Presentation at BPMDS 2012 workshop in Poland, June 2012

1. Preparing for the era of cloud
computing:
Towards a framework for selecting
business process support services
Ilia Bider - DSV SU
Erik Perjons – DSV SU
Presentation for BPMDS 2012 : http://www.bpmds.org
Gdansk, Poland, June, 2012
Proceedings: http://bit.ly/MrwJqy
Pre-proceedings: http://www.ibissoft.se/publications/BPMDS12.pdf
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2. Cloud computing is already here
• Apian cloud: BPM http://www.appian.com/bpm-
software/cloudbpm.jsp
• ActionFlow: http//www.actionflow.com
• SalesForce: http://www.salesforce.com
• Projectplace: http://www.projectplace.com
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3. The fourth revolution
1. Mainframes -> minicomputers
2. Minicomputers → personal computers
3. Personal computers → Web-based systems
4. Web → Cloud
Implications – Business people can choose and test a
service without consulting IT department
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4. Goal and approach
• Goal: Help business people to choose right service for
their process(es)
• Approach:
1. Framework to analyze properties of a business process without
going into details
2. List of capabilities that can/should be provided by services
3. Recommendations on what capabilities are important based on the
properties identified in the analysis
1. Framework for analyzing services to identify capabilities it provides
2. Recommendations on how to match requirements on capabilities
and actual capabilities of services.
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5. What is business process?
Main concepts
• Business process type (BPT) is a plan/template for handling business
situations of a certain type
• Business process instance/case (BPI) is a situation (being) handled
according to the plan/template
Reguirement
Design Coding Test
s engineering
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6. What is included in the template?
• A situation that warrants application of the plan, i.e.
triggers a new instance creation
• A goal to reach
• Sub-goals (goal decomposition)
• Operations/actions/activities (operational
decomposition)
• Rules of responsibility/participation
• Rules of collaboration/communication
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7. Where the rules can be found?
• In people's heads: tacit knowledge
• As written documents, e.g., process maps and other
kinds of process descriptions: explicit knowledge
• In software systems/services used to support
running process instances: built-in knowledge
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8. What is Business Process Support (BPS)
Service?
Cloud service that helps process participants to
follow the plan/template
Examples:
• Automates certain operations
• Helps to arrange information flow
• Supports coordination/collaboration
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9. Somewhat structured processes?
Goal can be decomposed sub-goals and a the
whole work can be split in work packages – steps
- aimed at achieving sub-goals
Reguirement
Design Coding Test
s engineering
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10. High level process analysis?
Investigate relationships between the steps
Requirements Design Coding Test
Requirements
Design
Coding
Test
Reguirement
Reguirement Design
Design Coding
Coding Test
Test
s s engineering
engineering
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11. Input/output relationships
Output Requirements Design Coding Test
Input
Requirements
Design *Requirements Test
specifications results
Coding *Design Test
specifications results
Test *Test specifications *Code
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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12. Transitive input-output matrix
Requirements Design Coding Test
Requirements
Design x x
Coding x x x
Test x x x
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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13. Parallel execution
Requirements Design Coding Test
Requirements x x
Design x
Coding x
Test
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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14. Parallel dependencies =
input/output + parallel execution
Requirements Design Coding Test
Requirements
Design x
Coding
Test
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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15. Avoiding parallel dependencies
Te s t s p e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
T e s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
R E sp ec D spec Code
S p e c if y in g S p e c if y in g R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te st
R e g u ire m e n t s (S R ) te s ts (S R T )
T e s t r e s u lt s Te s t r e s u lts
R E spec
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16. Avoiding parallel dependencies
SR SRT Design Coding Test
New SR
input/output SRT *Requirements
matrix specifications
Design *Requirements Test results
specifications
Coding *Design Test results
specifications
Test *Test specifications *Code
SR SRT Design Coding Test
SR
New parallel
execution
SRT x x
matrix Design x
Coding x
Test
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17. Weak dependencies
Requirements Design Coding Test
Requirements
Design Rational behind requirements
Communication with the
customer
Coding Clarification of diagrams
Test
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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18. Teams matrix
R e q u ir e m e n ts D e s ig n C o d in g T est
R e q u ir e m e n ts
D e s ig n
C o d in g
T est
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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19. Inter-step collaboration =
Weak dependencies + Teams
R e q u ir e m e n ts D e s ig n C o d in g T e s t
R e q u ir e m e n ts
D e s ig n R a tio n a l b e h in d r e q u ir e m e n ts
C o m m u n ic a tio n w ith th e
c u s to m e r
C o d in g C la r ific a tio n o f d ia g r a m s
T est
Te st sp e c
R E spec D spec Code
R e g u ir e m e n t s D e s ig n C o d in g Te s t
Te s t r e s u lts T e s t r e s u lt s
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20. Capabilities
In fo r m a t io n In t ra -s te p In te r -s te p P r o c e s s flo w P ro c e s s P a r t ic ip a t io n
lo g is t ic c o lla b o r a t io n c o lla b o r a t io n r e s t r ic t io n f lo w r e s t r ic t io n
su p p o rt su p p o rt su p p o rt e n fo rc e m e n t su p p o rt e n fo rc e m e n t
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21. Matching capabilities and process
properties
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
In fo r m a t io n In tra -s te p In te r -s te p P r o c e s s f lo w P ro c e ss P a r t ic ip a t io n
lo g is t ic c o lla b o r a t io n c o lla b o r a t io n r e s t r ic t io n f lo w r e s t r ic t io n
su p p o rt su p p o rt su p p o rt e n fo rc e m e n t su p p o rt e n fo rc e m e n t
T a b le 1 : T a b le 2 : T a b le 4 : T a b le 3 : T a b le 9 : T a b le 8 : T a b le 1 0 : T a b le 7 :
T r a n s it iv e P a r a lle l W eak
In p u t - P a r a lle l P a r a lle l W eak
in p u t - e x e c u t io n Te a m s d e p e n d e n c ie s
o u tp u t d e p e n d e n c ie s e x e c u t io n d e p e n d e n c ie s
o u tp u t + Te a m s + Te a m s
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22. Process for choosing BPS services
Id e n t if y Id e n t if y C h o se B P S
F ill in B u ild
s t e p s in c a p a b ilit ie s t h a t p r o v id e s
b a s ic d e r iv e d
b u s in e s s u s in g id e n t if ie d
m a t r ic e s m a t r ic e s
p ro c e ss m a t r ic e s c a p a b ilit ie s
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23. Thank you for your attention!
Main Contact
Ilia Bider, SU/IbisSoft
Email: ilia@ibissoft.se
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