modeling related data from selected manuscripts. In Phase 2, we built models for the current approaches by using the Integrated DEFinition Method 0 function modeling method (IDEF0), the Unified Modeling Language (UML) Use Case Diagram, and Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) methods. In Phase 3, we created three conceptual models for the HIE approach.ResultsFrom the 47 manuscripts identified, three themes emerged: 1) medical consult process following patient-reported medical history, 2) integrated electronic dental record-electronic health record (EDR-EHR), and 3) HIE. Three models were built for each of the three themes. The use case diagrams described the actions of the dental patients, DCs, medical providers and the use of information systems (EDR-EHR/HIE). The IDEF0 models presented the major functions involved. The BPMN models depicted the detailed steps of the process and showed how the patient's medical history information flowed through different steps. The strengths and weaknesses revealed by the models of the three approaches were also compared.ConclusionsWe successfully modeled the DCs' current approaches of accessing patient medical history and designed an HIE approach that addressed the current approaches' weaknesses as well as leveraged their strengths. Organizational management and end-users can use this information to decide the optimum approach to integrate dental and medical care. The illustrated models are comprehensive and can also be adopted by EHR and EDR vendors to develop a connection between dental systems and HIEs.

Standards‐based modeling and deployment of serverless function orchestrations using BPMN and TOSCA

AbstractFunction‐as‐a‐Service (FaaS) is a cloud service model enabling to implement serverless applications for a variety of use cases. These range from scheduled calls of single functions to complex function orchestrations executed using orchestration services such as AWS step functions. However, since the available function orchestration technologies vary in functionalities, supported modeling languages, and APIs, modeling such function orchestrations and their deployment require significant technology‐specific expertise. Moreover, the resulting models are typically not portable due to provider‐ and technology‐specific details, and major efforts are required when exchanging an orchestrator or provider due to such lock‐ins. To tackle this issue, we introduce a vendor‐ and technology‐agnostic method for the modeling and deployment of serverless function orchestrations, which relies on the business process model and notation (BPMN) and topology and orchestration specification for cloud applications (TOSCA) standards for modeling function orchestrations and their deployment, respectively. We also present a toolchain for modeling serverless function orchestrations in BPMN, generating proprietary models supported by different function orchestration technologies from BPMN models, specifying their actual deployment in TOSCA, and then enacting such deployment. Finally, we illustrate a case study applying our method and toolchain in practice.

Alignment of Software System Level with Business Process Level: Resolving Syntactic and Semantic Conflicts

Information systems help organizations manage their entities with innovative technologies. These entities are often very different in nature. In this paper, we consider a business process level based on a set of Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) models and a software system level based on a Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagram. The differences between these entities make them difficult to align. In addition, an organization’s BPMN models may be designed by different teams, which can cause syntactic and semantic heterogeneities. We present the first step of our proposed approach for aligning a software system level with a business process level without conflict (redundancy and lost information). Syntactic and semantic rules based on ontologies and other resources for comparing BPMN models are described, as well as a process for transforming BPMN models into UML model.

Integrated privacy decision in BPMN clinical care pathways models using DMN

Personal data is highly affected by the witnessed digital transformation of healthcare processes. This process relies deeply on the connectivity and decentralization of healthcare systems and data repositories. In this context, value creation and quality enhancement are obviously leveraged, however both health providers and individuals could be exposed to many risks ranging from privacy violations to medical identity theft and personal harm. Hence, it is essential that healthcare stakeholders ensure privacy protection and systemic compliance to personal data regulations such as HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Taking clinical processes as a starting point is very important to highlight the personal data in use and to assess whether such usage is justifiable and subsequently allow privacy management decisions to be made. In this paper we combine BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) and DMN (Decision Model and Notation) to model clinical care pathways as standard business processing constituting the hospital information system. Business process modelling presents a useful mean to model clinical care pathways. It allows a complete discovery of data processing scenarios. DMN (Decision Model and Notation) is implemented in BPMN models to present the rules that lead to a decision in easy-to-read tables which are executed directly by a decision engine. In addition, the integration of verifiable security labels of the manipulated data, we make sure compliance to legislation is ensured at the level of decision rules for each decision table of the DMN.

Extending BPMN Models with Sensitive Business Process Aspects

This research article aims to apply the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for the representation of Sensitive Business Processes (SBPs). Therefore, we propose a new extension “BPMN4SBP” explicitly integrate all the relevant issues and aspects relevant at the coupling of the business process modeling (BPM) domain and the knowledge management (KM) domain for improving the management of crucial knowledge which are mobilized and created by these processes. This article provides the analysis of requirements and relevant concepts for modeling SBP. Based on a core domain ontology, need for extension is identified and the valid BPMN4SBP extension is designed (according to the BPMN extension mechanism) by the construction of a conceptional domain model and the corresponding BPMN extension model.

A Lightweight BPMN Extension for Business Process-Oriented Requirements Engineering

Process-oriented requirements engineering approaches are often required to deal with the effective adaptation of existing processes in order to easily introduce new or updated requirements. Such approaches are based on the adoption of widely used notations, such as the one introduced by the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard. However, BPMN models do not convey enough information on the involved entities and how they interact with process activities, thus leading to ambiguities, as well as to incomplete and inconsistent requirements definitions. This paper proposes an approach that allows stakeholders and software analysts to easily merge and integrate behavioral and data properties in a BPMN model, so as to fully exploit the potential of BPMN without incurring into the aforementioned limitation. The proposed approach introduces a lightweight BPMN extension that specifically addresses the annotation of data properties in terms of constraints, i.e., pre- and post-conditions that the different process activities must satisfy. The visual representation of the annotated model conveys all the information required both by stakeholders, to understand and validate requirements, and by software analysts and developers, to easily map these updates to the corresponding software implementation. The presented approach is illustrated by use of two running examples, which have also been used to carry out a preliminary validation activity.

Методы формализации когнитивной графики и визуальных моделей с использованием схем XML

The paper analyses methods of formalising cognitive graphics and visual models using promising data storage formats. We describe the primary visual design techniques and note that they appear to be rather disconnected. We show that ensuring the coupling of data and knowledge in visual models featuring various levels of detail is the main problem in integrated usage of visual modelling tools. We analyse approaches to solving the semantic discontinuity problem, that is, provided we meet the condition under which the properties of objects, systems and processes under consideration are only input once, it is necessary to ensure that data from models corresponding to different levels of abstraction (expertise) is interconnected. One should assume that the main drawback of existing approaches to visualising complex systems is that these approaches are fragmented and isolated, which means that they will only be effective locally. The paper proposes several approaches to formalising visual models employing XML schemas, which ensures that development processes concerning visual models of various levels of abstraction are synchronised and interconnected. We use a BPMN (Business, Process, Model and Notation) visual model as an example that shows the principles of representing visual model elements by means of XML schemas. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the principles behind layer interaction in the BPMN model through flexible XML description. We show that the BPMN data structure boasts its own XML schema containing all the parameters of a class or an element. The paper presents several examples and a technique of applying an XML schema to a BPMN model, including a further generalisation aimed at formally representing the process models of complex systems

An end-to-end approach and tool for BPMN process discovery

Information systems daily register a large amount of data in event logs. All these data can be used for the organizations to automatically discover their process models. However, the automatic construction of simple process models with consistently high and balanced fitness and precision remains a challenging task, which has attracted the attention in the scientific and organizational communities to develop suitable methods for creating high-quality business process models. In this paper, we present an approach to discover the model of a business process based on the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard from its behavior observed in event logs. Particularly, we propose: (1) a method to detect outlier behavior in a given event log; (2) a set of heuristic rules to discover join gateways associated with the closing of each of the split gateways in conformance with the rules of BPMN models; and (3) P-Miner, a tool that realizes our proposed approach to automatically discover and visualize process models. We use a state of the art process discovery technique as a basis for discovering XOR/AND gateways in the models. A set of experiments was carried out on real and artificial event logs for evaluating our proposal, considering the fitness and precision metrics to determine the quality of the built models. The amount of gateways in the resulting BPMN model and the time required to build the process models were estimated. The results reveal that the process models derived by our proposed approach exhibited competitive and more balanced results in fitness and precision than those derived with other discovery techniques.

Aligning Software System Level with Business Process Level through Model-Driven Architecture

Information systems are intended to provide organisations with a new way of sustaining themselves, by helping them manage their activities using innovative technologies. Information systems require aligned levels for maximum effectiveness. In this context, business and information technology (IT) alignment is an important issue for the success of organisations. This paper presents the first step of the proposed approach to align the software system level, modelled by a Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagram, with the business process level, modelled by the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) model. A model-driven architecture approach is proposed as a means to transform a set of BPMN models into a UML class diagram. A set of transformation rules is proposed, followed by guidelines that help apply those rules.

Are requirements elicitation sessions influenced by participants' gender? An empirical experiment

• We conducted two rounds in an empirical experiment. • We evaluate the significant differences of the gender of requirements engineers and stakeholders. • We contrast some ideas extracted from the related works. Requirements elicitation is a crucial phase in the software development life cycle. During requirements elicitation sessions, requirements engineers capture software requirements, and motivate stakeholders to express needs and expected software functionalities. In this context, there is a lack of extensive empirical research reporting the extent to which elicitation sessions can be influenced by participants' gender. This paper presents our research endeavour to investigate requirements engineers' effort and elicited requirements' accuracy based on participants' gender. We conducted an experiment in two rounds with a total of 59 students who played the role of requirements engineers. In the first experimental task, the participant watched two videos where men and women stakeholders expressed software requirements. Later on, the participants specified software requirements in the shape of Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and next they generated Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) from those models. We observed two significant differences. One between men and women requirements engineers in terms of dedicated effort during requirements specification: men took less effort. Other between stakeholders' gender in terms of accuracy resulted of BPMN models: models built from men stakeholders yield more accuracy. On the contrary, accuracy of resulted GUIs models did not show significant differences regarding requirements engineers or stakeholders' gender. Analysing descriptive data, women spent more time both as stakeholders and as requirements engineers but their accuracy is better.