Knowledge Management using Business Process Modelling and Workflow Techniques

1
Knowledge Management using Business Process
Modelling and Workflow Techniques
MSc in Artificial Intelligence

• Student Hsiang-Ling Kuo
• Supervisor Jessica Chen-Burger
• Dave Robertson

2
Outline

• Problem Solution
• Aim
• Work
• Conclusion
• Future Work

3
Problem

• Business are becoming larger and more diverse,
  the operation is more complex than before
• Information technology is widely applied in
  business operations, it still lacks a precise way
  of communicating between business model and
  software system development.
• The gap between Enterprise Models (EM) and
  Software Systems

4
Bridging The Gap between EM and Software Systems
Enterprise Models (EM)
Software System Development
Business Model
Relational DBMS
Workflow System
Business Process Model
OO DBMS
Automating BPM
Other Software Systems
Organisational Model
Mapping of Data Structure Concepts
Ontology
UML Class Diagram
Capability Model
Quality Assurance
Data Model
5
Solutions

• Make use of one type of EM method Business
  Process Modelling (BPM) Method to bridge the gap
• Build a workflow system (WFS) based on a business
  process model

6
Aim

• Design a formal representation (called FBPML
  WorkFlow Language FWFL) that has a direct
  mapping to FBPML
• Design and implement a generic workflow system
  that is domain independent and has a direct
  mapping to FBPML FWFL and its execution logic,
  but is open in its implementation details to
  allow multiple variations according to context
• Design a three-level framework to analyse the
  business process model

7
Work

• Review standard process modelling languages,
  IDEF3 and PSL, then introduce a business process
  modelling language FBPML resulting from their
  merger
• Create a formal representation and define a
  workflow language called FWFL based on FBPML
• Design and implement a workflow engine based on
  FWFL and demonstrate it using case studies

8
Work (Cont.)

• Describe a three-level framework to verify and
  analyse the business process
• Discuss the complexity of business process models
  is discussed
• The comparison between FBPML FWFL, the
  application of Petri-Nets to workflow management
  and the research work done in the University of
  Queensland

9
Review

• IDEF3
• A process flow and object state description
  capture method
• A domain expert can express knowledge about the
  operation of a particular system or organization
• A well-throughout graphic notation
• PSL (Process Specification Language)
• An interchange language with which allows
  applications to exchange discrete process data
• Facilitates the communication between those
  applications by using PSL-based translators
• A well-defined ontology and formal semantics

10
Fundamental Business Process Modelling Language
(FBPML)

• FBPML
• A visual modelling language that is a merger of
  IDEF3 and PSL
• It can support software and workflow system
  development
• The notation of FBPML
• Three types of nodes Main Node, Junction and
  Annotation

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FBPML--Main Nodes and Junction Types
Source Chen-Burger (AKT project)
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The semantics of four types of junctions
13
A Business Model example using FBPML
Adapted form AKT project
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FBPML WorkFlow Language -- FWFL

• A workflow language which is directly mapped to
  FBPML

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The Definition of FWFL-- process
process(ProcessId, ProcessName, Pstate, TrigCond,
PreCond, Action)

• Example 1
• process(a, receiveCustomerReq, Pstate,
• exist(event_occ(EventId,custom_req
  _for_pc_spec,created,
• attribute(Attr))),
• true,
• create_entity(attribute(Attr))).
• Example 2
• process(b, autoCreateOrderNumber, Pstate,
• true,
• exist(data(customer-name/NameV,cu
  stomer-tel/telV)),
• delay_time(4),
• add_attribute(attribute(solution(
  customer-
• orderNo/OrderNoV)))).

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The Definition of FWFL-- instance
instance(InstanceId, InstanceName, Istate,
TrigCond, PreCond,
Action, BeginT/EndT)

• Example 3 (The instance of example 2)
• instance(b-i-'John',autoCreateOrderNumber,Istate,
• true,
• exist(data(customer-name/'John',
  customer-tel/'0131-5323241)),
• delay_time(4),
• add_attribute(attribute(solution
  (customer-orderNo/'001')))),
• 1/2).

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The Definition of FWFL -- entity
entity(EntityName, EntityId, EntityState,
EntityAttribute)

• Example 4
• entity_occ(ioBoard, io2, valid,
• attribute(ioBoard-type/io2,
  ioBoard-slot/4,
• ioBoard-length/long,
• ioBoard-capability/(no
  rmal-graphics-long)))

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The Definition of FWFL -- Junction and Model

• junc(ModelId, JunctionType, PreProcesses,
  PostProcesses)

• Example 5
• junc(m1,start,,a).
• junc(m1,link,a,b).
• junc(m1,or_split,b,c,d,e,f,g).
• junc(m1,and_joint,c,d,e,f,g,h).
• junc(m1,end,h,).

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FWFL Workflow system Architecture
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FWFL Workflow System Flowchart
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Workflow Meta-Interpreter

• Top level
• execute(Step)-
• initial_state(flow_state(FState,T)),
• execute_flow(initial,,1,Step,T,flow_state(
  FState,T)).
• main predicate
• BaseCase Compare "StepSofar" and termination
  "Step" which is
• given from the user. If Step 'User
  define' then exit flow.
• execute_flow(MState,ProcessAgenda,StepSofar,Step,T
  ,flow_state(FState,T)) - Step is StepSofar - 1.
• Another baseCase at the end of each Model
  State and ProcessAgenda then exit flow.
• execute_flow(MState,,StepSofar,Step,T,flow_state
  (FState,T))-
  check_mstate(MState).

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Workflow Meta-Interpreter

• Case1 When there are new events, create
  instances of the business process model.
• execute_flow(MState,ProcessAgenda,StepSofar,Step,T
  ,flow_state(FState,T))-
• check_event(MState,NewMState),
• execute_flow(NewMState,ProcessAgenda,StepSofar
  ,Step,T,flow_state(FState,T)).
• Case2 When there are no new events, execute
  the junctions for the instances of the business
  process model.
• execute_flow(MState,ProcessAgenda,StepSofar,Step,T
  ,flow_state(FState,T))-
• \ check_event(MState,_NewMState),
• do_junction_process(MState,,NewMState,Proces
  sAgenda,
• NewProAgenda,FState,T),
• execute_process(NewProAgenda,NewProAgenda,NewP
  roAgenda1,FState,NFs,T),
• update_time(T,NewT),
• update_step(StepSofar,NewStep),
• execute_flow(NewMState,NewProAgenda1,NewStep,S
  tep,NewT,
• flow_state(NFs,NewT)).

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Workflow Meta-Interpreter

• Case3 When there are no new events and
  execution failure of the junctions for the
  instances of the business process model.
• execute_flow(MState,ProcessAgenda,StepSofar,Step,T
  ,flow_state(FState,T))-
• \ check_event(MState,NewMState),
• \ do_junction_process(MState,,NewMState,Pro
  cessAgenda,
• NewProAgenda,FState,T),
  
• execute_process(ProcessAgenda,ProcessAgenda,Ne
  wProAgenda,FState,NFs,T),
• update_time(T,NewT),
• update_step(StepSofar,NewStep),
• execute_flow(MState,NewProAgenda,NewStep,Step,
  NewT,flow_state(NFs,NewT)).

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State Transaction Diagram
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Three-level Framework
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Model Behavior Level

• Considers the overall model behavior to find the
  appropriate topology for the BPM
• Carries out the syntactic critiques

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Syntactic Critiques
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Detailed Model Testing Level

• Captures the topology features from level 1,
  eliminates impossible execution sequences
• Carries out the semantic critiques

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Semantic Critiques
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Instantiation of Business Scenario Level

• Executes the business process model using
  business scenarios (entity data) in a particular
  domain and attempts to validate the model

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Complexity of a Single Model
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Results of Complexity

• The Or_split and Or_Joint have the greatest
  influence on the complexity
• The complexity of a business process model has at
  least the factorial rate of growth. It is
  impossible to carry out all the possible
  execution results

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Complexity of Combined Models

• A model finishing with an And_Joint junction
• A model finishing with an Or_Joint junction

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A model finishing with an And_Joint junction
The possible execution sequence 2! 3! 12
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A model finishing with an Or_Joint junction
Assumption all the triggered processes must be
finished before the final process of each
connected model
The complexity is O(nm)! When m0, it
represents the complexity of the And-Or model
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Conclusions

• Because the formal semantics and graphic notation
  of FBPML and the formal representation of FWFL
  which is directly mapping to FBPML, a business
  process may be easily defined and executed
  through a simple procedure
• The workflow meta-interpreter is based on FBPML
  FWFL, it accepts the input specifications and
  execute the business process model directly

37
Conclusions (Cont.)

• The three level-framework provides a thorough
  test, which is useful when analysing a business
  process model
• The complexity of a business process model has at
  least the factorial rate of growth. It is
  impossible to carry out all the possible
  execution results

38
Future Work

• The FWFL workflow language should be enhanced,
  especially focusing on the formal specification
  of the communication issues
• The priority issue among processes and Role
  concept should be involved in the FWFL workflow
  engine
• More clear definition of validation and
  verification in a business process model

39
Future Work (cont.)

• Consider the decomposition and iteration of the
  business process
• A graphic user interface may be integrated into
  FWFL
• Resources management may be considered as part of
  the workflow system