Modeling an agile enterprise: Reconciling systems and process thinking

Abstract

Selection of an enterprise modeling paradigm depends on the practical task the modeling project is trying to achieve. For example, modeling in the frame of Enterprise Architecture paradigm is, usually, aimed at alignment of the enterprise components, such as mission, vision, business processes, services and IT systems. Modeling in the frame of Business Process Management is aimed at process improvement/optimization, and modeling in the Systems Thinking paradigm is aimed at getting a holistic view on the dynamic behavior of the enterprise. This paper suggests a new approach to enterprise modeling that combine these approaches in order to reveal and improve enterprise agility. It is based on the systemic view of business processes, and it presents an enterprise as a three-layered model consisting of assets, sensors and business process instances. Elements of this model can be recursively decomposed, which allows for different levels of details when modeling an enterprise. © 2011 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.