slides from my keynote address at the BPMN 2012

1. BPMN Research:
What we Know and What we Don’t
Know
Professor Dr Jan Recker
Information Systems School
Science and Engineering Faculty
Queensland University of Technology
Q y gy
Brisbane, Australia

2. Main Messages
BPMN scholarship has matured, which is why we need to
identify truly novel research problems.
Research should shift from explaining Knowns to exploring
Unknowns.
We need to be Boundary Spanners to bridge the different
BPMN communities.
Community Understanding, Leverage and Engagement are
some of the pathways that can aid the further development of
this research field.
2

3. Agenda
Looking backward: Reviewing BPMN Research
Looking forward: Exploring U
g p g Unknown U
Unknowns
Looking inwards: Researching the “Right Things”
Q&A
3

4. Agenda
Looking backward: Reviewing BPMN Research
Looking forward: Exploring U
g p g Unknown U
Unknowns
Looking inwards: Researching the “Right Things”
Q&A
4

5. BPMN Research Publications
(1000+)
Peak Maturity or
2000 of hype 180
Retirement?
1800
mber of publications
160
ns
1600
umber of citation
140
1400 120
1200
100
1000
p
f
80
800 Early
600 movers 60
40
Num
Nu
400
200 20
0 0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Citations Number of publications
5

6. Popular themes in BPMN research
How Can
C
Formal
How do we we
does it extend scale
work? How it? it?
F
do we e
Lin of Maturity
make
it
rical
better? Can
How Can
we
should we
Empir
ne M
under-
it be lever-
stand
used? age it?
How is it?
it
used?
alytical
How
good …
Ana
is it?
The early years We’re up and running! Current efforts
6
2005-2007 2008-2010 2011-...

7. Which papers have impact?
400 120%
350
332 100%
rs
ution of Paper
300
80%
Zone of Zone of
Number of Papers
250
Zone of indifference
ulative Distribu
200
ignorance impact 60%
181
(41%)
150
(57%) (2%) 40%
Cumu
100 105
77
20%
50 43
15 8
0 0%
0 1-3 4-10 11-19 20-49 50-99 100+
Cumulative Distribution Number of Papers Regular power distribution
7

8. Which papers have impact?
Authors Title Year Citations
P Wohed, W Van der On the suitability of BPMN for business process
Aalst, M Dumas… modelling 2006 181
RM Dijkman, M Semantics and analysis of business process models in
Dumas, C Ouyang BPMN 2008 171
An evaluation of conceptual business process modelling
B List, B Korherr languages 2006 141
C Ouyang, M Dumas,
AHM Ter Hofstede… From BPMN process models to BPEL web services 2006 127
M zur Muehlen, How much language is enough? Theoretical and
J Recker practical use of the business process modeling notation 2008 121
C Ouyang, WMP Van
Der Aalst, M Dumas…
Aalst Dumas Translating BPMN to BPEL 2006 109
A Ghose, G Koliadis Auditing business process compliance 2007 107
On the translation between BPMN and BPEL:
Conceptual mismatch between p
p process modelingg
J Recker, J Mendling languages 2006 106
A Awad, G Decker, M Efficient compliance checking using BPMN-Q and
Weske temporal logic 2008 96
J Recker, M Indulska, How good is BPMN really? Insights from t eo y a d
ec e , du s a, o s ea y s g ts o theory and
M Rosemann, P Green practice 2006 92
8

9. Work that defined the BPMN
research community y
Analysis of BPMN’s modeling capabilities
Formalization of BPMN Semantics
BPMN use in practice All well-researched and
well-solved by now
BPMN-to-BPEL
BPMN and Compliance
9

10. Some tentative conclusions
Several key problems are “solved” (at least academically)
solved
Capabilities in-theory and in-use
Translation
Semantics
Increased maturity of the field increases demand for new research
to avoid retirement as a research topic
Novel contributions
Advanced methodological and th
Ad d th d l i l d theoretical rigor
ti l i
Blue ocean problems and topics?
BPMN is becoming a commodity – not only as a standard but also
in research
Is there time to do something new? And if so, how do we get there?
10

11. Agenda
Looking backward: Reviewing BPMN Research
Looking forward: Exploring Unknown Unknowns
g p gU U
Looking inwards: Researching the “Right Things”
Q&A
11

12. There Are Unknown U k
Th A U k Unknowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v jtkUO8NpI84
http://www youtube com/watch?v=jtkUO8NpI84
12

13. Implications for BPMN research
I li ti f h
Unknown Unknown
ion to
S ting fromm
t
Knowns Unknowns
exp ation
Moving beyond the
anati
plora
research comfort zone
expla
K
Known Shift K
Known
Knowns e Unknowns
13

14. BPMN Research Examples
- Known Knowns
BPMN is used selectively in organizations, and not to its full extent.
BPMN can be mapped to executable semantics.
There are advantages and disadvantages of BPMN in comparison to
other modeling approaches.
BPMN is implemented in different ways by process engines.
Model t t
M d l structure, complexity, size, colour etc i fl
l it i l t influence h
how well
ll
participants understand a BPMN model.
14

15. BPMN Research Examples
- Unknown Knowns
Organizations use BPMN differently for different projects (redesign,
implementation, compliance)
implementation compliance).
The individual and organizational benefits that flow from BPMN use.
g
Defining and implementing workflow systems starting with BPMN models.
The BPMN usage differences between experts and novices.
15

16. BPMN Research Examples
- Known Unknowns
The level of errors in BPMN modeling is still high. How do we change that
and what is the true impact?
What is the best way to apply BPMN for process modeling?
The use of BPMN in cultures with different aptitudes for forms, shapes
and symbolic expressions.
The process of BPMN development.
The impact of new technologies for BPMN modeling.
16

17. BPMN Research Examples
- Unknown Unknowns
How do we use BPMN for different, future emerging purposes?
What extensions to the standard will be required in the future?
Will BPMN have a place in post-process paradigms?
How will the BPMN community and its impact evolve?
The influence of post-GFC, post-Greece on XXX…
17

18. How do we shift our thinking?
Analysis and selective expansion of three key research resources
Choice of method:
Diversify: expand portfolio of research approaches
Consolidate: analyse the analyses
Integrate: connect empirical findings to design, design as theory, theory as design
Choice of theory:
Create: Build theories germane to the BPMN context
Expand: extend reference theories through new constructs, relationships or boundary
conditions
Critique: assist paradigm shifts through conclusive falsification
Choice of expertise:
p
Select: identify and differentiate different bases of BPMN expertise
Enable: include and integrate community members
Transfer: allow expertise and knowledge to permeate boundaries of organizations or
communities 18

19. Agenda
Looking backward: Reviewing BPMN Research
Looking forward: Exploring U
g p g Unknown U
Unknowns
Looking inwards: Researching the “Right
Things
Things”
Q&A
19

20. What is the “right thing” to
g g
research?
“A central mission of scholars is to conduct research that both advances
a scientific discipline and enlightens practice in a professional domain.”
Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial
Often argued to be a knowledge transfer problem:
Academic journals not read and not understood
Practitioner magazines too lightweight and ‘fluffy’, lacking credibility
My view is that the knowledge transfer lens is misleading; and a boundary
spanning perspective potentially more fruitful.
Thus, our research community h an obligation t occupy a b
Th h it has bli ti to boundary spanning
d i
role.

21. What does boundary spanning
y p g
mean?
Boundary spanners are roles in and across communities that perform a
variety of important roles such as
Sharer of expertise
Representor instead of Gatekeeper
Advice and trust broker
Scout, ambassador, sentry and guardian
Illustration by contrast:
Academics continuously engage in practices that produce knowledge and new
practices of relevance and interest to academia
Develops a knowledge-based advantage (the raison d’etre for academics)
These traditional practices also continuously reproduce and strengthen the
boundaries to other fields
Boundary spanning emerges through the identification of a new join t field

22. Towards Boundary Spanning
- Three Pathways with Examples
1. Understand the communities
Develop an understanding of the topics and phenomena of
interest and importance to different stakeholder groups
2. Leverage knowledge from the communities
Utilize research and insights from other communities in own
research
3.
3 Engage the communities in collaborative work
Include communities in participatory research
23

23. Understand the communities
- Delphi study on current Issues (2008)
Academics IT/BPM Vendors BPM Practitioners
Standardisation Standardisation Training
Model-driven Model-driven process Standardisation
process execution execution
Modelling views
g Process discovery
y Value of
process modelling
Flexibility Value of Governance
process modelling
Compliance Model management Modelling level of detail
Methodology Modelling level of detail Model management
Indulska, M., Recker, J., Rosemann, M., Green, P. (2009): Business Process Modeling:
Current Issues and Future Challenges. In P. van Eck, J. Gordijn, and R. Wieringa (eds.):
g j g ( )
Advanced Information Systems Engineering – CAiSE 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer
Science, Volume 5565. Springer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 501-514. 24

24. Understand the communities
- Delphi study on future Challenges (by 2013)
Academics Vendors Practitioners
Model-driven Standardisation Value of
process execution process modelling
Methodology Value of Training
process modelling
Compliance Model-driven Buy-in
process execution
Service integration Training Governance
Model integration Model management Adoption
Standardisation Service orientation Business-IT-Alignment
Indulska, M., Recker, J., Rosemann, M., Green, P. (2009): Business Process Modeling:
Current Issues and Future Challenges. In P. van Eck, J. Gordijn, and R. Wieringa (eds.):
g j g ( )
Advanced Information Systems Engineering – CAiSE 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer
Science, Volume 5565. Springer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 501-514. 25

25. Current boundary spanning is
limited at best
Issues Challenges
20 (2) 45 (4) 16 (1) 62 (5)
P A V P A V
37 (4) 41 (3)
Indulska, M., Recker, J., Rosemann, M., Green, P. (2009): Business Process Modeling:
Current Issues and Future Challenges. In P. van Eck, J. Gordijn, and R. Wieringa (eds.):
g j g ( )
Advanced Information Systems Engineering – CAiSE 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer
Science, Volume 5565. Springer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 501-514. 26

26. Leverage communities
Build research collaborations that include representatives from different
communities
Example: Apromore Initiative (www.apromore.org)
p p ( p g)
Combines researchers from 7 universities,
from computer science, information systems,
management science, and software engineering
g g g
Sponsored by fed. government AND industry
QUT Team:
4 academic f
d i faculty
lt
1 Post-doc
2 PhD students
2 solution architects In-kind
2 senior developers provision by
1 business analyst
y industry partner
Various research assistants and graduate students 27

27. an open‐source highly scalable SaaS platform to
open source,
manage large (BPMN) process model collections
Apromore
variants management / organization
merging
80%
re-use similarity refactoring
search
01000101
Process model
10100101 mining querying
repository
La Rosa, M., Reijers, H.A., van der Aalst, W.M.P., Dijkman, R.M., Mendling, J., Dumas, M., and Garcia-Banuelos, L.
28
"APROMORE: An Advanced Process Model Repository," Expert Systems with Applications (38:6) 2011, pp 7029-7040.

28. Case St d S
C Study: Suncorp I
Insurance
Product
Sales Service Claims 500
Dev
p
steps
Home
Motor 30
Commercial
variations
Liability
CTP / WC
• Estimated total number of process steps: 15,000
p p ,
• Total number of models: 3,000+

29. Engage communities
Include different communities directly in the
research process
p
at one or several stages of the research
lifecycle
Examples
Integrate: Research on use AND development of
the BPMN standard
Communicate: Research on the use of BPMN in
practice

30. Engage Communities
g g
- through integration
Traditional Extended
research research
model model
Recker, J., Indulska, M., Green, P. (2007): Extending Representational Analysis: BPMN User and Developer Perspectives. In G. Alonso, P.
Dadam and M. Rosemann (eds.): Business Process Management – BPM 2007. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 4714. Springer,
Brisbane, Australia, pp. 384-399.

31. Interviewing the BPMN team
Proforma
Popkin /
Telelogic
IBM
Mega
Global 360
Recker, J., Indulska, M., Green, P. (2007): Extending Representational Analysis: BPMN User and Developer Perspectives. In G. Alonso, P.
Dadam and M. Rosemann (eds.): Business Process Management – BPM 2007. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 4714. Springer,
Brisbane, Australia, pp. 384-399.

32. Research & Findings
33
Recker, J., Indulska, M., Green, P. (2007): Extending Representational Analysis: BPMN User and Developer Perspectives. In G. Alonso, P.
Dadam and M. Rosemann (eds.): Business Process Management – BPM 2007. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 4714. Springer,
Brisbane, Australia, pp. 384-399.

33. Example Feedback
Problems in capturing Business Rules
Developer feedback:
Voiced strong support that in the future there will be a better
Transfer
conducted
integration between process modelling and business rule
specification.
Conduct transfer
[…]Transfercurrently within the OMG, there’s quite a lot of work on
and Business Rule Editor (excerpt)
Customer logged on to possible Business Rule 1
InternetBanking business rules being done. […] the idea is that certainly, rules will
be kind of built better or at least more, made transferAmount BPMN at
If
to fit into < threshold(country)
Then accept Else reject
Customer least in terms of the underlying models, the meta models. Exactly
specifies Check feasibility where we fit it in on the notational side, that’s something they need
transfer Business Rule Library (excerpt)
to work on in the future, so, we’re open to this and it seemed a Threshold
Country Currency little
Germany EUR (€) 12,000
beyond our scope at the time we were doing U.S.A. includeUSD ($) 15,000
Business Rule 1 it to too much on
transferAmount business rule side of things. United Kingdom GBP (£) 10,000
Transfer
impossible Display
error
message
Error message
displayed
Recker, J., Indulska, M., Green, P. (2007): Extending Representational Analysis: BPMN User and Developer Perspectives. In G. Alonso, P.
Dadam and M. Rosemann (eds.): Business Process Management – BPM 2007. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 4714. Springer,
Brisbane, Australia, pp. 384-399.

34. Engage Communities
g g
- through result debates
Re-frame research in different articulations, reports and formats and
invite discussions, critiques and involvement from “the others”.
Easily and conveniently achievable: Twitter, Blogs, community magazines
Frame for discussion, not for education!
Impact effects cannot be neglected:
Community interest paper downloads problem definition academic
interest citations
Example: “How much language is enough?”

35. BPMN use is not as extensive as
we thought it is
zur Muehlen, M., and Recker, J. "How Much Language is Enough? Theoretical and Practical Use of the Business Process Modeling Notation,"
in: Advanced Information Systems Engineering - CAiSE 2008, M. Léonard and Z. Bellahsène (eds.), Springer, Montpellier, France, 2008, pp.
465-479.

36. Users are making deliberate
g
trade-offs
Number of
models that
shared the
framed
constructs
zur Muehlen, M., and Recker, J. "How Much Language is Enough? Theoretical and Practical Use of the Business Process Modeling Notation,"
in: Advanced Information Systems Engineering - CAiSE 2008, M. Léonard and Z. Bellahsène (eds.), Springer, Montpellier, France, 2008, pp.
465-479.

37. Engage Communities
g g
- through results

38. Recap: Main Messages
We need to identify truly novel research questions to maintain
BPMN research momentum and avoid being a fashion wave.
Increased maturity also means stronger demands for
research rigor and methodological quality.
We can achieve this by shifting our research focus from
explanation to exploration. This will require a shift in theory,
method and expertise utilization.
We will maintain relevance and impact by more strongly
assuming a role of boundary spanners.
40

39. Prof. Jan Recker, PhD
Woolworths Chair of Retail
Innovation
Information Systems School
Science and Engineering Faculty
Queensland U i
Q l d University of T h l
it f Technology
e j.recker@qut.edu.au
w www janrecker com
www.janrecker.com
t janrecker