Journal "Software Engineering"
a journal on theoretical and applied science and technology
ISSN 2220-3397

Issue N3 2018 year

DOI: 10.17587/prin.9.99-108
On the Theory of Business Processes
G. N. Kalyanov, kalyanov@mail.ru, Institute of Control Sciences Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation
Corresponding author: Kalyanov Georgyi N., Professor, Institute of Control Sciences Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation, E-mail: kalyanov@mail.ru
Received on December 14, 2017
Accepted on December 21, 2017

The current state of the theory of business processes is analyzed. The brief historical background, sources and fundamentals of the theory are classified. For each of these areas a brief overview of the main models and methods is provided. The necessity of forming an independent theory of BP is due to the following reasons:

  • there are new tasks, not put before and not solved in the general theory of processes (e. g., reengineering BP);
  • the formal apparatus absent in some areas (for example, to convert models to model the requirements for their automation);
  • the other directions have a lot of non-formalized methods and models, there is the need for their systematization.
This article discusses the following parts of the theory:
  • modeling languages and BP-models,
  • BP modeling technology,
  • methods of structuring/decomposition of BP,
  • methods of engineering/re-engineering of BP,
  • methods of analysis and verification of BP,
  • methods of transition from BP-models to requirements for automation of BP.
The theory of business processes is an integral part of the general theory of processes, which is a branch of mathematical theory of programming, studying mathematical models of the behavior of dynamical systems. The formal apparatus underlying the theory of BP was based on the theory of programming: formal grammar and languages; parallel processes and methods of paralleling; the theory of software testing; methods of optimization, verification, analysis and evaluation of quality; the theory of databases and knowledge bases; structural and object-oriented analysis and design etc..

Keywords: process, business process, model, verification, engineering /reengineering, requirements to automation
pp. 99–108
For citation:
Kalyanov G. N. On the Theory of Business Processes, Programmnaya Ingeneria, 2018, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 99—108.