Communicative action‐based business process and information systems modelling with DEMO

Abstract

Abstract. Abstract. The field of communicative action‐based modelling of business processes and information systems has attracted more and more attention in recent years. Inspired by the seminal work of Winograd and Flores, researchers have proposed several modelling approaches. In this article we discuss communicative action‐based modelling approaches in general and the DEMO (dynamic essential modelling of organizations) approach in particular. Besides establishing the theoretical foundations of this modelling approach, we also apply DEMO to a case study, and we discuss how the resulting models can be used for information systems design and business process optimization.

Actors, resources, activities and commitments

“…), and its much more recent development and exploitation in the field of multi-agent/distributed artificial intelligence systems design (Jennings, 1993;Castelfranchi, 1998Castelfranchi, , 2000Castelfranchi, , 2001Singh 1999). The commitments based perspective on cooperative work (Winograd, 1987-88) currently provides the basis for the software architecture supporting the development of virtualartificial societies (Sawyer, 2003), business process modelling systems (Dietz, 2006;Van Reijswould, Mulder, & Dietz, 1999), collaborative task management software (Whittaker, 2005) and sophisticated electronic communication systems (Duchenault & Watts, 2005). Winograd and Flores (1986, p150) describe organisations as "networks of commitments", with managerial work being the "articulation and activation" of this network.…”

A Language Based Combined Requirements Engineering Approach

“…This new way of thinking has got the name 'OERparadigm' (OER stands for Order, Execution, Result). It fits in the so-called Language/Action Perspective (Dietz, 1999;Reijswoud et al, 1999;Goldkuhl et al, 1998). Contrary to the prevailing notion that communication is exchanging sentences, expressing some proposition with regard to some world, the Language/Action Perspective assumes that communication is a kind of action in that it creates commitments between the communicating parties.…”

“…The second addition is that we conceive every business process to be some specific molecular structure of the 'atoms' having the same generic form. These atoms are called OERlbusiness transactions (Some relevant works are (Dietz, 1999;Reijswoud et al, 1999). …”

A Fact-Oriented Approach to Activity Modeling

“…One of the work that remains to be done is the provision of a sound theoretical base by which modelers can determine wether an object is a actor, actand or activity. In doing so, we plan on integrating the work on DEMO [9], which has a sound theoretical base in speech-act theory [4].…”