Keywords: Software, Information Systems, Consistency, Multi-view modeling, Risk-aware business process management, Meta-modeling
Astract: Risk-aware Business Process Management (R-BPM) has been addressed in research since more than a decade. However, the integration of the two independent research streams is still ongoing with a lack of research focusing on the conceptual modeling perspective. Such an integration results in an increased meta-model complexity and a higher entry barrier for modelers in creating conceptual models and for addressees of the models in comprehending them. Multi-view modeling can reduce this complexity by providing multiple interdependent viewpoints that, all together, represent a complex system. Each viewpoint only covers those concepts that are necessary to separate the different concerns of stakeholders. However, adopt- ing multi-view modeling discloses a number of challenges particularly related to managing consistency which is threatened by semantic and syntactic overlaps between the viewpoints. Moreover, usability and efficiency of multi-view modeling have never been systematically evaluated. This paper reports on the conceptualization, implementation, and empirical evaluation of e-BPRIM, a multi-view modeling extension of the Business Process-Risk Management-Integrated Method (BPRIM). The findings of our research contribute to theory by showing, that multi-view modeling outperforms diagram-oriented modeling by means of usability and efficiency of modeling, and quality of models. Moreover, the developed modeling tool is openly available, allowing its adoption and use in R-BPM practice. Eventually, the detailed presentation of the conceptualization serves as a blueprint for other researchers aiming to harness multi-view modeling.

Keywords: Modeling and Simulation, Software, Modeling language Notation, Concrete syntax, Semantic transparency, Empirical evaluation
Astract: The notation of a modeling language is of paramount importance for its efficient use and the correct comprehension of created models. A graphical notation, especially for domain-specific modeling languages, should therefore be aligned to the knowledge, beliefs, and expectations of the targeted model users. One quality attributed to notations is their semantic transparency, indicating the extent to which a notation intuitively suggests its meaning to untrained users. Method engineers should thus aim at semantic transparency for realizing intuitively understandable notations. However, notation design is often treated poorly-if at all-in method engineering methodologies. This paper proposes a technique that, based on iterative evaluation and improvement tasks, steers the notation toward semantic transparency. The approach can be efficiently applied to arbitrary modeling languages and allows easy integration into existing modeling language engineering methodologies. We show the feasibility of the technique by reporting on two cycles of Action Design Research including the evaluation and improvement of the semantic transparency of the Process-Goal Alignment modeling language notation. An empirical evaluation comparing the new notation against the initial one shows the effectiveness of the technique.

Keywords:
Astract: The COVID-19 pandemic did not only dramatically impact the personal and social lives, for many academics, it also demanded immediate changes to the way their courses are taught. While a pragmatic approach is to do conventional lectures via video streaming platforms, much more may be done to educate students also in a remote setting properly. This particularly holds true for practice-oriented and technology-engaging courses. This paper describes our experience of transforming an in-person Master level class on model-driven software engineering into a distance learning one. We describe the structure, the content, the teaching and examination format, and the used platforms in detail. We critically reflect on our experiences and report the feedback gained by a post-class student evaluation. We believe this paper provides meaningful lessons learned and best practices for other educators challenged with the task of teaching similar courses in a remote setting. With this paper, we publish an openly available Github repository that features all course content including sample solutions for all practical lab assignments.

Keywords:
Astract: While there are many tools that can depict a business process on any level of detail, there is lack of tools to depict and/or design process architectures - an interconnected set of business processes that exist or are to be introduced in an organization. The FEM toolkit bridges this gap by providing a tool for process architects to discover the process architecture of an organization as-is or to develop a new one. The FEM toolkit facilitates this by providing means to discover or develop a so-called Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM) for an organization. FEM depicts interconnections between the business processes in an enterprise by connecting them to the assets they use and manage. Assets considered in the model could be tangible (buildings, heavy machinery, etc.) and intangible (reputation, business process definitions, etc.). The FEM toolkit has been developed with the help of the metamodeling environment ADOxx. It was successfully used in a number of practically oriented projects and for teaching purposes.

Keywords:
Astract: When designing modeling languages, researchers and practitioners often take contradicting positions. While the former argue for formal soundness and precise specification, practitioners aim for more flexibility in using a modeling language, i.e., by adapting it to a specific project context. The same distinction applies to the differentiation between modeling tools and drawing tools. While the former enable model processing functionality and support modelers in creating only valid models, in practice, too often the latter tools (e.g., Visio or even PowerPoint) are used due to their ease of use and non-constraining nature. When aiming to introduce flexibility into modeling languages, one often needs to have metamodeling knowledge. Besides, changing the metamodel requires re-deployment of tools and hampers compatibility with previously created models. In this paper, we introduce the notion of modeling language jargons as a means to countervail these two contradicting positions. With such jargons, on-the-fly adaptation of modeling languages can be achieved by business users without requiring changes to the metamodel. To illustrate the conceptualization and use of modeling language jargons we report on the Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM) language and the experience of using the FEM tool in practice.