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Over the past few years, a number of viewpoints have influenced the design of notations for business processes. They emphasize the different elements (tasks, business entities, and roles) that compose business process models; for this reason, they are referred to as activity-centric, data-centric, and role-centric viewpoints. The activity-centric viewpoint focuses on the orchestration of operational activities, which encompass human tasks and automatic ones. On the contrary, the data-centric viewpoint stresses the identification of the key business entities and their lifecycles consisting of states and transitions. In the role-centric viewpoint, a process model is made up of several “role” models; each role model provides a restricted view of the process limited to the behavior of the role under consideration. This chapter illustrates how the above-mentioned viewpoints can be extracted from a global model, with the help of an example concerning the submission of papers to conferences.

Experiencing stress during training is a way to prepare professionals for real-life crises. With the help of feedback tools, professionals can train to recognize and overcome negative effects of stress on task performances. This paper reports two studies that empirically examined the effect of such a feedback system. The system, based on the COgnitive Performance and Error (COPE) model, provides its users with physiological, predicted performance and predicted error-chance feedback. The first experiment focussed on creating stressful scenarios and establishing the parameters for the predictive models for the feedback system. Participants (n=9) performed fire-extinguishing tasks on a virtual ship. By altering time pressure, information uncertainty and consequences of performance, stress was induced. COPE variables were measured and models were established that predicted performance and the chances on specific errors. In the second experiment a new group of participants (n=29) carried out the same tasks while receiving eight different combinations of the three feedback types in a counterbalanced order. Performance scores improved when feedback was provided during the task. The number of errors made did not decrease. The usability score for the system with physiological feedback was significantly higher than a system without physiological feedback, unless combined with error feedback. This paper shows effects of feedback on performances and usability. To improve the effectiveness of the feedback system it is suggested to provide more in-depth tutorial sessions. Design changes are recommended that would make the feedback system more effective in improving performances. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The recent standard CMMN presents an approach to deal with situations, referred to as cases, that call for more flexibility than that offered by traditional control-flow based approaches. The information (documents and data) needed by a case is collected in a hierarchical structure called case file. The advancement of a case is based on the execution of the tasks shown in the case process model; the determination of the tasks to be carried out takes place through human decisions or events (e.g., those related to changes in the case file). However, the standard does not explain how the actual assignments of tasks to the participants in the case are generated. This paper tries to fill the gap by presenting a more detailed treatment of assignments, and by proposing an extension to the CMMN notation. This extension enables the features of assignments to be inferred from the case process model; moreover, it allows for the representation of the dataflow between tasks. There are two major benefits: one is to show the types of the inputs of the assignments, and the other is the possibility of determining the assignees of tasks as a function of the input entities. The notation is illustrated with the help of an example that concerns the handling of the papers submitted to a conference.

In contrast with the traditional view that represents business processes as flow charts of tasks, the artifact-centric one stresses the importance of the data flow, as the main responsible for the activation of the tasks. This viewpoint leads to reconsider the interactions between the process and its tasks as well as the execution mode of the tasks. The greatest benefits concern human tasks; they should no longer be considered only as services implemented by people but they may enable their performers to make choices. Two kinds of human choices are considered in this paper: the choice of the inputs to be acted on, and the choice of the course of action to be taken. The execution mode of human tasks is also examined and three categories are illustrated: performer-driven tasks, process-driven tasks and macro tasks. These categories come with a number of patterns, which are exemplified in this paper.

V diplomskem delu smo predstavili vlogo uporabnikov v avtomatiziranih poslovnih procesih. Opisali smo izvršljiv jezik BPEL, ki je osnova za avtomatizacijo poslovnih procesov in predstavili vlogo uporabnikov v le teh. Nadalje smo raziskali predlagani dodatni specifikaciji za standardizacijo človeških aktivnostih v poslovnih procesih. To sta WS-HumanTask, ki definira uporabniško aktivnost in BPEL4People, ki umesti novo aktivnost v izvršljiv jezik za poslovne procese BPEL. V praktičnem delu smo na preprostem scenariju prikazali vlogo uporabnikov v poslovnih procesih brez dodatnih specifikacij, kajti uporabljena programska orodja še niso podpirala le teh. Tako smo lahko na dejanskem primeru prikazali dejanske prednosti, ki jih pridobimo s standardi oziroma specifikacijami. In this diploma thesis we introduced human interactions in automated business processes. We have described executable BPEL language which is the basis for automated business processes and introduced human activities in it. Furthermore we have researched proposed additional specifications for standardization of human tasks in business processes. First is WS-HumanTask which defines human task and second is BPEL4People which extends BPEL language with human tasks. In practical part of diploma thesis we have shown how user tasks are uses in business processes without additional specifications because used programming tools did not support it yet. In that way we showed what are practical advances of using standardizations and specifications.

Experiencing stress during training is a way to prepare professionals for real-life crises. With the help of feedback tools, professionals can train to recognize and overcome negative effects of stress on task performances. This paper reports two studies that empirically examined the effect of such a feedback system. The system, based on the COgnitive Performance and Error (COPE) model, provides its users with physiological, predicted performance and predicted error-chance feedback. The first experiment focussed on creating stressful scenarios and establishing the parameters for the predictive models for the feedback system. Participants (n=9) performed fire-extinguishing tasks on a virtual ship. By altering time pressure, information uncertainty and consequences of performance, stress was induced. COPE variables were measured and models were established that predicted performance and the chances on specific errors. In the second experiment a new group of participants (n=29) carried out the same tasks while receiving eight different combinations of the three feedback types in a counterbalanced order. Performance scores improved when feedback was provided during the task. The number of errors made did not decrease. The usability score for the system with physiological feedback was significantly higher than a system without physiological feedback, unless combined with error feedback. This paper shows effects of feedback on performances and usability. To improve the effectiveness of the feedback system it is suggested to provide more in-depth tutorial sessions. Design changes are recommended that would make the feedback system more effective in improving performances. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Current notations for business processes are mainly technological tools and lack strong links with the ontological items, i.e., the tasks and the business entities that information systems consist of. In particular, the information flow is missing from process models and human decisions are not adequately represented. In order to overcome those drawbacks, this paper proposes a notation, called TOMP (Task-Oriented Modeling of business Processes), which considers tasks and decisions as first-class constructs in process models and provides the explicit representation of the information flow in connection with an information model. It also illustrates the structure of to-do lists, which are the major interface between the participants and their tasks.

Podjetja v poslovnem svetu dajejo identifikaciji in optimizaciji poslovnih procesov velik poudarek. Razlog je zagotovo v iskanju konkurenčne prednosti in hitrem odzivu na spremembe na trgu. Za ta namen se uporab-ljajo avtomatizirani poslovni procesi. Ključni problem avtomatiziranih procesov je pomanjkanje formalnega opisa človeške interakcije s procesom. V diplomskem delu smo opredelili pojem opravila in opisali njegovo vlogo v avtomatiziranem poslovnem procesu. Identificirali smo scenarije uporabe, ki vključujejo ljudi v avtomatiziran poslovni proces na podlagi opravil, definirali življenjski cikel opravila in glavne koncepte človeške aktivnosti. Predstavili smo formalni jezik BPEL4People za podporo človeški interakciji in specifikacijo WS-HumanTask za abstrakten opis opravil. Z orodjem BPM smo na praktičnem primeru implementirali poslovni proces, ki zajame vse glavne koncepte uporabniškega opravila, in po uvedbi opisali izkušnje iz produkcijske uporabe. Companies place significant emphasis on business process identification and optimisation. The main reasons for that can be found in identifying a competitive advantage and providing a rapid response to the changes on the market. For these purposes, business process automation is needed. A significant problem in automated business processes is the absence of formal description of human-process interaction. In this thesis, we defined the concept of task and its role in automated business processes. We described scenarios where users are involved in automated business processes based on human tasks, as well as defined human task lifecycle and the main concepts of human activity. We described the BPEL4People formal language to support user interactions and the WS-HumanTask specification for an abstract description of the human task. We have also modelled a practical business process using BPM tools and captured all concepts of human task as well as presented results from production use.

Since business processes may address complex behavioral requirements resulting from the integration of several items, i.e. tasks, business entities (also called artifacts), control flow rules and data flow rules, they need notations able to accommodate several viewpoints. This chapter proposes a notation, ARTS, aimed at integrating the traditional activity-oriented viewpoint and the artifact-oriented one. The major benefits are the unification of the control flow and the data flow and a clear representation of the choices to be carried out by the participants. The basic features are illustrated with the help of three versions of a simplified hiring process. This chapter also deals with the structure of work lists, which are the major interface between the participants and their tasks. The organization of the work lists leverages the artifacts to emphasize human choices; for this reason, the traditional linear structure is replaced with a network one, which shows the artifacts along with their states, correlations and valid options.

Ključnu tehnologiju na kojoj počiva upravljanje poslovnim procesima čine sustavi za upravljanje poslovnim procesima. Izvršavanje poslova od strane ljudskih resursa moguće je kontrolirati putem sustava za upravljanje poslovima ljudskih resursa. U okviru magistarskog rada opisana je problematika modeliranja i integracije sustava za upravljanje poslovima ljudskih resursa uz poseban naglasak na mehanizme raspodjele poslova ljudskim resursima. Predloženi model sustava za upravljanje poslovima ljudskih resursa podržava višekriterijski okvir za definiciju raspodjele poslova ljudskim resursima koji se zasniva na predlošcima za raspodjelu poslova. Predloženi model programski je izveden u skladu s WS-HumanTask specifikacijom što omogućava integraciju sa svim vanjskim sustavima koji su sukladni s specifikacijom te garantira interoperabilnost i prenosivost sustava. Realizirani sustav uključuje podršku za raspodjelu poslova ljudskim resursima na osnovu njihovih kompetencija, što je važno za poslove kod kojih resursi moraju posjedovati specifična znanja i vještine kako bi učinkovito i kvalitetno izvršili određeni posao. Model za izračun kompetencija resursa zasniva se na klasifikaciji koje znanje dijeli na teorijsko i empirijsko. U radu je opisana programska izvedba modela i njegova primjena za studijski primjer procesa u uslužnoj organizaciji. Iz studijskog primjera jasno je vidljivo da se višekriterijski mehanizam za raspodjelu poslova ljudskim resursima može primjeniti na razne scenarije te u odnosu na jednokriterijski mehanizam omogućava učinkovitiju identifikaciju najpogodnijih resursa za izvršavaje nekog posla uz poštivanje složenih poslovnih pravila. Business Process Management System (BPMS) is the core technology of the Business Process Management (BPM) discipline. Human Task Management System (HTMS) is a component of a BPMS responsible for controlling the execution of human tasks. This master thesis is dealing with the challenges of modelling and integration of HTMS with particular focus on human task assignment mechanisms. The proposed model of HTMS implements a framework for multi-criteria task assignment based on Workflow Resource Patterns. The proposed model of HTMS is implemented according to WS-HumanTask specification which enables integration with external systems, interoperability and portability. The multi-criteria task assignment mechanism includes competency based task assignment that enables more effective and efficient task assignment for knowledge intensive human tasks. The foundation of competency based task assignment is knowledge classification which distinguishes two types of knowledge: theoretical and empirical. Implementation of the HTMS model is described with a case study from service industry. The case study clearly showed that multi-criteria task assigment can be applied to various scenarios in the organisation. When compared to single-criteria task assignment, multi-criteria task assigment delivers more efficient and effective assignment mechanism that can support complex business rules of the organisation.