An Investigation of Model Quality from the Activity Modality Perspective

1. An Investigation of Model Quality from the Activity Modality Perspective Lars Taxén Linköping University

2. Outline • Introduction • The Activity Modalities • Modeling consequences • Analysis of BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) • Alternative models • Some implications

3. Motivation Even though workflow and process modeling have been used extensively over the past 30 years, we know surprisingly little about the act of modeling and which factors contribute to a “good” process model in terms of human understandability Mendling et al. (2007)

4. Line of argumentation • Models should be comprehensible and useful • Requires attention to both mind and activity • The Activity Modalities bridge mind and activity • The neural and social realms • Aligning models with the modalities improves quality

5. The Activity Modalities

6. Activity – the social realm Attending an object - objectivation - contextualization Framing a context of relevance Orientation in space - spatialization Ordering actions - temporalization - stabilization Executing relevant actions Changing focus - transition Enacting means Aligning individual meanings

7. Mind - the neural realm • Ventral and lateral areas of temporal lobes • Temporal and inferior parietal areas • Wernicke’s area (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

8. Mind - the neural realm contextualization (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

9. Mind - the neural realm • Parietal lobe • Thalamus • Superior colliculus • Anterior cingulate contextualization (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

10. Mind - the neural realm objectivation spatialization contextualization (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

11. Mind - the neural realm • Orbitofrontal cortex • Anterior cingulate • Hypothalamus • Amygdala • Ventral striatum • Prefrontal cortex • Hippocampal area • Para-hippocampal area objectivation spatialization contextualization (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

12. Mind - the neural realm contextualization objectivation spatialization contextualization (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

13. Premotor cortex • Posterior parietal cortex • Supplementary motor area • Basal ganglia • Cerebellum • Left inferior frontal lobe • Broca’s area. Mind - the neural realm contextualization objectivation spatialization contextualization (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

14. Mind - the neural realm temporalization stabilization contextualization objectivation spatialization contextualization transition • Posterior parietal lobe • Superior colliculus (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998)

15. Activity Modalities bridge the realms of mind and activity Objectivation Contextualization Spatialization Temporalization Stabilization Transition Innate predispositions Manifested and molded in every activity Extended set of Kant’s pre-categories

16. The structure of activity The Activity Domain

17. Humans unchanged, activity changed Today 30 000 yrs ago

18. Activity today Product

19. Activity today Information models Align meanings Enact means Information Systems Product Process models Cooperation Business rules

20. Activity today Contextualization Information Systems Manifestations of Activity Modalities Spatialization Objectivation Temporalization Transition Stabilization

21. Modeling concerns • Models need to capture all modalities • The object (objectivation) • The context (contextualization) • Relevant things (spatialization) • Order of actions (temporalization) • “Normative” actions (stabilization) • Transitions between activities (transition) • Interdependencies between modalities • Retain the distinctiveness of each modality • without loosing their interdependencies

22. BPMN analysis

24. BPMN example ‘payment process’ Recker et al. (2010)

25. Activity domains Recker et al. (2010)

26. Transitions between activity domains Recker et al. (2010)

27. Temporalization Recker et al. (2010)

28. Spatialization Recker et al. (2010)

29. Activity modalities and BPMN • Activity domains • Pools and Lanes • Transition • Between Pools: Message Flow • Between Lanes: - • Temporalization • Main focus of BPMN • Spatialization • Data objects, artifacts: only “non-problematic” information structures • Stabilization • Business rules not included in BPMN • Objectivation • Implicit (“The payment process”) • Interdependencies between modalities • Not salient

30. Activity modalities and BPMN • Meaning alignment • Construct excess, small subset used in practice (Recker, 2010) • Process (temporalization) proxy for other modalities • “human-centric BPM”, “data-centric BPM”, “knowledge-driven BPM”, “the process contains data”, …. • Modality “compression“ • Theoretical underpinning? Main focus of BPMN is on the temporalization modality Other modalities are subdued or missing Not designed with ease of meaning alignment in focus Poor support for modeling all dimensions of activity

31. Some alternative models

32. System “anatomy” (objectivation) SW upgrade during traffic Operation and Management HW/SW info Call path tracing Traffic connection DCH connection supervision Start MMI Soft handover Softer handover Hard handover Element management platform Fast congestion control DCHMulti code Multi DCH Radio link DCHSingle code Single DCH radio link Java execution platform Cell capacity supervision IP support FACH/RACH connection Fast power control FACH Ack. AAL5/IP packaging and encapsulating DCH User data process SMSbroadcast DCHPower control Iub data stream setup/release RACH Transport channel FACHProcess user data BCCH User data process PCH User data process DCH Synchronization RACHsetup/release FACH Power control BCCH Power control PCH Power control FACHsetup/release DCH setup/release BCCH setup/release PCH setup/release AAL2 network connection control Setup of RBS/RNC control link Cell measurement report to RNC Node synch. RX diversion SAAL layer Cell processing setup/release AAL2 layer AAL5 layer Resource auto configuration Network synch. incl. Distr. Node connection control De-block HW(incl. Self test) CMsupport Scalable execution SW key handling Physical line termination Application SW load FM support System upgrade PM support Distributed OS LED handling Local execution platform Application hook Power on

33. System “anatomy” (objectivation)

34. Process model New Product Developmentstates SC1: Market offer intent SC2: Product release intent SC3: Product model approval SC4: Design Implementation Decision SC5: Market offer SC6: Product quality approved SC6.5: Product ready for deployment SC7: Market release decision SC8: Full deployment acknowledged Delivery to Order states PC0: Offer requested PC1: Order / Contract PC2: Product arrived PC3: Ready for Acceptance PC4: Customer Acceptance PC5: Product in service PC6: Solution fulfillment Performance Need or Incident Solution need PC3,4,5 PC0 PC1 PC2 PC6 Sales object Changes & expectations.- Gaps New standards & technologies SC1 SC2 SC5 Solution SC3,4 SC6 SC6.5 SC7 SC8 Product Design Market Offer Create Business Sales Supply Solution Implement Solution Define Business Opportunity Define Product Content Specify Product Design & Verify Product Prepare Deployment Exhibit Product in Service In Service Support

35. DEMO Design & Engineering Methodology for Organizations (Jan Dietz) Based on speech act theory Activity Domains Transition http://www.demo.nl/

36. Some implications

37. Integrational vs. representational view of models represent “Bunge-Wand-Weber (BWW) [is a] representation model, which specifies a set of rigorously defined ontological constructs to describe all types of real-world phenomena” Recker (2010) Model “Real-world” In which “world” is the model located? Representational view questionable Alternative: Integrational view (Roy Harris)

38. A paradigm shift is needed to improve modeling quality Sense making and aligning of meanings Consider all dimensions of activity Integrative approach towards signs and artifacts Aligning model to Activity Modalities one alternative Acknowledges biological / neurological innate faculties Activity Modalities the “preset” frame of mind in action Some empirical evidences (alternative models) Needs to be further validated! Work in progress! Since the early 1990s…. Conclusions