A framework for classifying and evaluating process architecture methods

Abstract

Piecemeal identification, development, and support of an organisation's processes may lead to problems: first, it may be difficult to identify which processes should be supported, and, second, it is unlikely that processes developed piecemeal will either optimise the achievement of an organisation's objectives, or work well together. One solution involves identifying and modelling an organisation's process architecture, and then using it to develop and subsequently support the constituent processes. However, this solution leads to a new challenge: a number of different types of process architecture method have been proposed, but it is not clear which should be used in a given situation. To address this challenge, the article outlines a framework for classifying, evaluating, and comparing process architectures. Following the work of Rolland et al.(1998), the proposed framework considers process architecture methods from four different views: contents, form, purpose, and lifecycle. To partially validate the framework, it was used to classify and evaluate Riva (Ould 2005), a particular process architecture method. The result of this application of the framework suggests how it might be refined. It could then be used for comparing other process architecture methods. Such a comparative analysis should help practitioners choose between process architecture methods.

A fractal enterprise model and its application for business development

“…2 The nodes of the tree alternate between processes and assets, where the edges lead from a process to the assets it needs, or from an asset to processes aimed at maintaining this asset in "working order." This tree represents a kind of process architecture [26] of the organization in question.…”

“…In the business part of enterprise architecture, the focus is often on the business processes [57,60]. These business processes can, in turn, be organized in what is sometimes called a business process architecture [26,37]. Such an architecture consists of a number of process models, specifying which business processes exist in an organization, how each of them starts and ends, and the relationships between them [18].…”

“…The object-based approaches for business process architectures start by specifying business objects and their relationships in a business [26]. This results in an object structure, often called a conceptual model.…”

Business process architectures: overview, comparison and framework

“…At what level of detail should I model my processes? Several authors have proposed the notion of a business process architecture to address such concerns [1][2][3][4][5]. Such an organized overview of the processes that exist within an organizational context along with the guidelines on how they should be organized is what can help individual modelers to arrive at a consistent and integrated collection of process models.…”

Comparative process architectures in two higher education institutions

“…One study, undertaken in a faculty at the University of the West of England (UWE), applied Riva to the faculty administration organisation (Green and Ould, 2005). In order to assess Ould's assertion, and thus the potential for reuse of process architectures, as well as the ease with which Riva can be applied, the work in this paper, discussed herein, extends that early study by applying Riva to the development and deployment of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes (i.e.…”