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How Novices Model Business Processes @BPM2010

Description

the presentation of the paper "How Novices Model Business Processes" at the International Conference on Business Process Management. The paper can be found at http://eprints.qut.edu.au/33203/

Transcript

how novices model
business processes
Jan Recker | Niz Safrudin | Michael Rosemann

Business Process Management Group
Information Systems Discipline
Faculty of Science and Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane Australia
A picture replaces
1,000 words,
or do I need 1,000
words to explain a
picture?

the standard
BPMN 2.0
Voelzer (2009)
OUR
INTERPRETATION
OF THE
PROBLEM
We tend to force users to think like
process modelers,

when process modelers should think
like users.
THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
THE RESEARCH MODEL
METHOD & FINDINGS
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

AGENDA
TODAY
Research Questions
RQ1 How do novice analysts carry out business process modeling
when uninformed of formal modeling method(s)?

RQ2 How ‘good’ are the different types of process designs in
representing important business elements of a particular
process scenario?
Our Research Model
Prior Experience
Process Design Work
F: Method Knowledge
O: Process Modeling
Experience F: Process Design
Data Modeling Representation Type
Experience
O: Diagram Classification
Object-Oriented
Modeling Experience

F: Domain Knowledge
O: Experience with Airport
Domain
F: Process Design
Representation
F: Artistic Competency Quality
O: Drawing skill O: Semantic Correctness
Assessment Assessment

KEY
F: Theoretical Factor O: Operationalisation of Factor
Data Collection

QUASI‐EXPERIMENT

Part 1: Demographics Survey
Data Collection

QUASI‐EXPERIMENT

Part 2: Drawing Skills
Data Collection

QUASI‐EXPERIMENT

Part 3: Solving a modeling problem
Mark is going on a trip to Sydney. He decides to call a taxi from home to the
airport. The taxi arrives after 10 minutes, and takes half an hour for the 20
kilometers to the airport. At the airport, Mark uses the online check-in counter
and receives his boarding pass. Of course, he could have also used the ticket
counter. He does not have to check-in any luggage, and so he proceeds
straight to the security check, which is 100 meters down the hall on the right.
The queue here is short and after 5 minutes he walks up to the level with the
departure gates. Mark decides not to go to the Frequent Flyer lounge and
instead walks up and down the shops for 15 minutes and buys a newspaper
before he returns to the gate. After ten minutes waiting, he boards the plane.
Mark is going on a trip to Sydney. He decides to call a taxi
from home to the airport. The taxi arrives after 10 minutes,
and takes half an hour for the 20 kilometers to the airport. At
the airport, Mark uses the online check-in counter and
receives his boarding pass. Of course, he could have also
used the ticket counter. He does not have to check-in any
luggage, and so he proceeds straight to the security check,
which is 100 mtrs down the hall on the right. The queue here
is short and after 5 minutes he walks up to the level with the
departure gates. Mark decides not to go to the Frequent Flyer
lounge and instead walks up and down the shops for
15 minutes and buys a newspaper before he returns to the
gate. After ten minutes waiting, he boards the plane.

HOW NOVICES MODEL BUSINESS PROCESSES

… for instance
Coding and Analysis
Process Design Work

Process Design Type [DT] F: Process Design
Representation
Type
•Iterative multi-coder approach O: Diagram
Classification
•Classifying diagrams per:
•Graphical constructs
•Textual information
•Control flow F: Process Design
Representation
Quality
O: Semantic
Correctness
Assessment
Research Findings

TYPE I                               TYPE II TYPE III TYPE IV TYPE V

No graphics Negligible graphics Some graphics Lots of graphics All graphics
All text Lots of text Lots of text Some text Negligible text
No. of Diagram 54 / 75
Percentage of Students 72%

DT2 Flowchart Design
No. of Diagram 6 / 75
Percentage of Students 8%

DT3 Hybrid Design
No. of Diagram 11 / 75
Percentage of Students 14%

DT4 Storyboard Design
Research Findings

Predicting the chosen
Process Design Type [DT]

•DT2 (Flowchart Design):
•PDK a significant predictor (Beta = 1.47,
p = 0.04)
•DT4 (Storyboard Design):
•OMK a significant negative predictor (Beta =
-3.62, p = 0.01)
Coding and Analysis
Process Design Work

Process Design Quality [DQ] F: Process Design
Representation
•Multi-coder approach Type
O: Diagram
•Semantic Correctness Classification
• based on (Yang et al., 2005; Mendling et al.,
2009; Nickerson et al., 2008)
•Representation of:
• Activities • Temporal Information F: Process Design
• States • Geospatial Information Representation
Quality
• Events
O: Semantic
• Business Rule Correctness
Assessment
Research Findings
Predicting the
Process Design Quality [DQ]

•ANOVA Analysis
•DT a significant predictor
(F = 12.46, p = 0.00)
•PDK a significant predictor
(F = 9.57, p = 0.01)
Research Findings
Predicting the
Process Design Quality [DQ]
DT with  State Task Event Business  Time Distance
highest  Rules
mean 
results
DT1 5.00 5.00 1.00 4.00 4.00 5.00
DT2 2.98* 3.81* 2.81* 4.06 3.15 * 3.07
DT3 2.50 3.00 1.33 3.17 3.00 3.67
DT4 2.73 2.82 1.27 3.09 2.91 3.73*
DT5 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

Multivariate ANOVA Selected Results
Research Findings
QUALITY DIMENSION PRIOR EXPERIENCE OF INDIVIDUALS

MANOVA Significant Results of Prior Experience
Qualitative Analysis
“Dual Coding Theory”
Paivio (1990) Effective conveyance of information
• Interdependency – text and graphics
Qualitative Analysis
“Physics of Notation”
Moody (2009) Theory of effective visual notations
•Monosemy

independent
symbol

has established
meaning
Qualitative Analysis
“Spatial Contiguity”
Mayer & Moreno (2003) Inclusion of text and graphics
• Rather than segregation
Qualitative Analysis
“Temporal Information”
Boroditsky (2000) DT2 Flowcharts
• Textual captions within abstract shapes
Qualitative Analysis
“Geospatial Information”
DT4 Storyboards
• Notable: Effective and intuitive representation
Discussion

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
Students as novice analysts
Inter-Subjectivity in coding
Drawing, not designing, skill assessment
Explanatory power of statistics
Coding by professional modeler
Conclusions
Implications
ACADEMIC CURRICULUM
Introduce Business Process Modeling informally
General teaching practice

INDUSTRY PRACTICE
Communication amongst uninformed stakeholders
Leverage intuitive articulations in process (re-) design initiatives

RESEARCH
How can creative problem-solving (for process innovation) be
supported through process models?
Contact Us
Jan Recker, Niz Safrudin,Michael Rosemann

Business Process Management Group
Queensland University of Technology
126 Margaret Street
Brisbane QLD 4000 Australia

e {j.recker; norizan.safrudin; m.rosemann}@qut.edu.au
t janrecker, nizzsafrudin, ismiro
w http://www.bpm.fit.qut.edu.au