3 Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)

Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)

This support business process modeling by providing a comprehensive standard notation to business users, while representing the complex process semantics for technical users.

Event

A trigger that starts, modifies, or completes a process. Event types include message, timer, error, compensation, signal, cancel, escalation, link, can be classified as either "throwing" or "catching," depending on their function

Activity

A particular task performed by a person or system. It can include sub-processes, loops, multiple loops, and compensations

Gateway

A decision point that can adjust the path based on conditions or events. It can be exclusive or inclusive, parallel, complex, or based on data or event.

Types of flow objects:

1. Event

2. Activity

3. Gateway

Types of Connecting Objects:

1. Sequence flow

2. Message flow

3. Association

Sequence flow

This shows the order of activities to be performed

Message flow

This depicts messages that flow across pools, or organizational boundaries such as departments. It should not connect events or activities within a pool

Association

This associates an artifact or text to an event, activity, or a gateway.

Types of Swimlanes:

1. Pool

2. Lane

Pool

It represents major participants in a process. A different may be in a different company or department but still involved in the process.

Lane

It is a sub-part of a pool. It shows the activities and flow for a certain role or participant, defining the accountability within the processes.

Types of Artifacts:

1. Data object

2. Group

3. Annotation

Data object

This shows the necessary data for an activity

Group

This shows a logical grouping of activities, but does not change the diagram's flow.

Annotation

This provides further explanation to a part of the diagram.

Types of Sub-Models Within A BPMN Diagram:

1. Private BP

2. Abstract BP

3. Collaborative BP

Private BP

This involves internal processes to a specific organization and do not cross pools or organizational boundaries

Abstract BP

This occurs between a private BP and an external participant or process. This does not show the private BP itself

Collanorative BP

This shows the interactions between two or more business entities.

Unified Modeling Language (UML)

This was created to establish a common, semantic, and syntactical visual modeling language for the architecture, design, and implementation of complex software systems both structurally and behaviorally

Types of Modeling Concepts Specified by UML:

1. Functional

2. Object

3. Dynamic

Functional

This concept involves use case diagrams, which describes system functionality from the point of view of a user.

Object

This concept involves class diagrams, which describes the structure of a system in terms of objects, attributes, associations, and operations.

Dynamic

This concept involves interaction diagrams, state machine diagrams, and activity diagrams, which are used to describe internal behavior of the system

Structural of UML Diagrams:

1. Class Diagrams

2. Package Diagrams

3. Object Diagrams

4. Component Diagrams

5. Composite structure Diagrams

6. Deployment Diagrams

Class Diagrams

It describes the static structure of a system

Package diagram

It is a subset of a class diagram used to organize elements of a system into related groups

Object diagram

It describes the static structure of a system at a particular time, and can be used to test class diagrams for accuracy

Component Diagram

This describes the organization of physical software components, including source codes, run-time code, and executables.

Composite structure diagram

This diagram shows the internal parts of a class.

Deployment diagram

This depicts the physical resources in a system, including nodes, components, and connections

Types of Behavioral UML Diagrams:

1. Activity diagram

2. Communication diagram

3. Use case diagram

4. State machine diagram

5. Sequence diagram

6. Interaction overview diagram

7. Timing diagram

Activity Diagram

This illustrates the dynamic nature of a system by modeling the flow of control from activity to activity

Communication Diagram

This describes the interactions among classes in terms of an exchange of messages over time

Use case Diagram

This models the functionalities of a system using actors and use cases, and can be considered as a simplified version of a collaboration diagram introduced in UML 2.0.

State machine program

This describes the dynamic behavior of a system in response to external stimuli

Sequence Diagram

It models the interactions between objects in sequence.

Interaction overview diagram

It is a combination of an activity and a sequence diagram, which models a more complex interaction.

Timing Diagram

It is an interaction UML diagram that focuses on processes that take place during a specific period of time, wherein time is shown to increase from left to right

Architecture Description Language (ADL)

It is a general term referring to different formal languages used in enabling formalization, description, specification, modeling and reasoning of software architectures

Important Properties of ADLs

o Ability to represent components along with property assertions, interfaces, and implementations

o Ability to represent connectors along with protocols, property assertions, and implementations

o Component and communication abstraction and encapsulation

o Ability to accommodate analysis tools openly

o Limiting communication to those components connected to each other architecturally

o Ability to model dynamic architectures

o Ability to reason about causality and time

o Hierarchical refinement support

o Ability to check conformance