Method and a system for modeling business transformation

• US 20070245297A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Koehler, Jana, Hauser, Rainer, Ryndina, Ksenia, Wahler, Michael, Vanhatalo, Jussi, Kuester, Jochen
• Granted Patent: US 7,703,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and system for modeling business transformation. The method comprises constructing a first analysis model based on at least one legacy-business-process-model. Analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with at least one business-process-reference-model. The method further comprises deriving a second analysis model in response to analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with the at least one business-process-reference-model and refining the second analysis model to obtain a design model.

Claims

1. A method for modeling business transformation, the method comprising:

a. constructing a first analysis model based on at least one legacy-business-process-model, wherein the first analysis model is a business process model representing a partitioning of the first legacy-business-process-model into a plurality of sub-processes and a plurality of tasks;

b. analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with at least one business-process-reference-model;

c. deriving a second analysis model in response to analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

d. refining the second analysis model to obtain a design model, wherein the refining step comprises applying a plurality of model transformations, wherein the plurality of model transformations transform the second analysis model to the design model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of model transformations are applied in a form of a model transformation plug-in.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first legacy-business-process-model is in an Event-driven Process Chains (EPC) notation and the first analysis model is in an IBM WebSphere Business (WB) notation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the constructing step comprises:

a. grouping a plurality of tasks of an initial WB model into a plurality of process components, wherein the initial WB model is obtained from the first legacy-business-process-model, wherein the plurality of tasks are logically interrelated; and

b. adjusting at least one of a plurality of control flow and the plurality of process components of the initial WB model.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the grouping step comprises performing a componentization on the initial WB model, the componentization comprising giving a hierarchical structure by identifying the plurality of process components of the initial WB model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step comprises:

a. comparing a plurality of modeling objectives and a plurality of process boundaries corresponding to the first analysis model and a plurality of reference modeling objectives and a plurality of reference process boundaries corresponding to the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

b. creating a plurality of semantic correspondences between the first analysis model and the at least one business-process-reference-model in response to comparing.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the creating step comprises determining a plurality of task correspondences between the plurality of tasks in the first analysis model and the plurality of tasks in the at least one business-process-reference-model, the plurality of task correspondences being at least one of a one-to-one correspondence, one-to-zero correspondence, zero-to-one correspondence and one-to-many correspondence.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the creating step further comprises identifying a content relationship between the plurality of tasks in the first analysis model and the plurality of tasks in the at least one business-process-reference-model, the content relationship being at least one of an included type, a comprises type, an equal type and an overlapping type.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the creating step further comprising generating a relationship between at least one sub-process in the first analysis model and at least one sub-process in the at least one business-process-reference-model.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the deriving step comprises:

a. initializing the second analysis model based on the at least one business-process-reference-model to obtain an initial second analysis model;

b. modifying the initial second analysis model, the modifying step comprising;

i. comparing a content of the plurality of tasks in the first analysis model with a content of the plurality of tasks in the initial second analysis model based on a plurality of semantic correspondences; and

ii. adapting a content of the plurality of tasks in the initial second analysis model based on the comparing step.

c. aligning a plurality of sub-processes of the initial second analysis model in accordance with a plurality of sub-processes of the first analysis model based on the plurality of semantic correspondences.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising adjusting a control flow corresponding to the initial second analysis model based on at least one of the plurality of modeling objectives and the plurality of process boundaries.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the refining step comprises:

a. defining a design object model;

b. assigning a data container along a control flow of the second analysis model, the data container enriching the second analysis model with a data flow;

c. altering a plurality of data-based decision conditions in the second analysis model; and

d. applying a plurality of model transformations, wherein the plurality of model transformations transform the second analysis model to obtain the design model.

13. A method for providing a business process transformation service to an enterprise, the method comprising:

a. determining a plurality of modeling objectives based on receiving a modeling objective information from the enterprise;

b. identifying a plurality of process boundaries based on receiving a plurality of process boundary information from the enterprise; and

c. modeling business transformation, wherein the modeling step comprises;

i. constructing a first analysis model based on at least one legacy-business-process-model, wherein the first analysis model is a business process model representing partitioning of the first legacy-business-process-model into a plurality of sub-processes and a plurality of tasks;

ii. analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with at least one business-process-reference-model;

iii. deriving a second analysis model in response to analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

iv. refining the second analysis model to obtain a design model, wherein the refining step comprises applying a plurality of model transformations, the plurality of model transformations transforming the second analysis model to the design model.

14. A system for facilitating modeling for business transformation, the system comprising:

a. at least one storage device, the at least one storage device adapted for receiving and storing at least one of a plurality of modeling objectives, a plurality of process boundaries, at least one business-process-reference-model, the first analysis model, the second analysis model and the design model;

b. constructing unit, the constructing unit constructing a first analysis model based on at least one legacy-business-process-model;

c. an analyzing unit, the analyzing unit analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with the at least one business-process-reference-model;

d. a deriving unit, the deriving unit deriving a second analysis model in response to analyzing the first analysis model in conjunction with the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

e. a refining unit, the refining unit refining the second analysis model to obtain a design model.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the refining unit further comprising a transforming unit, wherein the transforming unit applying a plurality of model transformations to the second analysis model to transform the second analysis model to the design model.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising at least one graphical user interface (GUI), the at least one GUI facilitating execution of at least one of the constructing unit, the analyzing unit and the deriving unit.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the constructing unit comprises:

a. a grouping unit, the grouping unit grouping a plurality of tasks of an initial WB model into a plurality of process components, wherein the initial WB model is obtained from the first legacy-business-process-model, wherein the plurality of tasks are logically interrelated; and

b. an adjusting unit, the adjusting unit adjusting at least one of a plurality of control flow and the plurality of process components of the initial WB model.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the grouping unit is extended to perform a componentization on the initial WB model, the componentization comprising giving a hierarchical structure by identifying the plurality of process components of the initial WB model.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the analyzing unit comprises:

a. a comparing unit, the comparing unit comparing the plurality of modeling objectives and the plurality of process boundaries corresponding to the first analysis model and a plurality of reference modeling objectives and a plurality of reference process boundaries corresponding to the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

b. a creating unit, the creating unit configured for;

i. creating a plurality of task correspondences between a plurality of tasks in the first analysis model and a plurality of tasks in the at least one business-process-reference-model in response to comparing;

ii. identifying a content relationship between the plurality of tasks in the first analysis model and the plurality of tasks in the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

iii. using the plurality of task correspondences to automatically compute a plurality of sub-process correspondences between a plurality of sub-processes in the first analysis model and a plurality of sub-processes in the at least one business-process-reference-model.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the deriving unit comprises:

a. an initializing unit, the initializing unit initializing the second analysis model based on the at least one business-process-reference-model to obtain an initial second analysis model;

b. a modifying unit, the modifying unit modifying the initial second analysis model based on a content relationship between a plurality of tasks in the first analysis model and a plurality of tasks in the at least one business-process-reference-model; and

c. an aligning unit, the aligning unit aligning a plurality of sub-processes of the initial second analysis model in accordance with a plurality of sub-processes of the first analysis model based on the plurality of semantic correspondences.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the deriving unit further comprises an adjusting unit for adjusting a control flow corresponding to the initial second analysis model based on at least one of the plurality of modeling objectives and the plurality of process boundaries.