h1. *Overview*
In this thematic, we are interested in graphically representing and modelling business processes. To be able to do that, we have to select a language or a format that we want the business process should be...
Many languages exist, for example, flow chart, Petri net, IDEF0, PCD (Process Chain Diagram) of ARIS, activity diagram of UML (Unified Modelling Language), and BPMN (Business Process Management Notation). The first three languages are elementary languages that take into account only a behavioural representation based on the facts. Process modelling is therefore reduced to just a sequence of activities. The last three languages are advanced languages that include informational (data) and organizational (actors) representations. This category can provide a rich typology of activities, events, flows, etc.
Using the advanced formalisms to model a process can cover several aspects of processes including actors (organizational view), and information (informational view). Besides, such formalisms offer a functional view of a process which is also an important factor. The main difference between PCD, UML, and BPMN is that BPMN has a direct connection with an execution language, BPEL. Therefore, BPMN seems to be the best choice for us for modelling a business process. Here is a short description of what BPMN is...
BPMN is a semi-formal language for process modelling. The goal of BPMN is to provide an explicit notation that is easy to use, and understandable by all business people who create, implement, or monitor processes. Thus, BPMN closes the gap between process design and process implementation. Another design goal of BPMN is its compatibility with XML-based workflow languages like BPEL. The visualization of processes designed with these formalisms is quite important. Indeed, BPMN has not only been designed to be a modelling formalism for capitalising knowledge, but also a bridge for automated executing processes (under BPEL) via BPMS (Business Process Management System) engine.
h1. *Main themes*
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