Collaborative Modeling of Processes: What Facilitation Support Does a Group Need?

Collaborative modeling of processes is increasingly being used in practice. However, collaborative modeling is difficult. To overcome the difficulties, a professional facilitator can be used. Collaboration Engineering takes up the challenge to design collaboration processes that do not need a professional facilitator, but can be facilitated by practitioners. This research contributes to this by identifying what facilitation aspects are important in collaborative modeling and which of these aspects can be transferred to practitioners. Three facilitation aspects are considered important: (1) guarding the rules of the modeling technique, (2) checking for completeness and (3) translating elements in reality to modeling concepts. The first facilitation aspect can be taken over by a tool that controls the rules of the modeling technique. The second facilitation aspect most likely can be taken over by the practitioner, but for the third aspect a professional with modeling expertise is required.