Towards real-scale business transaction workflow modelling

Abstract

While the specification languages of workflow management systems focus on process execution semantics, the successful development of workflows relies on a fuller conceptualisation of business processing including the treatment of time, document transfer, and workflow use and reuse. For this, a wellspring of modelling techniques, paradigms and informal-formal method extensions which address broader enterprise modelling and communication (based on speech-act theory), is available. However, the characterisations — indeed the cognition — of workflows still appears coarse. In this paper, we provide the complementary, empirical insight of a real-scale business transaction workflow. The development of the workflow model follows a set of principles which we believe address workflow modelling suitability. Through the principles, advanced considerations including temporal constraints, message construction and deconstruction together with asynchronous and synchronous modes of messaging, service encapsulation, and complex decision and exception handling are motivated. By illustrating the suitability principles and with it the inherent complexity of business transaction domains, we offer timely insights into workflow specification extension.