An empirical assessment of the effect of context-based semantic annotation on process model discovery

Abstract

CPSAM is a context-based process semantic annotation model for annotating business processes in a process model repository. The purpose of the annotation model is to facilitate searching process models, navigating a process model repository and enhance users' understanding of process models. The annotation model has partly been evaluated through an empirical study to test the annotation consistency and correctness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the process annotation (based on CPSAM) through a controlled experiment, where a prototype of the repository is used, to annotate and store process models based on the CPSAM. The evaluation is supposed to test whether process annotation based on the CPSAM can facilitate searching, navigation and understanding of process models stored in a repository. The results show that annotating business processes using the annotation model positively affects searching process models, navigating the repository and understanding process models. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.