Goal-Oriented Autonomic Business Process Modeling and Execution: Engineering Change Management Demonstration

This demonstration paper describes the Living Systems Autonomic BPM (LS/ABPM) suite from Whitestein Technologies AG. This unique product consists of several integrated components for modelling, executing and administering business processes using a groundbreaking goal-oriented approach to BPM. A real and current customer case in the domain of Engineering Change Management (ECM), from Daimler AG, is used to explore the approach and features of the suite in the demonstration. Key improvements over conventional BPM techniques and technologies include business-goal oriented process modeling and extending process agility beyond the design stage by offering autonomic, self-optimizing process orchestration and execution. The LS/ABPM suite includes a Process Modeler for goal-oriented process modeling, a Process Navigation Engine for process execution, a Management Console for process deployment and administration, and Process Task Libraries and Application Frameworks to easily build solutions for different vertical markets. The suite tools are all based on, and compliant with, standard technologies (i.e., BPMN and J2EE) allowing seamless enterprise integration. LS/ABPM is the first BPMS to enable true goal-oriented process model-ing [3]. The Goal-Oriented BPMN (GO-BPMN)[1] notation is an extension of standard BPMN, with all model elements given a precise operational semantics allowing unambiguous model execution. Process designers use the LS/ABPM Process Modeler to capture a process' business-level purpose in terms of its goals (what/why) and the plans that are capable of achieving them (how). Owing to this loose coupling of ends and means, goal-oriented process models flexibly and concisely express the available paths across business targets. This is inherently different from conventional approaches that need to model explicit process variants , thus creating more rigidity and complexity. Both business analysts and IT specialists easily grasp and use GO-BPMN models, which are directly executable for smooth testing and deployment. The LS/ABPM Process Navigation Engine uses the Living Systems Technology Suite (LS/TS) autonomic software technology middleware to directly map process model goals onto process instance goals using a form of Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) execution logic [2]. The engine interprets a loaded model and dynamically selects the available plans best suited to attain goal-specified business objectives in real-time. It immediately considers changes in goals, plans and environment conditions, and autonomically adapts the executing process,