Towards grounded enterprise modelling

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the concept of grounding enterprise models in terms of an underlying fact-based model, as a way to add more meaning to these enterprise models. We motivate the need for doing so in terms of a fundamental understanding of conceptual modelling, and enterprise modelling in particular. We also clarify why, next to e.g. adding more meaning by using formal semantics, or mapping the model to a foundational ontology, it remains important to ground enterprise models on fact-based models that capture the natural way in which people converse about/in their domain. The presented concepts are illustrated by means of a running example, while also reflecting on, and summarising, the results of earlier experiments in grounding different enterprise models.