Supporting the SPEM with a UML Extended Workflow Metamodel
Narayan Debnath
Winona State
University
Winona, MN 55987,
USA
Ndebnath@winona.edu
Daniel Riesco
German Montejano
Universidad Nacional
de San Luis
Argentina
{driesco|gmonte}
@unsl.edu.ar
Manuel Perez Cota
J. Baltasar García
Perez-Schofield
Universidad de Vigo
España
{upcota | jbgarcia}
@uvigo.es
Daniel Romero
Marcelo Uva
Universidad Nacional
de Rio Cuarto
Argentina
{dromero|uva}
@dc.exa.unrc.edu.ar
Abstract
The specification, analysis, and administration of
business processes have charged great importance in this
last time. This has been caused by a competitive industry
necessity, dynamics, where she use the available
resources efficiently. The "Workflow" technologies has
given answer to these requirements, offering support for
the partial or total automation of production processes.
The necessities of software industry are not different.
In constant search of quality products, engineers and
analysts work optimizing software methodologies
development.
In this paper we propose a mapping between two
metamodels used for the business processes specification.
The first metamodel, is Software Process Engineering
Metamodel (SPEM) defined by the Object Management
Group (OMG) for development processes modeling. The
second, UML Ex-tended Workflow Metamodel (UML-
EWM), is a extension of Unified Modeling Language
Metamodel (UML) for workflows processes modeling.
With this mapping we propose to incorporate the
characteristics of workflow process to software
development process modeled in SPEM. This facilitates
the automation of development processes with workflow
technologies.
Keywords
Workflow, Business process, UML, Metamodel,
Activity Diagram, Activity Graph.
Introduction
A business process is a group of logically related tasks,
executed to obtain a result. The specification, analysis and
administration of business processes have taken great
importance in this last time. This has been caused by a
competitive industry necessity, dynamics, where she uses
the available resources efficiently. The "Workflow"
technologies have given answer to these requirements,
offering support for the partial or total automation of
production processes.
The software industry development is not different to
others. In the software industry the business processes are
modeled to obtain quality products (software) in a certain
time.
In constant search of a quality product, engineers and
analysts work in the optimization and automation of
software development methodologies.
Inside software development industry, the business
processes are called development methodologies. In this
work we propose the necessary elements to establish a
mapping between a development methodology anyone,
and a workflow process. The mapping is made between
two metamodels used for the specification of business
processes.
The first metamodel, is Software Process Engineering
Metamodel (SPEM) defined by the Object Management
Group (OMG) for development processes modeling. The
second, UML Ex-tended Workflow Metamodel (UML-
EWM) is a extension of Unified Modeling Language
Metamodel (UML) for workflows processes modeling.
This work is organized in the following way: in the
section 1, the UML-EWM is presented. The section 2,
describes the SPEM shortly. In the section 3 show the
mapping between SPEM and UML-EWM. In the section
4, a case study. Finally, the conclusions.
1. Business Process Modeling with UML
Extended Workflow Metamodel - UML-
EWM
A business process is a group of logically related tasks,
executed to obtain a business result [1]. The Workflow
Management Coalition (WfMC) [2], was created with the
goal of obtaining a standard for the business processes
automation. On the other hand, the UML activity diagram
notation supports certain abstraction level in the
organizational process modeling. In this section it is
shown shortly, the UML-EWM for modeling of workflow
process.
1151 1-4244-0212-3/06/$20.00/©2006 IEEE