Contributed on March 24, 2011

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Making Things Simpler: How Primitives Help Integrate BPM and Enterprise Architecture

Description

Presentation about the US Department of Defense Primitives project, which aims at creating design guidelines for modelers using BPMN and related techniques. Presented at the 2010 Building Business Capability conference, Alexandria, VA, October 21, 2010.

Transcript

Making Things Simpler
How Primitives help integrate
BPM and Enterprise Architecture
Michael zur Muehlen, Ph.D.
Center for Business Process Innovation
Howe School of Technology Management
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken NJ
Michael.zurMuehlen@stevens.edu 1
Why Enterprise Architecture?
To Understand
Analyze what already exist
Assess what will be
Main purpose: People Integration/Conversation
To Build
Design what will be within today’s constraints
Set objectives and constraints for detailed specifications
Main purpose: Instruction/Guideline
To Verify
Provide a framework for others
Evaluate current practice against existing guidelines
Main purpose: Compliance/Control

2
Background
Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA)
Captures Business Mission Area Processes
Acquisition Management
Common Supplier Engagement
Human Resource Management
Financial Management
Real Property Management
Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF)
Defines Architecture Perspectives
Subsets mandated (e.g. for large systems development)

3
What are Good Models?

Correct Relevant Economical

Model
Quality

Clear Comparable Systematic

4
Part 1
Painting the right Picture

5
Why BPMN?
Dominant Standard for Process Modeling
Better Event-handling than UML Activity Diagrams
Better Organization Modeling than IDEF0
Better Cross-Organization Modeling than FlowCharts
Ratified by Object Management Group = Open Standard
Over 70 Implementations = Tool Support
Certification and Training Available = Modeler Support

22
Isn’t That Enough?
Tool Vendors support BPMN subsets
Not all constructs implemented, supported at runtime
Tool Vendors “enhance” BPMN with proprietary symbols
Pretty, but not interoperable

23
BPMN Support

Enterprise Architect 7.1
Process Platform 4.5
System Architect 11

Enhydra JaWe 2.4-1
Modeler for Visio

IDS Scheer ARIS
TIBCO Business
itPearls Process

SunGard Infinity

Sparxsystems
ProVision 6.1

BizAgi 0.66.2

Toolset 7.02
Studio 3.0.1
BPMN Primitives Symbol

Connecting Objects
Sequence Flow
X X X X X X X X X

Message Flow
X X X X X X X X

Association
X X X X X X X

Task
X X X X X X X X X

Sub-Process (Collapsed)
X X X X X X X

Activities
Sub-Process (Expanded)
X X X X

Loop
X O X X X X X X

Multiple Instance
X O X X X X X

Start Event
X X X X X X X X X

Start Message
X X X X X X X X
Start Events

Start Timer
X X X X X X X X

Start Conditional
X X X X X X X X

Start Signal
X X
Interm. Catching Events

Intermediate Catching Message
X X X X X X

Intermediate Catching Timer
X X X X X X

Intermediate Catching Conditional
X X X X X X

Intermediate Catching Signal
X X
Interm.Throw

Intermediate Throwing Message
.Events

X X

Intermediate Throwing Signal
X X

End Event
X X X X X X X X X
End Events

End Message
X X X X X X X

End Signal
X X
Swimlanes

Pool
X X X X X X X X

Lane
X X X X X X X X

Data-based Exclusive Gateway
X X X X X X X X
Gateways

Event-based Exclusive Gateway
X X X X X X X

Parallel Gateway
X X X X X X X X

Inclusive Gateway
X X X X X X X

8
Arti-
fact

Data Object
X X X X X X X
Isn’t That Enough?
Tool Vendors support BPMN subsets
Not all constructs implemented, supported at runtime
Tool Vendors “enhance” BPMN with proprietary symbols
Pretty, but not interoperable
BPMN is too rich for its own good
Multiple ways to depict the same content
Slow uptake of full symbol-set in practice
Even experienced modelers make mistakes using more exotic symbols

23
Current Practice (Legal)

10
Current Practice (Not so Legal)

‣ Events cannot have any attached events: Syntax violation
‣ Start Event Type cannot be attached to other objects: Syntax violation
‣ Precedence relationship among messages is not clear
‣ Uncontrolled Sequence Flow does not clarify preconditions
‣ Relation of additional Document Flow to Sequence Flow is not clear
Design Primitives
BPMN Symbols
Some Symbols are “outlawed”
Conditional Sequence Flow
Certain Event Types
Certain Activity Types
Complex Gateways
Best practices for common modeling scenarios

6
Which BPMN
Modeling subset do
Practice people use?

Δ = untapped potential
Δ = skill deficit
OR unnecessary features

What can the How should you
BPMN use BPMN?
express? Modeling Practice

BPMN BPMN Best
Features Practice

Δ = standard design flaws
13
+ Pool, Lane, Grouping,
Annotation, Document,
Transaction Boundary…

BPMN 1.0 – Elements Available
14
+ Pool, Lane, Grouping,
Annotation, Document,
Transaction Boundary…

Sample Project – Elements Used
15
Normal Flow
Task
End Event
Start Event / Event
Pool
Data-Based XOR
Start Message
Text Annotation
Message Flow
Parallel Fork/Join
Lanes
Gateway
Sub-Process (Collapsed)
Association
Data Object
Intermediate Timer
Intermediate Message
End Terminate
Sub-Process (Expanded)
End Link
Default Flow
Inclusive Decision/Merge
Activity Looping
Exception Task
Start Link
End Message
End Exception
Complex Decision/Merge
Event-Based XOR
Multiple Instance
Group
three sources:

Transaction
Intermediate Event
End Cancel
Compensation
Intermediate Compensation
Long-tail usage pattern
Consulting Projects

Conditional Flow
Exception Flow
Intermediate Link
Web (random collection)

Start Timer
BPMN Seminar participants

Off-page connector
Start Rule
Source: 126+ BPMN diagrams from

Intermediate Rule
be found among any of the diagrams

Intermediate Multiple
Some BPEL-related primitives could not

End Compensation
Start Multiple
Web
Frequency of BPMN Symbol Use

Intermediate Exception
Seminar

Intermediate Cancel
Consulting

End Multiple
16

Compensation Association
17
Solution: Primitives

18
Common Pitfalls
Conditions as Activities
Gateways without Decisions
States as Activities

19
Conditions as Activities
Situation: After an Exclusive of Inclusive OR Gateway I need to show how
work is routed based on the evaluation of a condition

20
Gateways without Decisions
Situation: As soon as work arrives it is sorted into different categories for
further processing.

21
States as Activities
Situation: How do I model work where no value-added work is performed?

22
Solution: Primitives & Patterns

23
Patterns are composed of Primitives!

Low- and High-Level Patterns
24
BPMN 2.0 Conformance Class

25
Part 2
Finding the right Words

26
Model Design Conventions
BPMN Model Design
Naming Conventions for Activities
Best practices for labeling of activities and objects
Ties to Common Vocabulary
Layout Conventions
Use of Pools/Lanes
Placement of Gateways

20
Enterprise Architecture Big Picture
Defined by
Architecture Modeling
Language
described by Model
captures Structure
Model
Model
Model
Model
Domain
captures
Content

Organized by
DM2

28
Enterprise Architecture Big Picture
Defined by
Architecture Modeling
Language
described by Model
captures Model Data
Structure saved as
Model
Model
Model
Model
Domain
captures Vocabulary
Content saved as

Organized in
Taxonomy

29
Consistent Rendering from
Requirements Capture to
Implementation
Architecture
Target Audience: Engineer/Implementer
described by Model
captures Model Data
Structure saved as
Model
Model
Model
Model
Domain
captures Vocabulary
Content saved as

Target Audience: Domain Expert

Fit-for-Purpose Rendering
based on Stakeholder
Needs
30