Despite its increasing success in organizations, traditional BPM embodies a top-down approach performed by a small group of experts, limiting process stakeholders to part-time information providers, hindering proactive contributions. In this paper, we argue that BPM can benefit from being complemented with a bottom-up and people-centric strategy, allowing for interventions by process stakeholders. However, this cannot be realized by turning ordinary users into BPM or modeling experts. Instead, there is a need to find appropriate means to engage these people into BPM, process development and modeling. In this paper, we present two explorative empirical studies exploring such means. As a result of analyzing these studies, we present five proposals towards the implementation of stakeholder involvement. Our work does not want to replace existing BPM procedures, but to complement them. Thus, it is a starting point for further research and as an opportunity to join forces with other researchers pursuing similar goals.

1. RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM
Integrating ordinary users into
process management:
Towards implementing
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bottom-up, people-centric BPM
Michael Prilla and Alexander Nolte
Department Information- and
Technologymanagement

2. Towards bottom-up, people-centric BPM
Current model of participation Target model
E
U U U U
U
E U
BPM documents BPM documents
U (models) (models)
E U
U
U U R E
U
Publishing: Collaboration:
Users (U) inform experts (E), who Both users and experts proactively
create and maintain models and roll engage in process development and
processes out to users. also become process consumers.
Top-Down: Focus on experts Bottom-up: Process Prosumer
People-centric: Active engagement /
contribution to process design
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 2

3. Non-expert modeling: Is that even possible?
Theory, practice and our approach
Common belief: Active engagement needs
• understanding of process modelling language
• knowledge / experiences in process thinking
• a facilitator / expert
Experiences from practice
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• Users understand (simple) models after short time
• User actively refer to models in workshop
• Potential in non-experts interacting with models
Research approach: Two exploratory studies
• Interviews with experts on non-expert model usage
• Non-expert model interaction applied
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 3

4. A walk on the wild (user) side
Study 1: Interviews with experts
• Six interviews with process modelling / BPM experts: 10+
years of practice
• Topics: usage of models, availability of models, model
exchange, information provision during modelling, barriers
and success factors of non-expert usage
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Partner Company Role Purpose of Notations
Modeling
I1 Technical Supp. Project manager Project planning Flowcharts
I2 Energy supply Analyst Process improvem. BPMN/UML
I3 IT-Consulting Project manager Project planning UML
I4 IT-Consulting Req. Analyst Requirements BPMN
I5 Software Dev. Coordinator Development UML
I6 Software Dev. Req. Analyst Requirements UML
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 4

5. A walk on the wild (user) side
Study 1: Interviews with experts, results
Stakeholders are cut from the development cycle of processes after
their information on the process has been captured once
“I usually do not discuss decisions with end users”
People want to use process models for communication, but cannot
get hold of them
“I often think that the diagrams are not enough within reach. They kind of
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disappear in the depths of IT”
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 5

6. A walk on the wild (user) side
Study 1: Interviews with experts, results
People would participate in process development, but cannot
express themselves properly
“(…) we are always present when models are changed“
People would contribute to process development, but expert
guidance and control discourage them from doing so
“[models] are usually regarded as my artifact”
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Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 6

7. A walk on the wild (user) side
Study 1: Interviews with experts, results
Outcomes / Issues
• (General) Ability to read and use models without
guidance / experts
• Models are / would be used, but are not available
• The role of BPM experts hinders stakeholder
engagement (to some extent)R
Influences on further work
• To what extent can non-expert modellers use models
without expert guidance?
• How can non-expert users contribute to models / use
them without knowing a modelling language?
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 7

8. A walk on the wild (user) side
Study 2: Non-expert specification of processes
• 5 pairs / workshops
• Modelling experts as well as non-expert modellers
• Facilitator as a guide
• Video-Recording, Observer, Post-Workshop interviews
Scenario R
Roles included Participants
(1) Bug reporting and solving User (of the software), 3 users of a tool,
for software development Developer 3 developers
(2) Book ordering in a library User (of the library), 2 library users (researchers),
Librarian 2 librarians
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 8

9. Course of the study
1. Contribute view on the process individually through an easy
to use web-interface
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Textual contributions are automatically transferred into
elements of the modeling notation.
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 9

10. Course of the study
2. Sort individual views with respect to the process sequence
3. Compare individual views and mark differences with respect
to content and sequence
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Direct interaction with the model through touch on an
interactive large screen.
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 10

11. People can think in processes
• No difference between experts and non-experts
• Almost no changes to the respective sequence
after contribution (2 in total)
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Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 11

12. People can use models…
... if they do not have to express themselves in modeling language
• Experts and non-experts contributed equally
• There was almost no difference in the value of the
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contributions (post analysis)
• Each participant contributed elements that the
respective other did not think of
“… I know that you are doing this, but I did not have it in mind …”
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 12

13. People can use models…
… to analyze their work processes and reflect on them
• Discussing differences helped people to…
– reflect on their own perspective
– gaining insight into the respective other perspective
“… I have not thought about what [you do] to be prepared for my orders …”
• People created a shared understanding
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“… ah, now I understand what you mean [pointing to an element] …”
• People could meet at eye level
“… being able to create a compressed visualization of the own view made the
following discussion much easier…”
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 13

14. Five proposals
1. Make models available
– Availability through tools that users use during everyday work
2. Redefine roles in BPM
– Users becoming active contributors
– Experts becoming coordinators and model managers
3. Provide suitable interactions for non-modellers
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– Simple text interfaces, sequence manipulation through dragging, comments
4. Make models tools of everyday use
– Encourage stakeholders to actively use models
5. Intertwine top-down and bottom-up strategies
– Contributions by users cause BPM cycle to pause or reverse
– Mixture between workshops and user involvement between workshops
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 14

15. Widening the scope of non-expert modeling
Current prototypes: Meta-Modelling
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People can find existing processes or process parts
through tags and reuse them within their model.
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16. Widening the scope of non-expert modeling
Current prototypes: Model annotation
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Users can easily comment on processes during their
everyday work through a web editor.
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17. Widening the scope of non-expert modeling
Current prototypes: Automatic guidance
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The system asks a set of predefined questions and
guides the user through her/his process.
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 17

18. Widening the scope of non-expert modeling
Current prototypes: Self-directed participatory modeling
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Within a workshop the users may decide on which part of the
process they want to focus and which activities they want to conduct.
Integrating ordinary users into process management: Towards implementing bottom-up, people-centric BPM – Michael Prilla, Alexander Nolte 18

19. Thanks!
Special issue on
Collaborative Usage and Development of Models
in the
International Journal of e-Collaboration
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(out in winter 2012 / spring 2013)
prilla@iaw.rub.de
nolte@iaw.rub.de
www.imtm-iaw.rub.de
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