573 research outputs found
Active Anomaly Detection for Key Item Selection in Process Auditing
No full textProcess mining allows auditors to retrieve crucial information about transactions by analysing the process data of a client. We propose an approach that supports the identification of unusual or unexpected transactions, also referred to as exceptions. These exceptions can be selected by auditors as “key items”, meaning the auditors wants to look further into the underlying documentation of the transaction. The approach encodes the traces, assigns an anomaly score to each trace, and uses the domain knowledge of auditors to update the assigned anomaly scores through active anomaly detection. The approach is evaluated with three groups of auditors over three cycles. The results of the evaluation indicate that the approach has the potential to support the decision-making process of auditors. Although auditors still need to make a manual selection of key items, they are able to better substantiate this selection. As such, our research can be seen as a step forward with respect to the usage of anomaly detection and data analysis in process auditing
Interactive clustering: a scoping review
No full textWe present in this paper a scoping review conducted in the interactive clustering area. Interactive clustering has been applied to leverage the strengths of both unsupervised and supervised learning. In interactive clustering, supervised learning is represented by inserting the knowledge of human experts in an originally unsupervised data analysis process. This scoping review aimed to organize the knowledge on (i) the applicability of interactive clustering methods, (ii) clustering algorithms being used to support interactive clustering, (iii) how to model the expert supervision and (iv) the effects brought by the expert supervision in the results produced. A systematic search for related literature was conducted in the Scopus database, resulting in the selection of 50 primary studies published by 2018. The analysis of these studies allowed us to identify trends such as: the application in text/image; use of partitioning and hierarchical algorithms; application of strategies based on split/merge, pairwise constraints, similarity metrics learning and data reassignment; and concern with visualization. In addition, some relevant issues not yet adequately addressed were identified, such as: the evaluation of expert supervision; the evaluation of the expert’s effort; and the conduction of studies effectively involving human experts, instead of computer simulations
Process Efficiency - Adapting Flow to the Agile Improvement Effort
No full textIn Scrum, we measure performance using velocity. However, the velocity of one team cannot be compared to the velocity of another, since it is a relative measure that is only of meaning to the team using it. So can we objectively measure the performance of teams?
Measuring Value Added Time as a percentage of Total Time is a metric that is used in Lean Manufacturing to help get a better understanding of production processes and optimize those processes.
This paper introduces an adaptation of this metric to the Agile environment. Giving teams an objective insight into their efficiency helps them optimize their efficiency and compare themselves to other teams. This adapted metric is called Process Efficiency and is comparable across teams, technologies, and domains of practice
Robotic Process Automation: Contemporary themes and challenges
No full textThrough the application of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) organisations aim to increase their operational efficiency. In RPA, robots, or ‘bots’ for short, represent software agents capable of interacting with software systems by mimicking user actions, thus alleviating the workload of the human workforce. RPA has already seen significant uptake in practice; solution technologies are offered by multiple vendors. Contrasting with this early practical adoption is the hitherto relative lack of attention to RPA in the academic literature. As a consequence, RPA lacks the sound theoretical foundations that allow for objective reasoning around its application and development. This, in turn, hinders initiatives for achieving meaningful advances in the field. This paper presents a structured literature review that identifies a number of contemporary, RPA-related themes and challenges for future research
From Symbolic RPA to Intelligent RPA: Challenges for Developing and Operating Intelligent Software Robots
No full textRobotic process automation (RPA) is a novel technology that automates tasks by interacting with other software through their respective user interfaces. The technology has received substantial business attention because of its potential for rapid automation of process-driven tasks that would otherwise require tedious manual labor. This article explores the dichotomy between the practical reality of symbolic RPA, which requires handcrafting robots using process models and rulesets, and the promise of intelligent RPA, which relies on artificial intelligence technology to implement intelligent robots. Our research is based on a scholarly literature review as well as an interview study to derive and discuss challenges for this transition. We found that issues such as the lack of training data, human bias in data, compliance issues with transfer learning, poor explainability of robot decisions, and job-security-induced fear of AI robots all need to be addressed to enable the transition from symbolic to intelligent RPA
Monitoring of Non-functional Requirements of Business Processes based Tn Quality of Service Attributes of Web Services
No full textBusiness monitoring approaches usually address indicators associated with processes only at the service level; i.e., related to the services implementing the processes. Monitoring at the service level raises technical measures geared to Information Technology (IT) managers. Monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is usually carried out at a higher level, but transversely to the organization’s processes, i.e., uncoupled from the processes. We present a component designed to aid in strategic alignment between business and IT by monitoring Non-Functional Requirements (NFR) of processes based on Quality of Service attributes. This component aims to allow business managers to monitor process executions by focusing on the indicators that truly respond to the execution of such processes. We evaluated the component via a proof of concept
Towards a Conceptual Framework for Decomposing Non-functional Requirements of Business Process into Quality of Service Attributes
No full textNon-functional Requirements (NFRs) of web services are defined by IT teams at the implementation level often as Quality of Service (QoS) attributes. Orchestrating web services to run business processes requires a rigorous definition of the NFRs of such web services. The definition of QoS attributes should consider the business process NFRs since misinterpretations of web service NFRs may affect the behavior of the web services and hence achieving the business goals. The approaches proposed so far are still heavily dependent on an IT expert’s knowledge to identify the appropriate QoS attributes required to meet particular business process NFRs. Defining appropriate QoS attributes without reference to business process-level NFRs may be a costly, time-consuming task. We propose a conceptual framework for the hierarchical decomposition of NFRs from the business process level to the web service level. This framework seeks to reduce the dependence on a particular IT expert’s knowledge by simplifying the dialog between the business and IT areas. The proposed framework relies on a structure of NFRs interdependence. The main reference was the ISO/IEC 25010 Product Quality Model, extended by additional software quality models and particular QoS attributes
Business process improvement activities: differences in organizational size, culture, and resources
No full textAlthough there are many business process improvement (BPI) methods, organizations are struggling to apply them effectively. We answer to the call to focus more on the organizational context in BPI projects. We use workarounds – deviations from the prescribed way of using an information system – as a specific angle to approach BPI. In five healthcare organizations of different contextual types, we study workarounds and make recommendations for process improvements. Based on this explorative multiple-case study, we propose a set of contextual activities for each stage of a BPI project. Thereby, we shed light on the differences in tackling process improvements in organizations that differ in size, culture, and the availability of resources for BPI projects. We evaluate the completeness and expected adoption of the proposed contextual BPI activities by organizing two focus groups and conducting a survey
Systematizing the Relationship Between Business Processes’ and Web Services’ Non-functional Requirements
No full textWe propose in this paper a conceptual framework for the hierarchical decomposition of Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) from the business process level to the web service level. This framework seeks to reduce the dependence on a particular IT expert’s knowledge by simplifying the dialog between the business and IT areas. The proposed framework relies on a structure of NFRs interdependence. The main reference was the ISO/IEC 25010 Product Quality Model, extended by additional software quality models and particular QoS attributes. This framework is accompanied by an extensive dictionary of non-functional requirements for both business processes and web services that can serve as a reference for researchers and industry practitioners. We assume that orchestrating web services to run business processes requires a rigorous definition of the functional requirements and NFRs of these web services. Web service NFRs are often defined as Quality of Service (QoS) attributes, which is done at the implementation level by IT teams. The definition of QoS attributes should consider the business process NFRs, since misinterpretations of web service NFRs may affect the behavior of the web services and hence achieving the business goals. The approaches proposed so far in the literature are still heavily dependent on an IT expert’s knowledge to identify the appropriate QoS attributes required to meet particular business process NFRs. However, defining appropriate QoS attributes without reference to business process-level NFRs may be a costly, time-consuming task
An Experiment to Analyze the Use of Process Modeling Guidelines to Create High-Quality Process Models
No full textProcess modeling guidelines are an essential tool to help process modelers to create models that are correct and easy to understand. Many guidelines have been proposed in the literature, but there is little empirical evidence to which extent guidelines are effectively used. This paper addresses this research gap by presenting the results of a semi-controlled experiment conducted on two occasions with 21 students from a Business Process Management course. Two successive process modeling tasks were compared, one before and one after the subjects were presented to a set of 20 guidelines, which were collected through a systematic literature review. From the results obtained with the experiment, it was observed that the subjects would be more receptive to the guidelines if they were easier to understand and use
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