Overview
Complex business processes are never static. These processes encompass numerous activities and multiple participants forming associations that are subject to constant change. This makes modelling these processes difficult. Conventional modelling tools are useful where there exists a static business process together with clear visibility of the sender, the receiver and the business relationship between the parties. These tools are not applicable in circumstances where the overall business relationship comprises multiple business activities and the “roles” of each participant in these activities is dynamic, dependent upon which side of the activity a participant is positioned. This is illustrated in every trading environment. A participant may be a “buyer” on one transaction, a “seller” on the next; a “payer” on the next and an “assignee” on the next.
In these circumstances, associations need to be navigated dynamically. In order to ensure the message exchanges between participants are correct, the message “context” needs to be understood. This requires the link between the business activity and the participant’s role in that activity to be made. This is described as “behavioural modelling”.
Hattrick’s solution suite is a behavioural modelling capability. Using WS-CDL Hattrick enables a behavioural model of a complex business process to be described from a “neutral” perspective. This ensures that the message exchanges being used across widely distributed services is the same for all the participating services and that this description is both unambiguous and provable correct.
