Visualizing Large Business Process Models: Challenges, Techniques, Applications

Abstract

Abstract. Large process models may comprise hundreds or thousands of process elements, like activities, gateways, and data objects. Presenting such process models to users and enabling them to interact with these models constitute crucial tasks of any process-aware information systems (PAISs). Existing PAISs, however, neither provide adequate techniques for visualizing and abstracting process models nor for interacting with them. In particular, PAISs do not provide tailored process visualizations as needed in complex application environments. This paper presents examples of large process models and discusses some of the challenges to be tackled when visualizing and abstracting respective models. Further, it presents a comprehensive framework that allows for personalized process model visualizations, which can be tailored to the specific needs of the different user groups. First, process model complexity can be reduced by abstracting the models, i.e., by eliminating or aggregating process elements not relevant in the given visualization context. Second, the appearance of process elements can be customized independent of the process modeling language used. Third, different visualization formats (e.g., process diagrams, process forms, and process trees) are supported. Finally, it will be discussed how tailored visualizations of process models may serve as basis for changing and evolving process models at a high level of abstraction.

A visual analysis of the process of process modeling

“…To capture the complexity of processes, process models make use of the principles of structuring and abstraction (Polyvyanyy, 2012). For example, many process models do not show information at instance level, but summarize information of different executions, while often hiding infrequent behavior (Polyvyanyy, Smirnov, & Weske, 2010;Reichert, 2013).…”

Lifecycle Management of Business Process Variants

“…Moreover, process variability needs to be considered for other process support paradigms like, for example, data-and object-centric modeling approaches (Künzle and Reichert 2012;Reichert 2012a). Finally, proper techniques for visualizing process variant collections are required Reichert 2012b).…”

Materiality Maps – Process Mining Data Visualization for Financial Audits

“…Their omission in the process model might lead to process models that are of little use, especially in the context of financial audits. Other scholars suggest abstraction methods such as aggregation and reduction to decrease the complexity in process models [31].…”