Using control-flow patterns for specifying business processes in cooperative environments

ABSTRACT

The representation and execution of business processes have generated some important challenges in Computer Science. An important related concern is the choosing of the best formal foundation to specify processes behavior, mainly representing control-flow patterns in cooperative environments. The first contribution of this research is the complete definition of the Navigation Plan Definition Language (NPDL) as an alternative for business process managing in cooperative environments. The second contribution is a complete implementation of control-flow patterns using NPDL. These control-flow patterns have been proposed by Aalst's group. Our experience in applying suggestion of Aalst's group to use control-flow patterns as a basis for comparison among control-flow specification languages shows that this comparison method is feasible and the results are useful. The simplicity of NPDL representations shows the advantages of NPDL as a process specification language. NPDL uses a declarative specification (similar to process algebra) to describe the workflow and adds new operators to compensate for the limitations of process algebra and Petri nets. NPDL also increases the modeling flexibility by allowing the reuse of process expressions in relational data-base systems.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.1 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING
      Subjects: Business

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.1 Office Automation
          Subjects: Workflow management

General Terms:
Design, Management

Keywords:
business process management, control-flow patterns, process algebra, process reference modeling, scientific workflows