Software: ProcessMan

This software implements a Process Manager.

We chose the Faculty of IT (FIT) at Hanoi University as the case for investigation. FIT is a relatively young faculty that has been undergoing significant organisational changes. One of these changes involves standardising the organisational processes in accordance with the ISO-9001:2008’s quality management standard7. We thus chose organisational process management as the particular subject of our investigation.

As an educational institution, the core processes that FIT performs are teaching subjects (a.k.a course modules) to students every semester and formally assessing the students’ performances. Conceptually, a process is a sequence of tasks, each of which is a sequence of actions. A process is created once, by an organisation unit, and is periodically applied to the same unit and possibly to other organisational units that have similar needs. For certain processes, task and action would need to be specialised in order to specify more details. For example, in the assessment process, a subject is created only once but is taught in the same semester every year. This periodic delivery of a subject is called subject-by-semester. The type of tasks that is applied specifically to subject-by-semester is called task-for-subject. Each task-for-subject consists of a sequence of action-for-subject, which is a specialisation of action.

Design

Use AGL to implement activity-based modules.

None-AGL design

Module: ProcessApplicationManager

This module aims to apply a given Process (e.g. Course Planning) to an OrgUnit (e.g. Department of IT) in a given semester of a year. The application involves the following steps:

1. [User] Selects the Process and OrgUnit and specifies the year and semester
   1. System: creates a ProcessApplication with the specified details
2. [System] Copies the specified Process's structure to be referenced by the new ProcessApplication
   • vn.com.processman.modules.processmanager.processapplication.controller.command.CreateNewProcessApplicationCommand

Module: Process4SubjectApplicationManager

Works similarly to ProcessApplicationManager except that in step 2, it uses the following, more specialised, data command to copy the Task4Subject structure to the new Process4SubjectApplication:

• vn.com.processman.modules.processmanager.processapplication.forsubject.controller.command.CreateNewProcess4SubjectCommand

AGL-based design

Module: ProcessManager

Type: Sequential

1. Create Process

2. Create Tasks

   • allow multiple Tasks to have the same previous Task and thus they can be executed concurrently

3. Create Actions

   • allow multiple Actions to have the same previous Action and thus they can be executed concurrently

Process Example: Teacher Recruitment

1. Request for recruitment (what position, how many, description)
2. Advertise the position
3. Screen applications for the position
4. Schedule an applicant interview
5. Interview an applicant
6. Conduct demo-teaching for an applicant
7. Make hiring decision with the applicant
8. Sign contract with the qualified applicant

Main flow: Decisional, Sequential, Merge

Merge node: <M1>

START -> 1 -> 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------<M1>---> END
           -> 3 -> [found applicant?] -[N]> -> [more applicant?] -[Y]>  -> [ended?] -[Y]> (<M1>)
                                                                                    -[N]> (3)
                                                                 -[N]>  -> ([ended?])
                                      -[Y]> -> 4 -> 5 -> [interview ok?] -[Y]> 6 -> 7 -> [hired] -[Y]> 8 
                                                                                                 -[N]> (3)
                                                                         -[N]> (3)

(4): Fork & Join

START .-> Book the room -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
      |                                                                                                                |-> Create interview event
      .-> Request available time slots -> (Interviewer) Review time slots -> Send available slots --|                  |
                                      |                                                            |-> Receive slots --|
                                      -> (Interviewee) Review time slots -> Send available slots --|

(8): Fork & Join

 START .-> Prepare the contract --------------------------------------------------------------------|
       |                                                                                            | -> Send contract -> Sign -> END
       .-> Request for supporting documents -> (Applicant) prepare documents -> Receive documents --|

Module: ProcessApplicationManager

Type: Decisional & Sequential

1. Decisional: allows user to choose whether to apply a normal process or a process for subject. If user choose process-for-subject then there are 3 steps, in which the second step is to choose a subject. Otherwise, there are only 2 steps as described in the previous section.

2. Sequential: the steps of the main procedure are performed in sequence.

Module: ProcessExecution

Type: Decisional, Sequential, Forked, Merged, Join

General execution flow of a process is as follows.

• Each task of the selected process is initiated
• Tasks and their actions are performed in sequence, as specified by precedence
• Tasks/actions that have the same previous task/action (resp.) are executed concurrently. There are two cases of the execution: merged and forked.
  • [Forked] All Tasks/Actions of a Join node must be completed (with an output) before the Join is completed
  • [Merged] Completion of Any Task/Action of a Merge node leads to completion of the Merge node