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

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. 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 Shortening times to market of complex products on the one hand and the need for faster and more efficient creation and evolution of highly specialized enterprises on the other hand motivate the need for Instant Virtual Enterprises. These rely on contemporary software technology for their formation, coordination, evolution, and ultimately, disbandment. This book fuses practical needs with theoretical input to present important research innovations in supporting Instant Virtual Enterprises (IVEs). We show how a business opportunity in the manufacturing domain can be analyzed to form an IVE in a Comprised of the main results from the IST CrossWork project, this book presents key innovations in the use of advanced information technology to support dynamic organizations in modern day industrial supply chains and business service networks.