Business Process Management (BPM) - Students

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Islay Davies Email: ig.davies@qut.edu.au Website: http://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~daviesig/

Principal Supervisor: Prof. Michael Rosemann

Associate Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Marlon Dumas and Prof. Peter Green (UQ)

Expected Completion: August 2007

Title: An Ontological Evaluation of ARIS Using a Meta Model Mapping Approach

Abstract: Integrated process modelling techniques, such as those defined within ARIS (Architecture of Integrated Information Systems) and UML (Unified Modelling Language), are used in many management and IT (Information Technology) projects to conceptually define the business processes of an organization. Several IS (Information Systems) development tools contain these techniques, however, anecdotal evidence indicates many shortcomings – for example, the inability to model business rules and the ambiguity in the meaning of some symbols provided within the grammars. Furthermore, the range of modelling techniques in existence, and frameworks that attempt to provide a platform for their comparison, indicate the lack of a theoretical foundation from which these modelling techniques are developed.

The objective of this program of research and investigation is, therefore, to facilitate the improvement and development of process modelling grammars by performing an ontologically-based evaluation and comparison of the process modelling techniques within ARIS and UML, using a meta-model approach, and to provide suggestions for improvements.

In order to achieve this objective, the study involves developing a meta-model mapping methodology to facilitate the comparison of modelling technique constructs to ontological constructs; and empirically testing the findings of the ontological evaluations. To date, the ontological analysis of ARIS has been conducted. This has been followed by semi-structured exploratory interviews with a significant number of users of ARIS to gain some insights about the actual 'experiences' of modellers using the tool and to further inform hypotheses development. A second round of interviews is then planned to empirically test the propositions.