Business process modelling techniques play a vital role in today’s fast-paced business landscape, and COMPARE.EDU.VN offers valuable insights for navigating this complex terrain. This article delivers a comprehensive analysis, exploring various methodologies, their applications, and benefits to empower informed decision-making. Understand the latest business process improvements, workflow optimization, and process management strategies to drive success.
1. Introduction to Business Process Modelling
Since the 1990s, businesses have undergone significant structural and technological changes, ushering in new ways of thinking about change and knowledge creation. [Silva, 2015] This transformation requires a fresh perspective on management, adapting to a rapidly evolving reality. Modern companies are increasingly organizing themselves around the processes that drive their operations, moving away from traditional departmental structures. [Malamut, 2005]
In today’s competitive market, organizations are constantly seeking ways to optimize their information systems quickly and effectively. Agility has become a key differentiator, enabling companies to anticipate and respond to market pressures, needs, and opportunities.
Companies are prioritizing their business processes to gain a competitive advantage, recognizing them as critical factors for organizational success. Business Process Management (BPM), through a structured set of activities, provides greater control, flexibility, and alignment with organizational strategy. [van der Aalst, 2013] Business process modelling, a core activity within BPM, allows for the definition and modification of organizational processes in a logical and structured manner. [Silva, 2015]
The abundance of process modelling methodologies can make it challenging for project modelers to choose the most suitable one. To address this, Silva (2015) conducted a study to support the analysis of business process modelling notations, aiding in the selection process during the modelling stage.
This article aims to analyze the primary business modelling methodologies through a systematic literature review. It presents a comparative discussion of these methodologies, based on Silva’s (2015) study, to serve as a foundation for choosing the right methodology for BPM projects. These findings provide a theoretical framework for research papers, dissertations, and theses. The content of this article is designed to help students, consumers and professionals to compare and contrast business process modelling methodologies and help them make the right choices using comparative data.
The article is structured as follows: Section 2 provides a theoretical overview of Business Process Management and Business Process Modelling; Section 3 outlines the research method used; Section 4 presents the results of the bibliometric analysis, highlighting key methodologies in BPM; Section 5 compares the main Business Process Modelling Methodologies based on Silva’s (2015) study; and Section 6 concludes with final thoughts.
2. Theoretical Framework of Business Process Management
This section will further discuss the theoretical framework of business process management, starting with a definition of Business Process Management (BPM) and then looking into business process modelling.
2.1 Business Process Management (BPM)
BPM is a comprehensive management strategy [Draghici et al., 2012] focused on integrating Information Technology (IT). [vom Brocke & Sinnl, 2011] It involves the design, approval, control, and analysis of business processes that encompass the organization, its people, applications, documents, and other information sources. [Pyon et al., 2011] BPM is increasingly used by organizations to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency. [Huang et al., 2011] It emphasizes innovation, flexibility, and technology integration to align the organization with customer needs. [Toor & Dhir, 2011]
BPM can be seen as a continuous, structured, analytical, and multi-sectoral process improvement approach with several critical factors. [Trkman, 2010] These factors are linked to methods that enable companies to establish a strong business process orientation. [Skrinjar & Trkman, 2013] Key elements include understanding and involvement from top management, recognition of information systems, well-defined responsibilities, and a culture that embraces business processes. [Draghici et al., 2012]
BPM requires a systemic and balanced view, as business processes connect the organization, harmonizing resources like processes, people, and systems. [Siriram, 2012] BPM actions should focus on critical processes aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives.
The Association of Business Process Management Professionals defines BPM as a management discipline with a structured approach to identifying, executing, measuring, monitoring, and controlling business processes (automated or not) to achieve consistent results. This involves aligning business processes with strategic goals, creating value, and enabling the organization to achieve its objectives more quickly. [ABPMP, 2015]
BPM is a well-established management model for managing the business process lifecycle, including design, execution, and analysis. [Repa & Bruckner, 2015] It is based on designing a model that meets quality criteria, which can be challenging due to the complexity of modern business processes. [Haddar et al., 2014] This complexity has led to the search for approaches to design high-quality models at reduced costs.
BPM seeks to map and improve a company’s business processes through a lifecycle approach, including definition, modelling, testing, distribution, execution, monitoring, analysis, and optimization, as illustrated in Figure 1. [Arevolo, 2006]
Figure 1: BPM macroprocesses. Source: adapted from Arevolo (2006). Illustration of the continuous cycle of business process management macroprocesses, from definition and modelling to analysis and optimization, highlighting its iterative nature.
BPM involves a global business view and a shift from functional to process-oriented management. It emphasizes a systemic approach, highlighting the interrelationships of processes. [Segatto et al., 2013] Unnecessary and misdirected steps are eliminated and resources are optimized within the main processes.
For effective BPM, it is crucial to view it not just as a set of IT tools, but as an environment that requires a process-oriented view and clear communication across the organization. [Cho & Lee, 2011] This requires a well-organized team, [Neubauer, 2009] knowledge of processes, [Seethamraju, 2012] and a good selection of critical processes. [Cho & Lee, 2011]
Understanding the types of processes and how to manage them is essential for achieving the best results. [Siriram, 2012] To replicate an organizational structure by processes, a defined scenario of the company is needed, including mapping activities, rules, and relationships, along with an appropriate business process modelling methodology.
2.2 What is Business Process Modelling?
Process modelling is the activity of representing an organization’s processes, enabling analysis of their current state and future improvements. [Toor & Dhir, 2011] Organizations need to understand their processes to improve them. [Abu Rub & Issa, 2012] Modelling helps describe and graph important aspects of a process, including people, departments, and their connections. [Climent et al., 2009] It portrays or represents these aspects, emphasizing key areas for attention. [Vergidis et al., 2008]
Generally, process modelling aims to describe business process characteristics, including structure, activity sequence, relationships, and resources used. It facilitates understanding and analysis of processes [Abu Rub & Issa, 2012] and is widely used to document and improve operations. [Smirnov et al., 2012]
Process modelling is a technology used to describe processes transparently, enabling better understanding and development. [Silveira et al., 2016] It allows for planning, creating procedures, and documenting them consistently, reflecting the company’s reality and enabling changes toward a desired future state. [Leopold et al., 2016]
Real process models often have issues related to syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic quality. [Pinggera et al., 2015] Syntactic quality relates to model construction and correct use of the modelling language. Semantic quality refers to how accurately the model represents real-world behavior. Pragmatic quality addresses how well the model supports its intended uses, such as understanding behavior and system development.
Capturing the various aspects of a business process requires appropriate modelling methodologies, techniques, and standards. [Cull & Eldabi, 2010] Process modelling methodologies include graphical constructs and rules for combining them. These methodologies range from simple to highly sophisticated languages. [Georges, 2010] Sophisticated methodologies are designed for developing information systems, including transactional, supervisory, and workflow management systems. Key techniques include Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN), Unified Modelling Language (UML), Event-driven Process Chain (EPC), and Integration DEFinition (IDEF). [Toor & Dhir, 2011]
BPMN is the most widely accepted business process modelling methodology. [Pavani & Scucuglia, 2011] It provides graphical conventions for describing business processes, specifically for coordinating process sequences and message exchange. [Zhang et al., 2012] BPMN represents processes in a standardized way, facilitating understanding among stakeholders and employees. [Rachdi et al., 2016] BPMN is an open standard that has gained significant interest from academia and industry. It is user-friendly for all stakeholders [Kocbek et al., 2015] and allows modelling a business process with a single type of Business Process Diagram (BPD). This notation is used to model the current state of processes (AS-IS). Process simulations allow for easy and quick automation of activities with visual indicators, generating a proposed model with improvements (TO-BE). [Scheruhn et al., 2015]
UML emerged from the integration of three modelling methodologies: the Booch method, Object Modelling Technique (OMT), and Object-Oriented Software Engineering (OOSE). [Torres, 2011] It was developed as a graphical notation for analysis, specification, construction, and documentation to support software development. A key challenge was creating a standardized language with unique semantics to represent systems of varying complexity. [Geambaşu, 2012] UML is expressive enough to model non-software systems, such as workflow, structure, behavior of systems, and hardware designs. [Booch et al., 2006] Its success has led to the adoption of UML models in various systems development initiatives, including requirements approaches that use business process information often represented in adapted UML diagrams. [Torres, 2011]
EPC is also a widely used business process modelling language. [Devillers 2011] It was developed in 1992 by researchers at the University of Saarland in collaboration with SAP. [Mili et al., 2010] Like other process modelling notations, EPC resembles flowcharts for representing logical and temporal dependencies between activities. [Keletso et al., 2014] It aims to provide users with an intuitive graphical representation of organizational processes that is quick and easy to understand. [Van Wel, 2013] EPC is the core business process representation language of the Architecture of Integrated Information Systems (ARIS) methodology, which organizes business-related resources to ensure the development of business sequences and tasks that produce value. [Davis & Brabander, 2007] EPC is considered a simple and easy-to-understand methodology, similar to flowcharts. [Pavani & Scucuglia, 2011]
IDEF originated from a U.S. Department of Defense initiative to create a method for modelling system requirements. First used in the 1970s, it was later standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This methodology allows analyzing processes by building models that reflect their current functionality and project the ideal operational situation. [Almeida, 2009] IDEF includes 16 techniques for modelling and systems analysis, initially designed for Software Engineering. While each technique has different applications, IDEF0 (for modelling business functions) and IDEF3 (for modelling business processes) are the most useful and can complement each other. [Costin & Fox, 2004]
3. Research Methodology
This section details the bibliometric analysis and comparative analysis used in this research.
3.1 Bibliometric Analysis
To identify the main business process modelling methodologies, the bibliometric review research method proposed by Marasco (2008) was employed. Scopus databases were used to compile the bibliographic portfolio. Research was conducted in journals without temporal restrictions on published studies. The total number of papers found in these databases resulted from combinations of searched keywords, titles, and abstracts.
The keywords “Business Process Modelling” AND “Business Process Management” OR “BPM” were used for the literature review, as shown in Table 1.
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Table 1: Keywords of bibliometric research.
The search results primarily included journal articles, books, norms, and congress articles, providing the results of the bibliometric review. A total of 243 studies were obtained.
3.2 Comparative Analysis
Business process modelling methodologies have distinct characteristics, strengths, and limitations. Therefore, it is essential to compare them systematically to understand their differences and similarities.
To compare these methodologies, an extensive review of relevant literature dealing with their characterization was conducted. Different authors use varying criteria to evaluate process modelling methodologies, although some criteria are more universal. [Silva, 2015] These criteria include:
- Expressiveness: This assesses the language’s ability to represent, focusing on the elements of each notation to determine if they serve all purposes and needs of various models, from simple to complex.
- Formalism: This relates to the formal description and definition of each notation. It examines whether each notation has a formal definition of its elements and clear rules for their use.
- Usability: This measures how difficult it is to understand and use the notation for both analysts and modelers, promoting ease of use.
- Friendliness: This criterion considers the graphical aspect of the notation, seeking a notation that is not overly complex in terms of elements and relationships.
- Readability: This refers to the ease of interpreting processes by all stakeholders, including business analysts, technical and non-technical modelers, and organizational management.
- Flexibility: The presence of graphics that allow a high level of flexibility and offer various modelling alternatives is favored by some modelers.
- Support Tools: This verifies the availability of various support solutions for the language’s implementation.
- Universality: This analyzes whether the notation is widely recognized, offering benefits such as greater support from an active community.
- Purpose: This involves understanding the intended use of the final models, determining if the language allows for automation and execution of processes or just analysis and manipulations.
4. Main Methodologies in Business Process Modelling
Considering Business Process Management as a fundamental element, this review highlights the most discussed Business Process Modelling Methodologies in the papers gathered from the Scopus database during the bibliometric review: BPMN, UML, EPC, and IDEF.
BPMN is prominent, appearing in approximately 55% of the published works, as shown in Figure 2, followed by UML (21%), EPC (12%), and IDEF (7%), with other methodologies totaling 5%. A survey by Kocbek et al. (2015) also indicated that BPMN is the default language in process modelling.
Figure 2: Business Process Modelling Methodologies covered in papers in the Scopus database. Source: Authors. Illustration of the prevalence of BPMN, UML, EPC, and IDEF in business process modelling literature, showcasing BPMN as the most frequently discussed methodology.
The following subsections will address the main methodologies identified from the bibliometric review, highlighting their applications in scientific literature.
4.1 Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN)
Recent BPMN applications include publications in various areas: health [Onggo et al., 2018], manufacturing [Witsch & Vogel-Heuser, 2012], offshore [Joschko et al., 2015], industrial [Petrasch & Hentschke, 2016], educational [Strȋmbei et al., 2016], e-commerce [Bukhsh et al., 2017], and service [Geiger et al., 2016].
Joschko et al. (2015) described a holistic approach to Operation and Maintenance (O&M) processes in offshore wind farm power generation. Process acquisition and visualization are performed through risk analysis of relevant processes. A tool was designed to model processes in BPMN and simulate them. The notation was enriched with new elements, representing other relevant factors. Figure 3 shows the return travel process modelling by personnel transfer ship.
Figure 3: Modelling of return trip process by personnel transfer ship. Source: Joschko et al. (2015). Diagram depicting a BPMN model of the return trip process for personnel transfer ships, showcasing the notation’s ability to represent complex operational scenarios.
Strȋmbei et al. (2016) provided a new insight into corporate modelling in the context of BPMN and the university area. This study reveals a BPMN-specific approach in university information systems, based on a comparative analysis of universities in the United States and Central Europe. The authors present four realistic and complex systems: curriculum and programs, student admission, student roadmaps, and student exchanges. Figure 4 shows the BPMN modelling for the student exchange process.
Figure 4: BPMN modelling for student exchange process. Source: Strȋmbei et al. (2016). Illustration of a BPMN model for a student exchange process, demonstrating its applicability in educational settings for complex administrative workflows.
4.2 Unified Modelling Language (UML)
Recent publications on UML methodology include applications in education [De Lope & Medina-Medina, 2016], health [Ferrante et al., 2013], industry [Latif et al., 2011], services [Zheng et al., 2014], and e-commerce [Maman et al., 2017].
Ferrante et al. (2013) modelled the post-stroke rehabilitation process. In healthcare organizations providing rehabilitation for stroke patients, detailed workflow information is needed. The proposed UML model, based on international guidelines, has been refined following the clinical path adopted by a specialized rehabilitation center. This model describes the organization of rehabilitation delivery and facilitates recovery monitoring. Its flexibility allows for easy updates after process evolution. Figure 5 shows the class diagram of the rehabilitation process.
Figure 5: UML process modelling – class diagram of the post stroke rehabilitation process. Source: Ferrante et al. (2013). UML class diagram representing the post-stroke rehabilitation process, showcasing the methodology’s effectiveness in mapping complex healthcare workflows.
Zheng et al. (2014) developed and designed a library management system based on the UML modelling engine to analyze a simple library management system. The authors state that UML can efficiently convey information among users, developers, designers, and managers, improving collaboration and increasing industrialization in software development projects. The design process indicates that UML has a very good application perspective as a software engineering modelling language. Figure 6 discusses the UML class diagram of book loan management design.
Figure 6: Diagram design classes of the management book loans. Source: Zheng et al. (2014). UML class diagram illustrating the book loan management system design, highlighting UML’s utility in software development for managing complex systems.
4.3 Event-Driven Process Chain (EPC)
Among the works using the EPC methodology, publications with applicability in services [Giviani & Argourd, 2015], supply chain [Mohammadi & Mukhtar, 2012], education [Rostanski, 2013], marketing [Fleacă et al., 2016], and health [Zarabzadeh et al., 2012] stand out.
Giviani & Argourd (2015) mapped the processes of the technical treatment division of the São Carlos Integrated Library System, from acquisition to availability to the user. This includes receiving works, classification and indexing, tipping, availability in the collection, and inventory of all bibliographic material. The authors used business process modelling through the EPC methodology. Figure 7 shows the macroprocessing of library inventorying activity.
Figure 7: Macro-modelling of library inventory activities. Source: Giviani & Argourd (2015). EPC diagram depicting the macro-modelling of library inventory activities, showcasing the methodology’s suitability for mapping library processes.
Fleacă et al. (2016) applied the EPC methodology to model the variables of an organization’s marketing research process. The findings highlight the benefits of the marketing research workflow, which increases the value of market intelligence while reducing costs. The authors also highlight the high impact on stakeholder satisfaction. This paper aims to decipher modern trends in business process management and innovation and provides a useful marketing research process diagram using the BPMN graphical vocabulary EPC tool (Figure 8).
Figure 8: EPC modelling of BPMN graphic vocabulary – Marketing research process diagram. Source: Fleacă et al. (2016). EPC diagram illustrating the marketing research process using BPMN graphical vocabulary, showcasing the methodology’s utility in mapping marketing workflows.
4.4 Integration Definition (IDEF)
Among the publications on IDEF methodology, works with applications in manufacturing [Pinarbaşi et al., 2013], industrial [Kuo et al., 2012], supply chain [Kuo et al., 2014], and building construction [Tas et al., 2008] stand out.
Pınarbaşı et al. (2013) studied flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). The authors proposed an FMS design approach using the IDEF. A systematic layout scheme and a performance appraisal scheme are presented and detailed using this modelling framework. Then the proposed approach was carried out with a case study of an aircraft industry to convert an existing traditional production system into FMS. The goal was to find the machine and product mix that achieve maximum utilization while minimizing cycle time. From the IDEF model, it was observed that FMS system performance was greatly improved by determining the most advantageous level of system components. Figure 9 shows the IDEF context diagram layout design and benchmarking.
Figure 9: IDEF modelling: context diagram layout design and performance appraisal. Source: Pinarbaşi et al. (2013). IDEF context diagram illustrating the layout design and performance appraisal of a flexible manufacturing system, demonstrating the methodology’s applicability in industrial engineering.
Ciurana et al. (2008) developed a model that can be applied after the development of an integrated process planning and programming tool using an IDEF methodology to design an activity model, which integrates process planning and production in metal removal processes. An activity model was used to develop a system that allows the user to plan process and production at the same time in a collaborative engineering work. To design the business model, a wide range of parts was evaluated and processed at a real workshop factory. Several activities have been developed in detail to be tested in real cases. Figure 10 shows the process planning level in the IDEF model.
Figure 10: Process planning level in the IDEF model. Source: Ciurana et al. (2008). IDEF diagram showing the process planning level in a metal removal process, highlighting the methodology’s use in integrating process planning and production activities.
The following section discusses a comparative analysis of the main business process modelling methodologies raised in this paper – BPMN, UML, EPC and IDEF – based on the study by Silva (2015).
5. Comparative Analysis of Methodologies
Based on systematic analytical studies by authors in business process modelling, Silva (2015) compiled a list of works in each of the comparative criteria addressed in this study to highlight the characteristics of business process modelling methodologies. Table 2 presents an adapted version of Silva (2015) of the characteristics of each methodology identified from the bibliometric analysis.
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Table 2: Evaluative criteria of business process modelling methodologies.
According to Silva (2015), the “Expressiveness of languages” criterion has received the most attention from the authors surveyed. The capabilities of the methodologies allow for representing diverse organizational situations in behavioral, functional, structural, or informational terms.
The criteria “Formalism,” “Usability,” “Readability,” and “Purpose” were also related to the functionalities of the four methodologies. BPMN, UML, EPC, and IDEF are easily understood and interpreted by users, focus mainly on the complexity of language use, reduce or remove ambiguities in model interpretation, and the relevance of the model’s purpose is easily perceived.
BPMN stood out as the only methodology to meet the criteria “Friendly” and “Flexibility.” It presents a graphically pleasant notation that facilitates user work, aiding in identifying the intended and necessary elements to meet the expected result for the final model. It also allows for a high level of flexibility and offers several modelling alternatives.
BPMN, UML, and EPC meet the criteria “Supporting Tools” and “Universality,” according to the literature reviewed by Silva (2015). These notations offer numerous solutions to support their implementation, with widely used software packages for business process analysts. They are also sufficiently recognized in the business and academic communities, with broad market outreach.
6. Conclusion
This paper aimed to present a review of the main business process modelling methodologies based on theoretical references, a systematic literature review, and a comparative analysis of these methodologies.
Using a process modelling methodology for business process documentation has numerous advantages, often related to techniques and standards designed to support business process design and optimize the modelling task. For better performance in process modelling, using a specific methodology is crucial.
According to bibliometric research, the most prominent methodologies featured in the papers surveyed are BPMN, UML, EPC, and IDEF. BPMN stands out as the most frequently mentioned in the Scopus database, corroborated by Kocbek et al. (2015), who highlight BPMN as the standard language in process modelling.
Unlike other techniques, BPMN is designed to provide a notation that is easily understood and used by everyone involved in business processes. It is a comprehensive technique that offers modelling capabilities for a wide range of processes, from generic to specific.
Through examples of analyzed applications, it was verified that each methodology has its specific characteristics. A comparative analysis of methodologies proposed by Silva (2015) was presented, based on a comprehensive review of relevant literature.
In conclusion, the main purpose was to build a consistent overview that allows for the comparative analysis of process modelling methodologies in the face of a certain organizational context or BPM project. This will enable a more informed selection of the notation to serve specific purposes by the project team, without needing extensive research on various existing languages. By identifying the most important criteria for their project or organizational context, users can give them corresponding appreciation. These results provide a theoretical framework for application in papers, dissertations, and theses.
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7. FAQ: Business Process Modelling Techniques
Q1: What are the main business process modelling techniques?
The main techniques include Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN), Unified Modelling Language (UML), Event-driven Process Chain (EPC), and Integration DEFinition (IDEF). Each has unique strengths and is suited for different modelling needs.
Q2: Why is business process modelling important?
It facilitates understanding, analysis, and improvement of organizational processes. It helps in documenting processes, identifying bottlenecks, and optimizing workflows to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Q3: What is BPMN, and why is it so popular?
BPMN (Business Process Modelling Notation) is a graphical representation for specifying business processes in a business process model. Its popularity stems from its user-friendly notation, comprehensive modelling capabilities, and wide acceptance across industries.
Q4: How does UML differ from BPMN?
UML (Unified Modelling Language) is primarily used for software development and system design, while BPMN is focused on business processes. UML is more technical and geared towards IT professionals, whereas BPMN is designed to be understood by business stakeholders.
Q5: What is EPC, and when is it best used?
EPC (Event-driven Process Chain) is a business process modelling language used to coordinate the organization of processes. It’s simple and easy to understand, making it suitable for organizations seeking straightforward process documentation.
Q6: What is IDEF, and what are its common applications?
IDEF (Integration Definition) is a family of modelling languages used to analyze processes. It’s commonly applied in manufacturing, industrial engineering, and supply chain management to model complex systems and workflows.
Q7: How do I choose the right modelling technique for my business?
Consider your business needs, the complexity of your processes, and the stakeholders involved. BPMN is versatile, UML is suited for software-related processes, EPC is simple for basic processes, and IDEF is ideal for complex industrial systems.
Q8: What are the key criteria for evaluating business process modelling techniques?
Key criteria include expressiveness, formalism, usability, friendliness, readability, flexibility, support tools, universality, and purpose. These factors help you assess the suitability of each technique for your specific needs.
Q9: Can these modelling techniques be integrated with IT systems?
Yes, many modelling techniques can be integrated with IT systems, especially BPMN and UML. These techniques facilitate automation and execution of processes, allowing organizations to align their business processes with technology.
Q10: Where can I find resources to learn more about business process modelling techniques?
compare.edu.vn offers comprehensive comparisons, user reviews, and expert opinions to help you learn more about business process modelling techniques. Additionally, various online courses, certifications, and industry publications provide in-depth knowledge and practical skills.
