Towards a pivotal-based approach for business process alignment

Abstract

This article focuses on business process engineering, especially on alignment between business analysis and implementation. Through a business process management approach, different transformations interfere with process models in order to make them executable. To keep the consistency of process model from business model to IT model, we propose a pivotal metamodel-centric methodology. It aims at keeping or giving all requisite structural and semantic data needed to perform such transformations without loss of information. Through this we can ensure the alignment between business and IT. This article describes the concept of pivotal metamodel and proposes a methodology using such an approach. In addition, we present an example and the resulting benefits.

Keywords:

• business process engineering
• metamodelling
• transformation
• alignment

Notes

1. We consider a methodology as ‘a body of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline: a particular procedure or set of procedures' as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/methodology).

2. http://portal.modeldriven.org/

3. RNTL FAROS project (a composition environment for reliable service-oriented architectures): http://www.lifl.fr/faros