Dynamic Business Process Formation for Instant Virtual Enterprises (Advanced Information and Knowledge Processing)

✍ Scribed by Nikolay Mehandjiev (editor), Paul Grefen (editor)

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 265
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Dynamic Business Process Formation fuses practical needs with theoretical input to present important research innovations in supporting Instant Virtual Enterprises (IVEs). This new organization type brings a combination of business dynamism and explicit business process structure to domains where on-the-fly formation of well-organized business networks is required to deal with the complexity of new products or services under high time pressure.

This book contains the main results of the IST CrossWork project, and, importantly, looks beyond the boundaries of this project and sources input from related projects and general trends in collaborative enterprises and the automotive industry.

Both the business and technical aspects of Virtual Enterprise coordination are covered within the modular structure of the book, which enables readers from different backgrounds to benefit from the book according to their interests.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Contents
Contributors
Part I Introduction
1 Introduction
1.1 Business Conditions for the Rise of the Virtual Enterprise
1.2 Developments in Business Process Support Technologies
1.3 Demand Pull and Technology Push
1.4 Structure of this Book
References
2 Towards New Frontiers: CrossWork
2.1 The World of the Instant Virtual Enterprise
2.2 Introduction to CrossWork
2.3 CrossWork and the IVE Formation Stage
2.4 Extending State of the Art
2.5 CrossWork Summary
References
Part II Business, Organization and Architecture
3 Business Aspect
3.1 New Business Directions
3.1.1 Formation of Virtual Enterprises
3.1.2 Delegation of Control
3.2 New Business Criteria
3.2.1 Effectiveness Requirements
3.2.2 Efficiency Requirements
3.2.3 The Role of IT
3.3 New Business Structures
3.3.1 Dynamic Partner Selection
3.3.2 Contract-Driven Partnerships
3.3.3 Multi-tier Business Design
3.3.4 Integrating the Three Principles
3.4 New Business Forms for the New Business World
References
4 Organization Aspect
4.1 Explicit Business Process Management
4.2 Formation of Virtual Enterprises
4.3 Enactment of Virtual Enterprises
4.4 Processes and Structures in IVEs
References
5 Architecture Aspect
5.1 Introduction to Architecture
5.1.1 What Is Architecture?
5.1.2 Designing Architectures
5.2 CrossWork Requirements
5.3 Logical View of the Architecture
5.3.1 Step 1: Defining High-Level Architectural Blocks
5.3.2 Step 2: Applying Architecture Levels
5.3.3 Step 3: Detailing Functionality
5.3.4 Step 4: Adding Knowledge
5.4 Process View of the Architecture
5.4.1 Technology Platforms for the CrossWork Architecture
5.4.2 The Service-Oriented Back-End
5.5 Development View of the Architecture
5.5.1 Empty Shell Approach
5.5.1.1 Steps in the Empty Shell approach
5.5.1.2 Example Empty Shell Module
5.6 Physical View of the Architecture
5.7 Automating the Instant Virtual Enterprise
References
Part III CrossWork Technology
6 Goal Decomposition and Team Formation
6.1 Conceptual Framework
6.2 Goal Decomposition
6.2.1 Theoretical Aspects
6.2.2 A Process for Goal Decomposition
6.2.3 Implementation Aspects
6.2.4 Example of Goal Decomposition
6.3 Team Formation
6.3.1 Top-Down Team Formation
6.3.2 Theoretical Aspects
6.3.2.1 A Process for Team Formation
6.3.3 Bottom-Up Team Formation
6.3.3.1 Theoretical Aspects
6.3.3.2 Process Details and Implementation
6.3.3.3 Example of Process Emergence
6.3.4 Hybrid Team Formation
6.4 Related Work
6.5 Summary of Agent-Based Team Formation
References
7 Business Process Composition
7.1 Perspectives for Business Process Collaboration
7.2 Process Specification
7.2.1 eSML
7.2.1.1 Foundation of eSML
7.2.1.2 eSML Overview
7.2.1.3 Notation Explanation
7.2.1.4 The Who Concept
7.2.2 XRL -- eXchangeable Routing Language
7.3 Workflow Composition
7.3.1 Basic Approach
7.3.2 Extensions
7.4 Workflow Validation and Prototyping
7.4.1 Workflow Verification
7.4.2 Workflow Prototyping
7.4.3 Architecture of XRL/Flower
7.4.4 Evaluation with XRL/Flower
7.5 Interfacing to WFMS Platforms
7.6 Related Work
7.7 Summary
References
8 Business Process Enactment
8.1 Overall Approach to Enactment
8.2 Global Workflow Enactment
8.2.1 BPEL Language
8.2.2 BPEL Processes and Activities
8.2.3 BPEL Engine
8.2.4 Global Enactment Subsystem
8.3 Local Workflow Enactment
8.4 Coupling to Legacy Systems
8.5 Related Work
8.6 Coordinating Work Across the Instant Virtual Enterprise
References
9 The User Perspective
9.1 Information and Interaction Needs of Virtual Enterprise Creators
9.2 Research in Balancing Automation with Human Intervention
9.3 Need for a Unified User Interface
9.4 Detailing User Requirements
9.4.1 Specification
9.4.2 Workflow Composition
9.5 Conceptual UI Design
9.6 The User Interface
9.7 Implementation Issues
9.7.1 Eclipse RCP
9.7.2 Interfacing CrossWork Modules
9.7.3 Ontology-Dependent User Templates
9.7.4 BPEL Visualization
9.8 Future Directions Towards Human-Centred Modelling
9.8.1 Fundamental SUNML Modelling Elements
9.8.2 SUNML Relationship Elements
9.8.3 Contextual Information Types in SUNML
9.9 Conclusions
References
10 Domain Knowledge Integration
10.1 Semantic Alignment in Virtual Enterprises
10.1.1 Ontology Languages and Tools
10.1.2 Semantic Web
10.1.3 Standards-Based Semantic Alignment
10.1.4 Ontology Sharing
10.2 Devolved Ontology Model
10.3 Semantic Alignment in the Automotive Domain
10.3.1 Concept Negotiation
10.3.2 Utility-Based Concept Negotiation
10.3.3 Protocols for Semantic Alignment
10.4 Semantic Alignment in the Automotive Domain
10.5 CrossWork Ontologies
10.6 Persistence of Data in CrossWork
10.7 Integration of Domain Knowledge in CrossWork
References
Part IV Case Studies
11 Automotive Industry Case Studies
11.1 Automotive Associations
11.1.1 Requirements of Automotive Suppliers
11.1.2 Scenario
11.1.3 Goal Decomposition
11.1.3.1 Team Formation
11.2 MAN
11.2.1 Basic Requirements
11.2.2 Scenario
11.2.2.1 Order Specification and Goal Decomposition
11.2.2.2 Team Formation
11.2.2.3 CrossWork Team Formation Module
11.2.2.4 Workflow Composition
11.2.2.5 Workflow Enactment and Monitoring
11.2.3 Summary
11.3 Magna Intier
11.3.1 Basic Requirements
11.3.2 Scenario
11.3.2.1 Order Specification
11.3.2.2 Goal Decomposition
11.3.2.3 Team Formation
11.3.2.4 Workflow Composition
11.3.2.5 Workflow Enactment and Monitoring
11.3.2.6 Access to Legacy Systems
11.3.2.7 Summary
11.4 BMW Interior Design
11.4.1 General Approach
11.4.2 Detailed Case Study
11.4.3 Overhead Systems Module
11.5 Conclusions
12 Comparable Approaches to IVE
12.1 ECOLEAD Support for Agile Collaborative Networks
12.1.1 Virtual Breeding Environments (VBEs)
12.1.2 VO Creation Framework
12.1.3 VO Management
12.1.4 Professional Virtual Communities
12.1.5 Support Infrastructure
12.1.6 Theoretical Foundation and Reference Models
12.1.7 Demonstration Pilots
12.1.8 Differences Between ECOLEAD and CrossWork
12.2 Pilarcos Business Networks
12.2.1 Overview and Concepts
12.2.2 Maintaining Interoperability Knowledge and Evolving the Ecosystem
12.2.3 Business Network Lifecycle
12.2.3.1 Negotiation and Establishment
12.2.3.2 Enactment and Monitoring
12.2.4 Comparison of CrossWork IVE and Pilarcos Business Networks
12.3 Collaborative Design of Supply Networks (SUDDEN)
12.3.1 SUDDEN and Supply Network Design
12.3.2 The SUDDEN Approach
12.3.2.1 Collaborative Design Process Enabled by the Conceptual Model
12.3.2.2 Inter-process Dependencies
12.3.2.3 Coordination
12.3.3 Application
12.3.4 Differences Between SUDDEN and CrossWork
12.4 Conclusions
References
Part V Conclusion
13 Conclusion
13.1 Analysis of the State of Art
13.1.1 Workflow Perspective: WISE and CrossFlow
13.1.2 Distributed Work Perspective: MaBE and TRUSTCOM
13.2 CrossWork Potential Impact
13.3 Benefits from Enrolling into the IVE Club
References
14 Outlook
14.1 Applicability of CrossWork in Other Fields
14.1.1 High-tech Manufacturing
14.1.2 Services Industry
14.2 Functional Extensions of CrossWork
14.2.1 Transaction Management
14.2.2 Electronic Contracting
14.2.3 Process Evolution Support
14.3 Placing CrossWork in a Broader Perspective
14.3.1 eCommunities
14.3.2 eMarkets
References
Index