A Graph-based approach for process robustness in unreliable communication environments

Abstract

The Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is broadly used to model and execute process definitions. Many processes include different participants and require reliable communication to operate properly. However, BPMN is used in a growing number of use cases taking place in unreliable communication environments. Intermittent or broken connectivity potentially interrupts or breaks down process operation. Methods for the verification of process robustness are missing. This paper presents a graph-based approach to automatically identify robust process path configurations. Using process-to-graph transition rules and robustness metrics, graph-based search algorithms allow to find robust process paths and to rate their level of robustness. Process examples show that well-known shortest-path algorithms not necessarily identify the most appropriate path. Comparing all paths using metrics for the path robustness level and robustness probability is a promising choice for most scenarios. Inspired by maximum-flow algorithms, a combined-path analysis may optimize robustness by combining process paths based on different communication technologies. © Copyright 2020 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved.