Large process models may comprise hundreds or thousands of process elements like activities, gateways, and data objects. Presenting such process models to users and enabling them to interact with these models constitute crucial tasks of any process-aware information systems (PAISs). Existing PAISs, however, neither provide adequate techniques for visualizing and abstracting process models nor for interacting with them. In particular, PAISs do not provide tailored process visualizations as needed in complex application environments. This keynote presents examples of large process models and discusses the challenges to be tackled when visualizing and abstracting such models. Further, it presents a comprehensive framework that allows for personalized process model visualizations, which can be tailored to the specific needs of different user groups. First, process model complexity can be reduced by abstracting the models, i.e., by eliminating or aggregating process elements not relevant in the given context. Second, the appearance of process elements can be customized independent from the process modeling language used. Third, different kinds of visualization (e.g., process diagrams, process forms, textual process descriptions) are supported. Finally, it will be shown how such tailored visualizations of process models serve as basis for changing and evolving process models at a high level of abstraction. 

 

Manfred Reichert holds a PhD in Computer Science and a Diploma in Mathematics. Since January 2008 he has been appointed as full professor at Ulm University, Germany. Before, he was working in the Netherlands as associate professor at the University of Twente. In Twente, he was also leader of the strategic research orientations on "E-health" and on "Applied Science of Services", and member of the Management Board of the Centre for Telematics and Information Technology, which is the largest ICT research institute in the Netherlands. 

 

His major research interests include next generation process management technology (e.g., adaptive processes, process lifecycle management, data-driven and object-centric processes, mobile processes, process model visualization and abstraction), and advanced applications requiring sophisticated process support (e.g., e-health, automotive engineering). Together with Peter Dadam he pioneered the work on the ADEPT process management system and together with Barbara Weber he has co-authored a Springer book on "Enabling Flexibility in Process-aware Information Systems". Manfred has been participating in numerous research projects in the BPM area and contributed numerous papers. He was PC Co-chair of the BPM’08 and CoopIS’11 conferences and General Chair of the BPM’09 conference.