Abstract: Much recent research work discusses the transformation between different process modeling languages. This work, however, is mainly focussed on specific process modeling languages, and thus the general reusability of the applied transformation concepts is rather limited. In this article, we aim to abstract from concrete transformations by distinguishing two major paradigms for representing control flow in process modeling languages: block-oriented languages (such as BPEL and BPML) and graph-oriented languages (such as BPMN, EPCs, and YAWL). The contribution of this article are generic strategies for transforming from block-oriented process languages to graph-oriented languages, and vice versa.

Process modelling has over the years become an essential skill in Information Systems and Business Process Management practice. Consequently, more and more training programs have evolved, teaching different process modelling languages. Two popular process modelling languages are being compared in this experimental study. Experiment participants received extensive training in one language but not the other, leading to the expectation that learning outcomes would be better in the case of the familiar language. Our study provides empirical evidence that this is not the case. In fact, it is shown that participants achieved similar learning outcomes when confronted with the unfamiliar language. Our results lead to a fundamental question, namely whether it is actually an important teaching decision what sort of process modelling language is being taught. Our findings suggest that education and research in process modelling should focus on aspects other than the style, nature or features of languages and tools.

YAWL (Yet Another Workflow Language) workflow language supports the most frequent control-flow patterns found in the current workflow practice. As a result, most workflow languages can be mapped onto YAWL without the loss of control-flow details, even languages allowing for advanced constructs such as cancellation regions and OR-joins. Hence, a verification approach for YAWL is desirable, because such an approach could be used for any workflow language that can be mapped onto YAWL. Unfortunately, cancellation regions and OR-joins are ‘non-local ’ properties, and in general we cannot even decide whether the desired final state is reachable if both patterns are present. This paper proposes a verification approach based on (i) an abstraction of the OR-join semantics; (ii) the relaxed soundness property; and (iii) transition invariants. This approach is correct (errors reported are really errors), but not necessarily complete (not every error might get reported). This incompleteness can be explained because, on the one hand, the approach abstracts from the OR-join semantics and on the other hand, it may use only transition invariants, which are structural properties. Nevertheless, our approach can be used to successfully detect errors in YAWL models. Moreover, the approach can be easily transferred to other workflow languages allowing for advanced constructs such as cancellations and OR-joins.

The work presented in this paper targets the software integration on the level of business process models. The goal is to create the behavioural description of an integrated system that is consistent with the behavioural descriptions of the original local systems intended to be integrated. We build the behavioural description from existing models of the local systems by inserting dependencies between them. By this means, simulation and verification of interactions between them is possible and incompatibilities can be identified at an early stage before a new system is introduced. So far, business process modelling languages have mainly focused on a single application system although B2B and enterprise application integration demand on models to express cross organisational communication and inter-process dependencies. In this paper, we investigate commonly used business process languages on their suitability to model inter-process dependencies. The result shows that there is no language which supports all identified dependencies directly and that all languages demand from the modeller to consider their low-level semantics which prevent him from focusing on the design. We propose a set of extensions of UML 2.0 Activity Diagrams to overcome these limits.

Abstract: The recent literature on business process modeling notations contains numerous contributions to the so-called OR-join (or inclusive merge gateway) problem. We analyze the problem and present an approach to solve it without compromising any of the two major concerns that are involved: a) a clear semantical definition (design), which also clarifies what has to be implemented to achieve the intended generality of the construct, and b) a comprehensive set of static and dynamic analysis methods (verification of properties of business process models using the construct). We provide a conceptually simple scheme for dynamic OR-join synchronization policies, which can be implemented with low run-time overhead and allows the practitioner to effectively link the design of business process models with OR-joins to an analysis of the intended model properties. The definitions have been experimentally validated by a graph-based simulator. 2 Key Words: business processes, OR-join problem, BPMN standard Category: D.1.7, D.2.1, D.2.4

Abstract. A method for modeling workflow processes using a Petri net based multilevel formalism is proposed, which yields modular and hierarchical descriptions of the organization, the processes, resource management, and user interactions. The models allow the synthesis of agent based software in which mobile agents guide the cases through the organization units; the software can be interactively executed for simulation purposes or distributed within a computer network for implementing a workflow management system. A tool for editing and simulating the models is presented.

Abstract. This Chapter re-examines the principles that underpin business process technologies to derive a novel approach that moves beyond the traditional assembly-line metaphor. Using a set of principles derived from Activity Theory, a system has been implemented, using a Service Oriented Architecture, that provides support for dynamic and extensible flexibility, evolution and exception handling in business processes, based on accepted ideas of how people actually perform their work tasks. The resulting system, called the Worklet Service, makes available all of the benefits offered by Process Aware Information Systems to a wider range of organisational environments. 1.

Business Process Modelling Languages}, journal = {Enterprise Modelling and Information Systems}, editor = {Ulrich Frank}, year = {2009}, pages = {3‐‐13}, volume = {4}, number = {1}, publisher = {Gesellschaft f\"{u}r Informatik e.V. (GI)} © Gesellschaft für Informatik, Bonn 2009

In previous chapters, we have discussed the ways in which we can model how responsibility can be assigned to agents and how responsibility models can facilitate discussions about the nature of responsibilities in organisations. These models document responsibilities in an organisation, provide insights into possible

The use of domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) results in higher productivity during the development process. This is accomplished by raising the level of abstraction during design and focusing on domain concepts rather than low-level implementation details. Unlike other development paradigms, little work has been done in determining and measuring the claimed benefits of using DSMLs. In this paper, we propose a new approach to determine the effort involved in creating and using DSML models to develop applications and to manage the behavior of applications at runtime. The approach involves a classification of the effort involved, and definition of relevant metrics to measure the effort for each category. A case study is presented that shows how we applied the proposed metrics during the development and execution of an application using three different DSMLs. Categories and Subject Descriptors