Constraint Specification for Active Process Models

The coordination of human-oriented flexible processes remains a priority of Business Process Management (BPM). Flexible, model-driven, processcentric approaches have met with initial success when used as a coordinating device. However, maintaining model quality in rapid and frequent change remains problematic. One cause of the problem is identified as the inability of procedural models to make a precise specification of organizational requirements within the process space. A multi-notation modeling approach is proposed which enriches work models with organizational constraints, to help protect the integrity of models in deployment. A schema shows how constraints can be effectively captured and integrated with procedural work models. The best formalism for constraint specification is an open question. We show why Object Constraint Language is a promising candidate. A running example is used to demonstrate the problem and approach. © 2009 IEEE.