Process Reference Model Research Articles

Graph-Based Token Replay for Online Conformance Checking

Conformance checking is able to detect deviations in business process execution. An online detection capability is required to anticipate and respond immediately to possible impacts. The state-of-the-art online conformance checking is a prefix-alignment (PA) technique. However, this technique has an important weakness of maintaining all the state data of running processes in memory. In an online environment, the last event of a case is unknown, whereas a PA requires this information to free up memory space for other cases. Consequently, the PA does not meet the requirements of online conformance checking to process infinite data (event stream) without memory constraints. PA also has a conplex state space search computation especially for large and complex reference process model. In this paper, a Graph-Based Online Token Replay (GO-TR) method is proposed. This method takes benefit of Graph Database to adapts the Token-Based Replay (TBR) technique which has simple replay computation. We propose a Replay Image (RI) to store the case administration and developed a cypher based algorithm to simulate token replay on the RI to handle the event stream. Finally, we propose a cypher-based algorithm to identify and replay invisible path. The experiment result show that GO-TR has succeeded in adapting TBR and solved the problem of wrong-place tokens in TBR. GO-TR outperform the replay throughput for relatively low amount of data against state of the art online conformance checking. In terms of memory usage, GO-TR shows its superiority over state of the art because it is safe against memory limitations problems.

Blending agile methodologies to support automotive SPICE compliance

AbstractCurrently, agile methodologies are widely used as a light‐weight development process model based on short development cycles, which can satisfy frequent change requests from customers and stakeholders, and reach an efficient product delivery. On the other hand, most suppliers in the automotive industry are currently facing a challenge to comply to automotive SPICE (ASPICE) standard, which is a domain‐specific model of ISO/IEC 15504. Moreover, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have increasingly requested ASPICE compliance from their suppliers to accurately assess their process quality capability. This paper analyzes to what extent the ASPICE process areas were covered by agile and aims to propose a model based on integrating agile methodologies, as well as customize some agile practices so that it can fit in the Automotive SPICE process model and support automotive suppliers to achieve the required ASPICE rating. MAN.03, which is the process area for project management, was selected from the process reference model (PRM). Then, each base practice (BP) was mapped to the suitable agile methodology. Moreover, MAN.03 consists of 10 BPs, and each BP rating was measured to be N, P, L, or F. For Level 1, we applied Kanban on BP.4 and Scrum on the remaining BPs. For Level 2, we applied Scrum on all generic practices. We presented our results after deploying Kanban, and a restructured version of Scrum, which makes it in compliance with the automotive industry. The approach taken in this study could be applied in other process areas in the PRM afterwards.

Modelling the bioinformatics tertiary analysis research process

BackgroundWith the advancements of Next Generation Techniques, a tremendous amount of genomic information has been made available to be analyzed by means of computational methods. Bioinformatics Tertiary Analysis is a complex multidisciplinary process that represents the final step of the whole bioinformatics analysis pipeline. Despite the popularity of the subject, the Bioinformatics Tertiary Analysis process has not yet been specified in a systematic way. The lack of a reference model results into a plethora of technological tools that are designed mostly on the data and not on the human process involved in Tertiary Analysis, making such systems difficult to use and to integrate.MethodsTo address this problem, we propose a conceptual model that captures the salient characteristics of the research methods and human tasks involved in Bioinformatics Tertiary Analysis. The model is grounded on a user study that involved bioinformatics specialists for the elicitation of a hierarchical task tree representing the Tertiary Analysis process. The outcome was refined and validated using the results of a vast survey of the literature reporting examples of Bioinformatics Tertiary Analysis activities.ResultsThe final hierarchical task tree was then converted into an ontological representation using an ontology standard formalism. The results of our research provides a reference process model for Tertiary Analysis that can be used both to analyze and to compare existing tools, or to design new tools.ConclusionsTo highlight the potential of our approach and to exemplify its concrete applications, we describe a new bioinformatics tool and how the proposed process model informed its design.

Organizational process maturity model for IoT data quality management

Data quality management (DQM) is one of the most critical aspects to ensure successful applications of the Internet of Things (IoT). So far, most of the approaches for assuring data quality are typically data-centric, i.e., mainly focus on fixing data issues for specific values. However, organizations can also benefit from improving their capabilities of their DQM processes by developing organizational best DQM practices. In this regard, our investigation addresses how well organizations perform their DQM processes in the IoT domain. The main contribution of this study is to establish a framework for IoT DQM maturity. This framework is compliant with ISO 8000-61 (DQM: process reference model) and ISO 8000-62 (DQM: organizational process maturity assessment) and can be used to assess and improve the capabilities of the DQM processes for IoT data. The framework is composed of two elements. First, a process reference model (PRM) for IoT DQM is proposed by extending the PRM for DQM defined in ISO 8000-61, tailoring some existing processes and adding new ones. Second, a maturity model suitable for IoT data is proposed based on the PRM for IoT DQM. The maturity model, named IoT DQM3, is proposed by extending the maturity model defined in ISO 8000-62. However, in order to increase the usability of IoT DQM3, we consider adequate the proposition of a simplification of the IoT DQM3, by introducing a lightweight version to reduce assessment indicators and facilitate its industrial adoption. A simplified method to measure the capability of a process is also suggested considering the relationship of process attributes with the measurement stack defined in ISO 8000-63. The empirical validation of the maturity model is twofold. First, the appropriateness of the two models is surveyed with data quality experts who are currently working in various organizations around the world. Second, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposal, the light-weight version is applied to a manufacturing company as a case study.

Supporting the Implementation of Predictive Maintenance

The perception of predictive maintenance as a proactive maintenance strategy to anticipate and reduce severe and costly failures and by thus increasing asset reliability has grown significantly in recent years. Due to the availability of machine sensor data and the intention to use these data in a purposeful way, the introduction of predictive maintenance provides a logical step towards maintenance optimization in industry. Several German industrial surveys highlight the growing interest in the topic by the majority of the addressed companies. Nevertheless, most of these companies are considering predictive maintenance on their future agenda and are currently only at the beginning of its implementation. This is, in many cases, due to missing internal knowledge and systematic guidance for maintenance practitioners. Existing process models and supportive guidance build on theoretical knowledge from experts; however, they often lack the complexity and challenges of industrial applications. In addition, most theoretical models focus on specific aspects of the entire process, target particular application areas, or present a few high-level steps. This paper, therefore, introduces the Process Reference Model for Predictive Maintenance (PReMMa), a comprehensive three-stage hierarchical process reference model for the implementation of predictive maintenance for industrial applications. The process reference model synthesizes existing process models as well as results from interviews with eleven practitioners from both management consultancies and experts from several industrial fields. With regard to four main phases and the predictive maintenance application, results are presented with consideration of the essential steps, their deliverables as well as the involved persons.

A conceptual framework for cloud-based advanced planning systems

ABSTRACT In the last decade, Cloud Computing (CC) and Advanced Planning Systems (APS) are two emerging topics. However, no comprehensive model that considers both topics at a conceptual level exists. Purpose of this article is to provide a conceptual framework for cloud-based APS. Within the framework, we propose a generic structure of fundamental services and components to fulfill different consumer requirements from the area of supply chain planning. In addition, we elaborate appropriate service, deployment, and pricing models and introduce the ‘Result-as-a-Service’ model. The research is generally based on the design science research approach by extending CC to the problem domain of supply chain planning. Based on the framework, several findings concerning the potential of cloud-based APS but also caveats like insufficient planning capabilities are elaborated. Furthermore, several most important research topics (e.g. process and object reference models) are formulated and form an initial agenda for research on cloud-based APS.

A dynamic process reference model for sparse networks with reciprocity

ABSTRACT Many social and other networks exhibit stable size scaling relationships, such that features such as mean degree or reciprocation rates change slowly or are approximately constant as the number of vertices increases. Statistical network models built on top of simple Bernoulli baseline (or reference) measures often behave unrealistically in this respect, leading to the development of sparse reference models that preserve features such as mean degree scaling. In this paper, we generalize recent work on the micro-foundations of such reference models to the case of sparse directed graphs with non-vanishing reciprocity, providing a dynamic process interpretation of the emergence of stable macroscopic behavior.

An Application of a Multi-Criteria Approach for the Development of a Process Reference Model for Supply Chain Operations

Nowadays, there are a plethora of business process modeling tools for use by researchers and practitioners. This paper presents the implementation of a methodological approach for the selection of such a tool in order to construct a process reference model. This reference model will support the development of a distribution system in the context of the supply chain in the phase of the system’s requirements definition, as well as in the final implementation of the system in real-life supply chain operations. The reference model is crucial for the easy and effective adoption of the system into companies’ processes. Therefore, the choice of the modeling tool can strongly support the design, development and implementation of the system. In this context, the application of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was carried out in order to select the appropriate tool, utilizing a combination of the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) I method for the decision-making with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for the calculation of the weights of the evaluation criteria. The MCDA’s results showed that the Architecture of Integrated Information Systems (ARIS) Architect & Designer Tool was the one that better met the evaluation criteria. The sensitivity analysis that followed the MCDA reaffirmed its results by revealing that this tool had the highest consistency, despite the changes in the scenarios.

Reference process model for disaster response operations

ABSTRACT Process analysis, models and management are considered relevant issues with several benefits to disaster response operations. Thus, the goal of this paper is to analyze the existing process models on disaster response operations and combine their different perspectives to develop a reference process model. A systematic literature review is conducted, and after analyzing 381 abstracts and 98 full papers from the Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases, 19 process models for disaster response are identified. The critical analysis of them is discussed and considered in the development of the reference process model for disaster response, which describes 62 processes at two detail levels. Moreover, the use of the model is discussed by the verification of its adherence according to a real disaster response operation. Finally, the paper explains the suitability of the model to be used and reused as a guide in operations planning and offers a research agenda.

Improving the quality and quantity of functional and non‐functional requirements obtained during requirements elicitation stage for the development of e‐commerce mobile applications: an alternative reference process model

Many of the software development projects are not successfully finished. In many cases, this is because the software requirements were not correctly identified. One of the factors that affect the elicitation of requirements is the proper selection of requirements elicitation techniques. Even when there is a lot of literature that proposes several requirements elicitation techniques, there is no reference process model that indicates the techniques that must be applied by a requirement's engineer to elicit the requirements of a mobile application for e-commerce. This gap covers both the elicitation of functional and non-functional requirements. Therefore, the authors propose a new model called reference process model for requirements elicitation for e-commerce mobile applications development (RPM-REFEMAD), which allows the elicitation of requirements based on the use of four elicitation techniques combined in ten steps. The proposed model was applied in the requirements elicitation of two e-commerce mobile applications in different scenarios. To visualise the results of the model, a survey was designed and applied to users/stakeholders who participated in the reference process model evaluation. The survey results indicated that RPM-REFEMAD model helps to elicit more quality and quantity functional and non-functional requirements, in comparison with the use of traditional requirements elicitation techniques.

Supporting the deployment of ISO-based project management processes with agile metrics

Agile approaches are well perceived in software development companies. These approaches are not faced with traditional process models. This research analyses how by defining and monitoring a set of Agile metrics, Agile mature companies can be also conformant with the best practices proposed by the targeted ISO process reference models. Conformance has been identified with five Technical Management processes of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 standard and with two activities of the Project Management process of the ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-1-2 standard. The findings may be of the interest of those Agile settings that need to work according to the process model established in the company.

Control-flow analysis of procedural skills competencies in medical training through process mining

BackgroundProcedural skills are key to good clinical results, and training in them involves a significant amount of resources. Control-flow analysis (ie, the order in which a process is performed) can...

The First Steps Towards Innovation: A Reference Process for Developing Product Profiles

AbstractSuccessful companies spend many of their resources in the initiation and realisation of innovation projects, which might be successful at the market. Especially in the early phase of these projects, there is a high degree of uncertainty and therefore, product profiles established themselves as methodological support for product developers. However, it is not possible to give developers a straight and always equal process to follow for developing these product profiles. Based on this problem, this contribution investigates context-independent process steps to develop promising product profiles. Thus, this work provides a possible reference process to develop product profiles to support product developers in the early stage of innovation projects. Therefore, 631 process steps of 16 innovation projects were analysed and 100 process steps were derived from literature. Based on an expert workshop, 48 of these process steps were identified as relevant to consider in a context-independent reference process model. In a further empirical Live-Lab study, process patterns were investigated and the usability and relevance of the process steps were evaluated as positive.

Bottom-up authoring of software engineering methods and practices

Software Engineering knowledge is obtained during software engineering efforts, such as projects, experiments and case studies that represent a valuable source of knowledge with which to enrich the discipline. This knowledge is manipulated by practitioners who are in charge of developing, maintaining or integrating software; any practitioner, experienced or beginner, possesses his/her tacit practices in order to carry out their work. However, these ways of working are frequently neither expressed nor collected in order to reason about their characteristics and properties. Moreover, the explicit ways of working, which are presented in process reference models and standards that follow a prescriptive approach, are not suitable for small software development organizations. Small organizations represent a major part of software development organizations, so it is important to know and support how they actually work.
 This paper describes KUALI-BEH, a bottom-up metamodel that offers software engineering practitioners an authoring framework with which to express, adapt and share their ways of working as a collection of methods and practices. Validating and applying the metamodel showed that a bottom-up approach benefits small organizations and serves as a first step to reduce the gap between software engineering theory and practice. KUALI-BEH permits small organizations to create an organizational working method and to gradually introduce them to the adoption of standards and reference models. Practitioners with different levels of competence, from inexperienced to senior, adopt and use KUALI-BEH successfully with minimal training and without any consulting services.

Building Arc Crust: Plutonic to Volcanic Connections in an Extensional Oceanic Arc, the Southern Alisitos Arc, Baja California

AbstractThe ∼50 km long Rosario segment of the Cretaceous Alisitos oceanic arc terrane provides undeformed three-dimensional exposures of the upper 7 km of an oceanic extensional arc, where crustal generation processes are recorded in both the volcanic and underlying plutonic rocks. These exceptional exposures allow for the study of the physical and chemical links between the rock units and help constrain the differentiation processes active during the growth and evolution of arc crust. This study focuses on the southern third of the Rosario segment, previously referred to as the southern volcano-bounded basin, and its plutonic underpinnings. Upper crustal rocks in the Rosario segment consist of a 3–5 km thick volcanic–volcaniclastic section with hypabyssal intrusions. Plutons intrude these units at various levels along-strike, but at each intrusive contact the transition is complete over a distance of <150 m, where stoped volcanic blocks are present. There is striking compositional overlap in whole-rock and mineral chemistry between the plutonic and volcanic units, suggesting a comagmatic source. Whole-rock geochemistry shows coherent trends in major and trace elements in mafic to intermediate compositions, but less coherent trends above 63 wt % SiO2. Units are predominantly low-K with flat rare earth element patterns, and show large ion lithophile element enrichment and high field strength element depletion. Initial Nd and Pb isotope ratios overlap for all units and imply no cratonic continental involvement. This agrees with low Sr/Y ratios of all rock types, indicative of thin, immature oceanic arc crust. Modeling results show that closed-system fractional crystallization drove crustal differentiation from mafic to intermediate compositions, but open-system processes likely occurred to produce some of the felsic compositions. Differentiation occurred in a two-step fractionation process. Step 1, from basaltic andesite to andesite, fractionated an anhydrous gabbroic cumulate (∼40% crystallization). Step 2, from andesite to rhyolite, fractionated a hydrous amphibole cumulate (∼65% crystallization, total), which is similar to what fluid dynamical models suggest for production of rhyolite (between 50–70% crystallization). Our results can be used as a reference model for differentiation processes relating to the growth of the middle and upper crust within active extensional arc systems. The Rosario segment plutonic rocks may be analogous to the low-velocity zone (Vp = 6·0–6·5 km s–1) imaged within the extensional Izu–Bonin arc. The chemistry of the plutonic and volcanic rocks is most similar to those of volcanic rocks in the Izu–Bonin active rift.

Quality Frameworks and Learning Design for Open Education

This article discusses the need to innovate education due to global changes to keep its status as a human right and public good and introduces Open Education as a theory to fulfil these requirements. A systematic literature review confirms the hypothesis that a holistic quality framework for Open Education does not exist. For its development, a brief history and definition of Open Education are provided first. It is argued that Open Education improves learning quality through the facilitation of innovative learning designs and processes. Therefore, sources of learning quality and dimensions of quality development are discussed. To support the improvement of the learning quality and design of Open Education, the Reference Process Model of ISO/IEC 40180 (former ISO/IEC 19796-1) is introduced and modified for Open Education. Adapting the three quality dimensions and applying the macro, meso, and micro levels, the OpenEd Quality Framework is developed. This framework combines and integrates the different quality perspectives in a holistic approach that is mapping them to the learning design, processes, and results. Finally, this article illustrates potential adaptations and benefits of the OpenEd Quality Framework. The OpenEd Quality Framework can be used in combination with other tools to address the complexity of and to increase the quality and impact of Open Education. To summarize, the OpenEd Quality Framework serves to facilitate and foster future improvement of the learning design and quality of Open Education.

Semi-automatic inductive construction of reference process models that represent best practices in public administrations: A method

Business process management often uses reference models to improve processes or as starting point when creating individual process models. The current academic literature offers primarily deductive methods with which to develop these reference models, although some methods develop reference models inductively from a set of individual process models, focusing on deriving and representing common practices. However, there is no inductive method with which to detect best practices and represent them in a reference model. This paper addresses this research gap by proposing a method by which to develop reference process models that represent best practices in public administrations semi-automatically and inductively. The method uses a merged model that retains the structure of the source models while detecting their common parts. It identifies best practices using query constructs and ranking criteria to group the source models’ elements and to evaluate these groups. We provide a conceptualization of the method and demonstrate its functionality using an artificial example. We describe our implementation of the method in a software prototype and report on its evaluation in a workshop with domain and method experts who applied the method to real-world process models.

Initial reference process model for the engineering of validation environments comprising physical and virtual models

Continuous validation during the product development process ensures that the product ultimately meets or exceeds customer requirements. According to PGE – Product Generation Engineering, products are developed in generations and are therefore mostly based on existing reference products. This applies both to the development of the product and for the development of suitable validation environments, since models, methods, test benches and measurement techniques exist as resources from earlier development processes and can be reused. Engineers can use resources from previous product generations for the validation of the current product. However, if a development result cannot be validated with the existing resources, the development of a new validation system (secondary activity) is started. As a result, engineers develop the product and the validation system simultaneously in the next phase.Whilst the primary activities related to the product engineering itself are well described in the integrated Product engineering Model (iPeM), the transfer of these engineering activities within the validation system can be further specified in detail. Therefore, the meaning of the engineering activities related to the product engineering itself are adapted to the validation system and its validation environments. With this, an analysis of already conducted actual engineering processes of validation environments is carried out. Following, the temporal occurrence of the engineering activities are linked to typical identified phases. With this, a time normalized reference process model was derived in the context of the iPeM to support the engineering of new generations of validation environments.

Extending Data Quality Management for Smart Connected Product Operations

Smart connected product (SCP) operation embodies the concept of the internet of things (IoT). To increase the probability of success of SCP operations for customers, the high quality of the IoT data across operations is imperative. IoT data go beyond sensor data, as integrate some other various type of data such as timestamps, device metadata, business data, and external data through SCP operation processes. Therefore, traditional data-centric approaches that analyze sensor data and correct their errors are not enough to preserve, in long-term basis, adequate levels of quality of IoT data. This research provides and alternative framework of data quality management as a process-centric approach to improve the quality of IoT data. The proposed framework extends the process reference model (PRM) for data quality management (DQM) defined in ISO 8000-61, and tailored to fully adapt to the special requirements of the IoT data management. These involve several adaptations: first, the scope of the SCP operations for data quality management is determined, and the processes required for SCP operations are defined following the process description format of ISO 8000-61. Second, the relationship between the processes and the structure of the processes in the technology stack of the SCP operations are described to cover the actual nature of the IoT data flows. Finally, a new IoT DQM-PRM is proposed by integrating the processes for the SCP operations with DQM-PRM. When these processes are executed in the organization, the quality of IoT data composed of data of various types can be continuously improved and the utilization rate of SCP operations is expected to increase.

Insights on software selection based on reference models for business processes: an example in product lifecycle management

Adequate software selection among available alternatives in the market is considered one of the most critical factors for successful software implementation. Identifying the commercial software that could better support a company's business processes is a demanding effort. Current software selection methods do not always take advantage of the knowledge that can be embedded in various types of business reference models. This paper presents initial insights into the application of reference models for business process to support software selection. The approach relies on an integrated process-software reference model, which may be linked to a capabilities database of commercially available software. Based on a case application to product lifecycle management (PLM), the advantages and drawbacks of extensive reference model usage on software selection are discussed. Results indicate that business reference models have the potential to facilitate and enhance software selection. However, the high effort to build the integrated process-software model needs to be considered on overall benefits estimation.