Comments on: Modeling Event-Driven Processes http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/05/22/modeling-event-driven-processes/ Bruce Silver's blog on business process management Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:11:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: workflow http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/05/22/modeling-event-driven-processes/#comment-93 workflow Sun, 04 Jun 2006 05:13:30 +0000 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/05/22/modeling-event-driven-processes/#comment-93 I think that the thing about loop backs is that markup languages just do not really lend themselves to looping. Usually marking languages are hierarchial and do not fit into a looping structure. Meanwhile other types of BPMS systems which are petri net based have been built with looping mechanisms, but they do not have a largely adopted standard for the exhange of workflow/BPM design information such as XPDL. I think that the thing about loop backs is that markup languages just do not really lend themselves to looping. Usually marking languages are hierarchial and do not fit into a looping structure. Meanwhile other types of BPMS systems which are petri net based have been built with looping mechanisms, but they do not have a largely adopted standard for the exhange of workflow/BPM design information such as XPDL.

]]> By: Sandy Kemsley http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/05/22/modeling-event-driven-processes/#comment-87 Sandy Kemsley Tue, 30 May 2006 15:36:00 +0000 http://www.brsilver.com/wordpress/2006/05/22/modeling-event-driven-processes/#comment-87 I can remember creating arbitrary loopbacks using this same method in FileNet's Visual WorkFlo back in the late 1990's: basically, a while loop with an embedded case statement. The problem with this modelling "trick" is that it makes the process virturally non-understandable to the average business user who might have to interact with the process in some way. As you say, viewed in a normal editor, it is much less clear what's going on, but I don't think that state diagrams are a good representation for end users either. If a BPMS provides a runtime view of the process to the user with a "you are here" sort of functionality, or if you provide business managers with a graphical process governance tool, they'll be totally confused by this sort of process structure. I can remember creating arbitrary loopbacks using this same method in FileNet’s Visual WorkFlo back in the late 1990’s: basically, a while loop with an embedded case statement.

The problem with this modelling “trick” is that it makes the process virturally non-understandable to the average business user who might have to interact with the process in some way. As you say, viewed in a normal editor, it is much less clear what’s going on, but I don’t think that state diagrams are a good representation for end users either. If a BPMS provides a runtime view of the process to the user with a “you are here” sort of functionality, or if you provide business managers with a graphical process governance tool, they’ll be totally confused by this sort of process structure.

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