Quality evaluation framework (QEF): Modeling and evaluating quality of business processes

Business process modeling is an important part of information systems design as well as of any business engineering or reengineering activity. Business process modeling languages provide standard ways of presentation and communication between different stakeholders. A business process model is the externalization of the conceptualization of some parts of the object world that deal with those aspects that pertain to the way business transactions are carried out and supported by an information system. This paper deals with an essential issue in this context, namely the assessment of the quality of business processes through their models. This objective raises two major issues, (a) the identification of the quality factors relevant to business processes, and (b) the definition of the metrics that provide a means for objectively measuring quality of business processes. These two issues are addressed in this paper through a quality evaluation framework, known as QEF that enables business process modelers to explicitly incorporate a wide variety of requirements corresponding to quality factors. Quality factors of business processes are defined in this paper and categorized into different quality dimensions. Application of the quality framework as well as proposed quality dimensions, factors and metrics are discussed through an illustrative example.

[1]  Jan Mendling,et al.  Quality metrics for business process models , 2007 .

[2]  Peter Weill,et al.  The Implications of Information Technology Infrastructure for Business Process Redesign , 1999, MIS Q..

[3]  Mitra Heravizadeh,et al.  Quality-aware business process management , 2009 .

[4]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  The intertwining of enterprise strategy and requirements , 2009 .

[5]  Christian Riege,et al.  Evaluation in der gestaltungsorientierten Wirtschaftsinformatik - Systematisierung nach Erkenntnisziel und Gestaltungsziel , 2008 .

[6]  Jan Mendling,et al.  Dimensions of Business Processes Quality (QoBP) , 2008, Business Process Management Workshops.

[7]  Guido L. Geerts,et al.  A design science research methodology and its application to accounting information systems research , 2011, Int. J. Account. Inf. Syst..

[8]  Jan Recker.  Evaluations of Process Modeling Grammars - Ontological, Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses Using the Example of BPMN , 2011, Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing.

[9]  Michael Glykas,et al.  Effort based performance measurement in business process management , 2011 .

[10]  Samir Chatterjee,et al.  A Design Science Research Methodology for Information Systems Research , 2008 .

[11]  Jun-Jang Jeng,et al.  On developing system dynamics model for business process simulation , 2005, Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference, 2005..

[12]  Pengfei Chen,et al.  Toward an Integrated User Requirements Notation Framework and Tool forBusiness Process Management , 2008, 2008 International MCETECH Conference on e-Technologies (mcetech 2008).

[13]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  An Object-Oriented Rule-based Approach to the Dynamic modelling of Information Systems , 1990, DMIS.

[14]  Diana Heckl,et al.  Process Performance Management , 2010 .

[15]  Samira Si-Said Cherfi,et al.  Aligning Business Process Models and Domain Knowledge: A Meta-modeling Approach , 2012, ADBIS.

[16]  Wenhong Luo,et al.  A framework for selecting business process modeling methods , 1999 .

[17]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  Visualisation for Validation , 1993, CAiSE.

[18]  Onur Demirörs,et al.  A Case Study on Measuring Process Quality: Lessons Learned , 2012, 2012 38th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications.

[19]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  Considering quality factors for business processes during requirement engineering , 2011, 2011 FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH CHALLENGES IN INFORMATION SCIENCE.

[20]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  Knowledge-Based Support for Requirements Engineering , 1989, CASE.

[21]  Linda M. Laird,et al.  Software Measurement and Estimation: A Practical Approach , 2006 .

[22]  Donald Firesmith.  Quality Requirements Checklist , 2005, J. Object Technol..

[23]  Amit P. Sheth,et al.  Modeling Quality of Service for Workflows and Web Service Processes , 2002 .

[24]  Colette Rolland,et al.  A framework for generic patterns dedicated to the management of change in the electricity supply industry , 1998, Proceedings Ninth International Workshop on Database and Expert Systems Applications (Cat. No.98EX130).

[25]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  A Quality-Oriented Business Process Meta-Model , 2011, EOMAS.

[26]  Joerg Doerr,et al.  The role of quality aspects for the adequacy of business processes and business information systems , 2009, Int. J. Bus. Process. Integr. Manag..

[27]  Barbara Paech,et al.  Tool Support for the Comprehensive Modeling of Quality Information within Business Process Models , 2011, EMISA.

[28]  Christopher P. Holland,et al.  Elements of a business process management system: theory and practice , 2007, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[29]  Kostas Zografos,et al.  Requirements elicitation for the design of venue operations for the Athens 2004 Olympic games , 2003, Proceedings. 11th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference, 2003..

[30]  Eric Yu,et al.  Using Goals, Rules and Methods to Support Reasoning in Business Process Reengineering , 1996 .

[31]  G. M. Nijssen,et al.  Conceptual schema and relational database design - a fact oriented approach , 1989 .

[32]  D. Garvin.  Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality , 1987 .

[33]  Pedro R. Falcone Sampaio,et al.  Extending BPMN for Supporting Customer-Facing Service Quality Requirements , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Web Services.

[34]  Björn Niehaves,et al.  Evaluation of Conceptual Models - A Structuralist Approach , 2005, ECIS.

[35]  Joseph Barjis,et al.  The importance of business process modeling in software systems design , 2008, Sci. Comput. Program..

[36]  Andreas Schaad,et al.  Model-driven business process security requirement specification , 2009, J. Syst. Archit..

[37]  Ian Beeson,et al.  Modelling non-functional requirements of business processes , 2007, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[38]  Jie Sun,et al.  A Systematic Classification and Analysis of NFRs , 2013, AMCIS.

[39]  James R. Evans,et al.  The management and control of quality , 1989 .

[40]  Manfred Reichert,et al.  Basic Considerations on Business Process Quality , 2010 .

[41]  Paolo Donzelli,et al.  Improving Requirements Engineering by Quality Modelling - A Quality-Based Requirements Engineering Framework , 2004, J. Res. Pract. Inf. Technol..

[42]  Jan C. Recker,et al.  Conceptual Model Evaluation. Towards more Paradigmatic Rigor , 2005, EMMSAD.

[43]  Hans Eriksson,et al.  Business Modeling With UML: Business Patterns at Work , 2000 .

[44]  Geert Poels,et al.  A Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering Method for Business Processes , 2010, CAiSE Forum.

[45]  E. Kavakli,et al.  Experiences with goal-oriented modeling of organizational change , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews).

[46]  Eckhard D. Falkenberg,et al.  FRISCO: A framework of information system concepts : The FRISCO report (WEB edition) , 1998 .

[47]  Frances M. T. Brazier,et al.  Ontology for quality specification in requirements engineering , 2013 .

[48]  Martin Glinz,et al.  Improving the Quality of Requirements with Scenarios , 2000 .

[49]  Robert R. Moeller,et al.  Sarbanes-Oxley Internal Controls: Effective Auditing with AS5, CobiT, and ITIL , 2008 .

[50]  Sjaak Brinkkemper,et al.  From Information Modelling to Enterprise Modelling , 2000 .

[51]  Samira Si-Said Cherfi,et al.  Multidimensional Management and Analysis of Quality Measures for CRM Applications in an Electricity Company , 2009, ICIQ.

[52]  Ken Lunn,et al.  Business processes--attempts to find a definition , 2003, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[53]  A. Selçuk Güceglioglu,et al.  Using Software Quality Characteristics to Measure Business Process Quality , 2005, Business Process Management.

[54]  Pericles Loucopoulos,et al.  Evaluating Quality of Business Processes , 2012 .

[55]  Michael Pidd,et al.  A conceptual framework for understanding business processes and business process modelling , 2000, Inf. Syst. J..

[56]  R. Kaplan,et al.  PUTTING THE BALANCED SCORECARD TO WORK , 1993 .

[57]  Barbara Paech,et al.  Defining the Quality of Business Processes , 2010, Modellierung.

[58]  Joseph Barjis.  Collaborative, Participative and Interactive Enterprise Modeling , 2009, ICEIS.

[59]  Manfred Reichert,et al.  Understanding Business Process Quality , 2013, Business Process Management.

[60]  Christiane Fellbaum,et al.  Book Reviews: WordNet: An Electronic Lexical Database , 1999, CL.

[61]  Matthias Jarke,et al.  The brave new world of design requirements , 2011, Inf. Syst..

[62]  P. Loucopoulos,et al.  Modelling business rules in an office environment , 1992, SIGO.

[63]  Markus Schwaninger,et al.  Measurement and control of business processes , 2001 .

[64]  Barry W. Boehm,et al.  Identifying Quality-Requirement Conflicts , 1996, IEEE Softw..

[65]  Terry A. Halpin,et al.  Augmenting UML with fact-orientation , 2001, Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[66]  Leonard J. Bass,et al.  Moving from Quality Attribute Requirements to Architectural Decisions , 2003, STRAW.

[67]  Julio C. Martinez,et al.  Discrete-event simulation based performance quantification of web-based and traditional bidder inquiry processes , 2009 .

[68]  Peter Kueng,et al.  Process performance measurement system: A tool to support process-based organizations , 2000 .

[69]  John S. Oakland,et al.  Total Quality Management: Text with Cases , 1995 .

[70]  Martin Glinz,et al.  On Non-Functional Requirements , 2007, 15th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE 2007).

[71]  Vlatka Hlupic,et al.  Business process modelling and analysis using discrete-event simulation , 1998, 1998 Winter Simulation Conference. Proceedings (Cat. No.98CH36274).

[72]  Isabelle Comyn-Wattiau,et al.  Multidimensional Management and Analysis of Quality Measures for CRM Applications at EDF , 2009, ICIQ 2009.

[73]  August-Wilhelm Scheer,et al.  Business Process Engineering , 1989 .

[74]  Bernard P. Zeigler,et al.  Object-oriented business process modeling and simulation: A discrete event system specification framework , 1998, Simul. Pract. Theory.

[75]  Frances M. T. Brazier,et al.  A Meta-Meta-Model for Seven Business Process Modeling Languages , 2013, 2013 IEEE 15th Conference on Business Informatics.

[76]  Eitan Zemel,et al.  Managing Business Process Flows , 1999 .

[77]  Christopher J. Pavlovski,et al.  Non-Functional Requirements in Business Process Modeling , 2008, APCCM.

[78]  Rebecca Angeles,et al.  Anticipated IT infrastructure and supply chain integration capabilities for RFID and their associated deployment outcomes , 2008, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[79]  Dimitris Karagiannis.  A Business Process-Based Modelling Extension for Regulatory Compliance , 2008, Multikonferenz Wirtschaftsinformatik.