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02 Essential Process Modeling:

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Information Systems Department
What is process modeling?

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 Spring 2018
Department @ CSF-KU
Information Systems
Business Process
Lifecycle

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©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

 Purposes of process modeling
• Communication
• Documentation
• Analysis (e.g. simulation)
Conceptual

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Executable

• Automation 65
• Testing

Conceptual
Business Process Model and Notation
(BPMN)

• OMG standard (nowadays BPMN 2.0)

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• Supported by numerous tools: bpmn.org lists

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over 70 tools

• Both for conceptual and executable models

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Business Process Model and Notation
(BPMN)

• BPMN language is used to model a business

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process

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Information Systems
• BPMN 1.0 specification first released in May
2004, and put forward as a standard proposal
in Feb 2006
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• BPMN 2.0 released in Jan 2011
©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU
BPMN Sample Tools

• Bizagi Process Modeller (free)

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• Signavio (http://www.signavio.com/) - subscription
• For academic purposes: http://academic.signavio.com

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Information Systems
• Oracle BPA – “kind of free”

• ARIS – very sophisticated but the opposite of free

• Logizian – reasonable tradeoff

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• MS Visio – You might already have this
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 BPMN elements …

A BPMN process model is a graph consisting of

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four types of core elements:

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start end
activity event gateway sequence
flow

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Let’s start modelling:
Order-to-Cash
• An order-to-cash process is triggered by the receipt of a

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purchase order from a customer. Upon receipt, the
purchase order has to be checked against the stock to
determine if the requested item(s) are available.

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Information Systems
Depending on stock availability the purchase order may
be confirmed or rejected.
• If the purchase order is confirmed, an invoice is emitted
and the goods requested are shipped. The process
completes by archiving the order or if the order is
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rejected.
©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU
Let’s start modelling:
Order-to-Cash (Break it down) – 1

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• An order-to-cash process is triggered by the

receipt of a purchase order from a customer.

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Information Systems
• Upon receipt, the purchase order has to be

checked against the stock to determine if the

requested item(s) are available. 71

©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

Let’s start modelling:
Order-to-Cash (Break it down) – 2

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• Depending on stock availability the purchase

order may be confirmed or rejected.

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Information Systems
• If the purchase order is confirmed, an invoice is

emitted and the goods requested are shipped.

• The process completes by archiving the order or 72
if the order is rejected.
©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU
 BPMN Model
Order-to-cash
end

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activity
Reject order event
Items not in
Order
stock
rejected
Check stock split gateway end

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Information Systems Department
availability
Purchase event
order Items in
received stock Confirm Emit Archive
start Ship goods
order invoice order
Order
event fulfilled

Naming conventions
• Event: noun + past-participle verb (e.g. insurance claim lodged)
• Activity: verb + noun (e.g. assess credit risk) 73
 Execution of a process model
The “token game”
Order #1
Order #2
Order #3

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Reject order
Items not in
Order
stock
rejected
Check stock
availability

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Information Systems Department
Purchase
order Items in
received stock Confirm Emit Archive
Ship goods
order invoice order
Order
fulfilled

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A little bit more on events…

• A start event triggers a new process instance

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by generating a token that traverses the
sequence flow (“tokens source”)

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Information Systems
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start
event

• An end event signals that a process instance

has completed with a given outcome by
consuming a token (“tokens sink”) end
event

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 Order-to-cash example
revisited…
• […] If the purchase order is confirmed, an invoice is emitted

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and the goods requested are shipped (in any order). The
process completes by archiving the order. […]

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Information Systems
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Reject order
Items not in
Order
stock
rejected
Check stock
availability
Purchase
order Items in
received stock Confirm Emit Archive
Ship goods
order invoice order
Order
fulfilled

©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

 First try
Order-to-cash

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Reject order
Items not in
Order

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stock

Information Systems Department

rejected
Check stock
availability split Emit invoice
Purchase
order Items in
received stock Confirm Emit Archive
Ship goods
order invoice order
Order
split join fulfilled

Ship goods

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A little more on gateways: XOR Gateway

An XOR Gateway captures decision points (XOR-split) and

points where alternative flows are merged (XOR-join)

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condition

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XOR-split  takes one outgoing branch
¬ condition

XOR-join  proceeds when one incoming branch has

completed 78
 Invoice checking process
Example: XOR Gateway

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A little more on gateways: AND Gateway

An AND Gateway provides a mechanism to create

and synchronize “parallel” flows.

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AND-split  takes all outgoing branches

AND-join  proceeds when all incoming branches

have completed 80
 Airport security check
Example: AND Gateway

Information Systems Department

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 Revised order-to-cash process model

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Reject order
Items not in
stock Order
rejected

Check stock
XOR-split Send invoice

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availability
Purchase
order Items in
received stock
Archive
Confirm order
order
Order
AND-split AND-join fulfilled

Ship goods

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Between XOR and AND
Order distribution process

• A company has two warehouses that store different

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products: Amsterdam and Hamburg
• When an order is received, it is distributed across these
warehouses

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Information Systems
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• If some of the relevant products are maintained in Amsterdam, a sub-order is
sent there

• Likewise, if some relevant products are maintained in Hamburg, a sub-order is

sent there

• Afterwards, the order is registered and the process

completes ©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU
Solution 1
Order distribution process

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XOR-split XOR-join

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AND-split AND-join
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Solution 2
Order distribution process

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AND-split AND-join

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XOR-split XOR-join

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OR Gateway
An OR Gateway provides a mechanism to create and
synchronize n out of m parallel flows.

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cond1

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OR-split  takes one or more branches depending
condn
on conditions

OR-join  proceeds when all active incoming

branches have completed 86
Solution using OR Gateway
Order distribution process

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 What join type is needed here?

Information Systems Department

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Guidelines: Naming Conventions - 1

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• Give a name to every Event and Task

• For tasks: Verb followed by business object

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name and possibly complement
• Issue Driver License, Renew License via Agency
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Guidelines: Naming Conventions - 2

• For message events: object + past participle

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• Invoice received, Claim settled, …

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Information Systems
• Avoid generic verbs such as
• Handle, Record, …

• Label each XOR-split with a condition

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• Policy is invalid, Claim is inadmissible, …
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 ICE Poll: Which model do you prefer?

Information Systems Department

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One more guideline…

• Model in Blocks

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• Pair up each AND-split with an AND-join and

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Information Systems
each XOR-split with an XOR-join, whenever
possible
• Exception: sometimes an XOR-split leads to two end
events – different outcomes (order management 92
example)
©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU
Rework and repetition:
Address ministerial correspondence

• In the minister’s office, when a ministerial inquiry has been

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received, it is registered into the system

• Then the inquiry is investigated so that a ministerial response

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Information Systems
can be prepared

• The finalization of a response includes the preparation of the

response itself by the cabinet officer and the review of the
response by the principal registrar 93

©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

Rework and repetition:
Address ministerial correspondence

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• If the registrar does not approve the response,

the latter needs to be prepared again by the

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Information Systems
cabinet officer for review

• The process finishes only once the response has

been approved 94

©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

Rework and repetition:
Address ministerial correspondence

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• The model looks like this:

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Information Systems
XOR-join: entry point XOR-split: exit point

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©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

 What’s this process doing?

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Collect Sort
mail mail
New mail Document
arrived requisition
Not compiled
Check acceptable Compile
Register
mail for document
mail

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Information Systems
compliance requisition
Document
New email Acceptable response
arrived
prepared
Prepare
Capture
document
matter details
response

Physical
file
printed
Capture party Print
Pay fee
details physical file
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©2011 IS Department, CSF, KU

 Process Modelling Viewpoints
Organization
Who?
Lanes &

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Pools
What?

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Tasks When?
Events
Flows
Gateways

Which?
Data Objects,
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Data / Materials Stores
 Organizational Elements in BPMN –
Pools & Lanes
Pool
Captures a resource class. Generally used to model a business

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party (e.g. a whole company)

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Information Systems Department
Lane
A resource sub-class within a pool. Generally used to model
departments (e.g. shipping, finance), internal roles (e.g. Manager,
Associate), software systems (e.g. ERP, CRM)

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Pool
 Order-to-cash process with lanes

Information Systems Department

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 Message Flow
• A Message Flow represents a flow of information between
two process parties (Pools)

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• A Message Flow can connect:
• Directly to the boundary of a Pool  captures an informative

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Information Systems Department
message to/from that party

• To a specific activity or event within that Pool  captures a

message that triggers a specific activity/event within that party
Pool 2

Pool 2
Receive

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Pool 1

Pool 1

Send Receive
Send
Order-to-cash process with a black-box customer pool

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Pools, Lanes and Flows: syntactic rules

1. A Sequence Flow cannot

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cross the boundaries of a
Pool (message flows can)

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2. Both Sequence Flow and
Message Flow can cross
the boundaries of Lanes
3. A Message Flow cannot
connect two flow elements 102
within the same pool
Process Modelling Viewpoints

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Which?
Data Objects, 103
Data / Materials Stores
 Order-to-cash process, again
• The purchase Order document serves as an input to the
stock availability check

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• Based on the outcome of this check, the status of the
document is updated, either to “approved” or “rejected”

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Information Systems Department
• If the order is approved, an invoice and a shipment
notice are produced Send
invoice

Confirm Archive
Items in order order
stock Order
fulfilled
Check stock
Ship goods
availability
Purchase
Items not in
order
received stock 104
Reject order
Order
rejected
 Model with information artifacts
Purchase Invoice
Order
Purchase

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Purchase Purchase Send Order
Order Order invoice
[checked]

Confirm Archive

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Information Systems Department
Items in order order
stock Order
fulfilled
Check stock
Ship goods
availability
Purchase
order Items not in
received stock
Reject order
Order Orders DB
rejected Purchase Shipment
Order notice
Warehouse DB

Purchase Purchase
Order Order 105
[rejected] [approved]
BPMN Information Artifacts
• A Data Object captures an artifact required (input)
or produced (output) by an activity

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Purchase Invoice
order

• Can be physical or electronic

Emit

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invoice

• A Data Store is a place containing data objects that

must be persisted beyond the duration of a process
instance
Oracle CRM Client info

• It is used by an activity to store 106

Retrieve client
information
(as output) or retrieve (as input) data objects
Quick Note: BPMN Text Annotations

• A Text Annotation is a mechanism to provide

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additional text information to the model reader

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• Doesn’t affect the flow of tokens through the process
• i.e. Includes packaging For blocked invoices

Clear vendor
Ship goods 107
line items

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BPMN Poster (link in “Readings” page)

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Information Systems
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