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Chapter 18 Process Configuration

Chapter 18 Process Configuration. Florian Gottschalk Marcello La Rosa. Overview. Introduction to Configurable Process Models Process Configuration in YAWL Questionnaire-driven Approach for Process Configuration Tool Support Conclusions. What is a configurable process model?.

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Chapter 18 Process Configuration

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  1. Chapter 18Process Configuration Florian Gottschalk Marcello La Rosa

  2. Overview • Introduction to Configurable Process Models • Process Configuration in YAWL • Questionnaire-driven Approach for Process Configuration • Tool Support • Conclusions

  3. What is a configurable process model? Integrated representation of multiple variants of a same process in a given domain, which can be configured for a specific setting, leading to an indivi-dualized process model. commonality = + variation point variability Tape variant Film variant

  4. Configurable Process Models in the Process Lifecycle design configuration individualization implementation execution

  5. Features of a Configurable Process Model • should guide the user to a model that fits his requirements • must be able to generate all possible process variants • must be a complete, integrated set of all possible process variants • is the least common multiple of all process variations

  6. A Theoretical explanation Inheritance Inheritance Configuration Configuration Inheritance of workflow behavior: Superclass Variant A Configurable Model Subclass Variant B Superclass

  7. Configuration Techniques • Blocking • Hiding • also called skipping block block τ hide τ hide τ hide

  8. Port Configuration enabled Ports hidden (skipped) blocked Task

  9. Port types in YAWL • Flow of tokens is determined by functions assigned to a YAWL task: • join  input ports • split  output ports • rem  cancellation port • nofi  multiple instance configuration

  10. Input ports (inflow) • XOR-join • Task is enabled if a token arrives from any arc •  One input port for each incoming arc • AND-join • Task is enabled if tokens are arriving from all arcs •  One input port for the whole task • OR-join • Task is enabled if tokens are arriving from all arcs from which a token can potentially arrive •  One input port for the whole task

  11. Output ports (outflow) • XOR-split • Task releases one token via one of the arcs •  One output port for each outgoing arc • AND-split • Task releases tokens via all arcs only •  One output port for the whole task • OR-split • Task can release tokens via any combination of outgoing arcs •  One output port for every combination of outgoing arcs

  12. Configuration Example (A, B, C, E) (A, B, C, E) or (A, B, D, E) (B, C, E)

  13. Cancellation ports (inflow) • Cancellation also represents an inflow of tokens, but can also take 0 tokens • Takes the maximum number of available tokens, similar to the OR-join • One cancellation port for the whole task • Hiding of Cancellation ports makes no sense • No skippable action between the activation of the cancellation port and the outflow of tokens

  14. Multiple Instance configuration • Increase of the minimal number of instances to be started • Decrease of the maximal number of instances to be started • Increase of the threshold value • Restrict dynamic creation of instances to static creation

  15. Multiple Instance configuration • Increase of the minimal number of instances to be started • Decrease of the maximal number of instances to be started

  16. Multiple Instance configuration • Increase of the threshold value

  17. Multiple Instance configuration dyn • Restrict from dynamic to static instance creation

  18. Transforming a port configuration

  19. Transforming a port configuration: the OR-split Example 1

  20. Transforming a port configuration: the OR-split Example 2

  21. Transforming a port configuration: the OR-split Example 3

  22. Questionnaire-driven configuration • Configuring a process model can be difficult and time-consuming, due to: • size of the variability space, • complexity of the domain. • Domain experts usually have little or no knowledge about modeling notations (e.g. in the screen business). • Need to facilitate the configuration of process models by domain experts, without requiring process modeling knowledge.

  23. Questionnaire-based approach • Configuration can be simplified if carried out by answering a set of questions no need to be aware of modeling notations. • The basic concepts of the approach are questions and domain facts: • a question is composed of a set of domain facts; • a domain fact encodes a business choice and can be set to “true” or “false”. • Variation points in the process model are mapped to boolean expressions over domain facts. • Questions may affect one or multiple variation points:

  24. Domain constraints • The configuration space of the domain is restricted by a set of propositional logic domain constraints over the domain facts. • By means of domain constraints, answers to questions may be determi- ned by previous answers. DC10: f11 f12 DC11:  f10⇒ f12 DC11 DC10

  25. Questionnaire model

  26. Order dependencies

  27. Mapping process models to questionnaire models A mapping links process facts to domain facts: C-EPC C-YAWL The mapping ensures domain compliance and process model correctness.

  28. Constraints in action MC22: pON⇔ f13 MC25: pON⇔ f15 d e PC4 DC6 DC8 MC22 MC25 Mapping Process constraints Domain constraints c4 DC6: f5⇒ f13 PC4: pON⇒ pSEQ d b4 DC8: f8⇒ f15

  29. Application of the approach Mapping Questionnaire model + = input to answers Individualized Model Interactive Questionnaire Configurable Process Model

  30. Tool support: Synergia • Open-source • Modular: 6 standalone applications, • Provides end-to-end support for process model configuration, • Independent of specific modeling notations, • Supports C-EPC and C-YAWL.

  31. Discussion • Is there a need for configurable models? • Do you have the same experience that highly-standardized processes (such as the Order Fulfillment example) are still adapted to individual needs? • Is it feasible to create configurable models? • What do you think about how we individualized the Order Fulfillment model compared to the intended use of your software? • Are configurable models useful? • Can you imagine that you provide similar models which can be adapted “without drawing arcs and nodes”?

  32. Conclusions • Process Configuration is a viable mechanism to automate the derivation of customized models from a reference model in a specific domain • Process Configuration in YAWL is grounded in the concept of Inheritance of Workflow Behavior and is achieved via 2 operators: hide, block • The Questionnaire-based approach facilitates the configuration of (complex) process models such as the Order Fulfillment example by non-modeling experts • Tool support is available with the Synergia toolset

  33. For more information… …visit www.processconfiguration.com

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