Using DSMs for the visualization and analysis of decision models in business processes

Abstract

Business processes are represented nowadays with industry standards like Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and Decision Model and Notation (DMN). Business analysts can graphically represent the flow of a business process with BPMN. At the same time, they can use DMN to model the logic of decisions and display their requirements. These graphical standards help in managing the complexity of typical business processes and decisions. Anyway, a business analyst may end up with models that are difficult to comprehend, to analyze and to maintain. In this paper we present a novel technique to visualize the Decision Requirement Graph (DRG) of a DMN model with a DSM. The DSM representation gives to a business analyst a compact and concise view of the whole DRG. Cluster analysis of the resulting DSM can provide alternative visualization of the DRG and contribute to a better understanding of the decisions behind a business process.