Dimitris Karagiannis

          Dimitris Karagiannis is head of the Research Group Knowledge Engineering at the University of Vienna. His main research interests include knowledge management, modelling methods and meta-modelling. Besides his engagement in national and EU-funded research projects Dimitris Karagiannis is the author of research papers and books on Knowledge Databases, Business Process Management, Workflow-Systems and Knowledge Management. He serves as expert in various international conferences and is on the editorial board of several intenational journals. He is member of IEEE and ACM and on the steering committee of the Austrian Computer Society and its Special Interest Group on IT Governance. He is the founder of the Open Models Laboratory (www.omilab.org).

Heinz Züllighoven

          Heinz Züllighoven, graduated in Mathematics and German Language and Literature, holds a PhD in Computer Science. Since October 1991 he is professor at the Computer Science Department of the University of Hamburg and head of the attached Software Technology Centre. He is one of the original designers of the Tools & Materials approach to object-oriented application software and the eGMP approach. Since 2000, Heinz Züllighoven is also one of the managing directors of WPS Workplace Solutions Ltd. He has published a number of papers and books on various software engineering topics. Among his current research interests are a revision of the Tools & Materials approach in the light of new interaction means of current frontend technologies and the architecture of large industrial software systems. In addition, he and his co-researchers are further developing the tool support for the eGPM approach.

Modelling with the eGPM Method

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Züllighoven, Hamburg University, WPS Workplace Solutions GmbH
Holger Breitling, WPS Workplace Solutions GmbH, Germany

Abstract

The example-based business process modelling method (eGPM) is a visual approach to model selected business processes and their IT-support. The models are easy to understand for people in different departments, the business organisation and its specialists alike. The method aims at common understanding and communication about the processes which are modelled. Characteristics of the eGPM method are: (a) cooperative business processes are modelled as “cooperation pictures” based on selected scenarios, (b) simple pictograms make models easy to comprehend, (c) processes are structured along the lines of “who makes what with whom”. The initial lecture will present the conceptual basis of the eGPM approach, putting business process modelling into the context of application- oriented software development. It will characterize software development as a learning and communication process with a strong need for feedback among all parties concerned. The basic principles and concepts of eGPM approach will be explained. The tutorial will provide hands-on experience with the eGPM tool. Examples from different application domains and usage contexts will show the usability of eGPM in many professional contexts.

Eric Yu

Eric Yu is Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada. His research interests are in the areas of information systems modelling and design, requirements engineering, knowledge management, and software engineering. Books he has co-authored or co-edited include: Social Modelling for Requirements Engineering (MIT Press, 2011); Conceptual Modelling: Foundations and Applications (Springer, 2009); and Non-Functional Requirements in Software Engineering (Springer, 2000). He is co-editor for the MIT Press book series on Information Systems. He is an associate editor for the Int. Journal of Information Systems Modelling and Design, and serves on the editorial boards of the Int. J. of Agent Oriented Software Engineering, IET Software, and the Journal of Data Semantics. He was Program Co-chair for the 27th and 33rd Int. Conference on Conceptual Modelling (ER’08, ER’14).

Modelling the Adaptive Enterprise

Prof. Dr. Eric Yu, University of Toronto, Canada

Abstract

The Internet of Things, together with big data analytics, social, mobile, and cloud, are creating a perfect storm for today‘s enterprise to advance to the next level of agility and continuous innovation. Current enterprise modelling frameworks and techniques, conceived and developed for a more stable environment, will need to be extended to support analysis and design of the complex dynamics of today‘s increasingly fast-paced world. I will outline requirements for next-generation enterprise modelling in light of the digital transformations taking place across almost every sector, and will suggest possible paths ahead.

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Jan Vanthienen

          Jan Vanthienen is full professor of information systems at KU Leuven (Belgium), Department of Decision Sciences and Information Management, Information Systems Group, where he is teaching and researching on business intelligence, analytics, business rules & processes, decision modeling, and business information systems. He has published numerous papers in reviewed international journals and conference proceedings. Jan is a founding member and coordinator of the Leuven Institute for Research in Information Systems (LIRIS) and received the Belgian Francqui Chair 2009 at FUNDP and an IBM Faculty Award in 2011. He is cofounder and president-elect of the Benelux Association for Information Systems (BENAIS). Jan is actively involved in the upcoming Decision Modeling & Notation standard (DMN) at OMG (Object Management Group). This standard is designed to complement the Business Process Modeling & Notation (BPMN) standard, in order to integrate and distinguish business processes and business decisions. He is also member of the IEEE task force on process mining, and coauthor of the Business Process Mining Manifesto.

Business Decision Modelling

Prof. Dr. Jan Vanthienen, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract

Business processes incorporate lots of decisions. Business decisions are important, but are often hidden in process flows or activities. It is not considered good practice to model the detailed decision paths in the business process model, because hardcoding (decision) rules in processes leads to complex and inflexible process models. Separating rules and decisions from the process simplifies the process model (separation of concerns). In analogy with the Business Process Modelling& Notation Standard (BPMN), a Decision Model & Notation standard (DMN) has been developed. Decision modelling describes business decisions to be made, with their interrelationships and requirements, together with the detailed decision logic used to make the decision. One of the common forms of decision modelling is a structure of decision tables, describing the premises and resulting outcomes of a specific decision situation. This lecture is about the relation between business decisions and business processes and their integration. It takes you through decision methodology, including best practices, examples and experiences with different decision representations for modelling decision rules.

Hans-Georg Fill

          Univ. Prof. PD Dr. Hans-Georg Fill is professor at the University of Vienna and deputy head of the Research Group Knowledge Engineering. He holds a master degree in international business administration and a PhD in business informatics both from the University of Vienna, Austria. In 2013 he received the venia docendi (habilitation) in business informatics from the University of Vienna. In 2010 he was awarded an Erwin-Schrödinger fellowship for conducting a one year research project at Stanford University in the area of semantic based modelling for information systems. He regularly teaches courses in business informatics on the bachelor and master level at the University of Vienna and at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines St. Etienne, France. His research interests include semantic information systems, meta-modelling for enterprise information systems and visualization.

Business Process Management and Ontologies as an Application Domain for Meta-Modelling

PD Dr. Hans-Georg Fill, University of Vienna, Austria

Abstract

I n this lecture it will be shown how concepts of meta-modelling can be applied in two core areas of modern information systems. For this purpose the lecture will start with a brief introduction into the theoretical foundations of meta-modelling and the corresponding realisation of modelling methods on the ADOxx meta-modelling platform. Subsequently, the application areas of business process management and ontologies will be introduced. Thereby it will be particularly focused on the challenges and opportunities of adapting existing modelling concepts in these areas to the personal needs of users, organisations, as well as technical processing functionalities in the form of algorithms. As a solution to these challenges the introduced meta-modelling concepts will be applied. Furthermore, it will be discussed how this approach permits to design and implement innovative software applications that bring together the technical opportunities of semantic technologies and established business process management methodologies. The concepts and applications will be illustrated using case studies from research and industry projects. In particular it will be reverted to concepts and implementations from the SeMFIS research project conducted at Stanford University that is hosted at www.omilab.org.

Holger Breitling

                Holger Breitling graduated in Software Engineering and works as a software architect and managing consultant at Hamburg-based Workplace Solutions, Ltd. He is one of the designers of the eGPM method and acts as product owner (in Scrum terminology) for the eGPM modelling tool. He has frequently given talks and tutorials on example- based modelling. In his daily work, he uses the eGPM method and tooling in projects ranging from off-the-shelve-software evaluation and selection to pure software development, as well as projects that have transformative impact on the structure, processes, IT and business model of a company.

 Modelling with the eGPM Method

Dr. Holger Breitling, Universität Hamburg

Abstract

The tutorial expands the conceptual knowledge of the corresponding lecture with hands-on experience. The example-based business process modelling method (eGPM) is a visual approach to model selected business processes and their IT-support. The models are easy to understand for people in different departments, business organization and its specialists alike. The method aims at common understanding and communication about the processes which are modelled. Characteristics of the eGPM method are: (a) cooperative business processes are modelled as “cooperation pictures” based on selected scenarios, (b) simple pictograms make models easy to comprehend, (c) processes are structured along the lines of “who makes what with whom”. The tutorial will provide examples from different application domains and usage contexts and will show how the eGPM tool is used in professional contexts. The tutorial will be concluded by a “live” modelling workshop based on a real-world scenario, with the participants taking over the roles of modellers and moderator.