Using π-calculus to formalize UML activity diagram for business process modeling

Abstract

UML has become de facto standards for objectoriented software development. It provides rich notations for representing, analyzing architecture and behaviors of systems. Among these notations, UML activity diagram is well-known for describing system' s dynamic behaviors. One of its main purposes is to model software processes and business processes, and represent control flows among activities. As a semiformal notation, UML activity diagram has not publicly agreed formal semantics. In this paper, the alternative approach of usingcalculus π to formalize UML activity diagrams is presented. Therefore, activity models can be of rich process semantics. Its main advantages have: (1) According to weak bisimulation incalculus π two process models can be checked for equivalence, thus facilitating the optimization of business processes or software processes.(2) Process model can be verified whether it satisfies certain properties, such as safety and liveness, by means of calculus π analytical tools. (3) Correct criterions for process model are expressed with modal Mµ -calculus, such as the correct termination of processes. Therefore, process model can be automatically verified with the help ofcalculus π analytical tools.