This project was sponsored by an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (DE120100776). The project was sponsored for the time frame 2012-2014.

Project Summary

When seeking to re-design business processes, analysts use graphical models of their business processes to make decisions about where, how and why changes to the processes should be enacted. Any decision made on the basis of process models is susceptible to their quality. Thus, analysts require principles that guide them in conceiving usable models of business processes. Such principles are only scarcely available and not based on comprehensive theoretical research.
This project aimed to address the gap of support through developing a body of knowledge about factors and consequences of process model quality for decision-making; and practical guidelines based on empirical insights to guide the creation of process models fit for decision-making.

This project developed guidelines to assist analysts in describing business processes by identifying theoretical factors of process model quality and influences of these factors on decisions during model use. The outcomes will make it easier to make informed decisions such as process re-design, business innovation or software development, thus contributing to project cost savings and better processes in which such decisions are made.

Project Publications

• Jabbari Sabegh, M. A. and Recker, J. (2017). Combined Use of Conceptual Models in Practice: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Database Management, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 56-88.
• Figl, K., Recker, J. (2016): Process Innovation as Creative Problem-Solving: An Experimental Study of Textual Descriptions and Diagrams. Information & Management, Vol. 53, No. 6, pp. 767-786.
• Kummer, T.-F., Recker, J., Mendling, J. (2016): Enhancing Understandability of Process Models Through Cultural-dependent Color Adjustments. Decision Support Systems, Vol. 87, pp. 1-12.
• Recker, J.,  Mendling, J. (2016): The State-of-the-Art of Business Process Management Research as Published in the BPM conference: Recommendations for Progressing the Field. Business & Information Systems Engineering, Vol. 58, No 2, pp. 55-72.
• Figl, K., Recker, J. (2016): Exploring Cognitive Style and Task-specific Preferences for Process Representations. Requirements Engineering, Vol 21, No. 1, pp. 63-85.
• Hjalmarsson, A., Recker, J., Rosemann, M., Lind, M. (2015): Understanding the Behavior of Workshop Facilitators in Systems Analysis and Design Projects: Developing Theory from Process Modeling Projects. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Vol. 36. No. 22, pp. 421-447.
• Recker, J. (2015): Research on Conceptual Modelling: Less Known Knowns and More Unknown Unknowns, Please. In M. Saeki, H. Koehler (eds.): Proceedings of the 11th Asia-Pacic Conference on Conceptual Modelling. Sydney, Australia, pp. 3-8.
• Recker, J. (2014): Suggestions for the Next Wave of BPM Research: Strengthening the Theoretical Core and Exploring the Protective Belt. Journal of Information Technology Theory and Application, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 5-20.
• Recker, J., Reijers, H. A., van de Wouw, S. G. (2014): Process Model Comprehension: The Effects of Cognitive Abilities, Learning Styles and Strategy. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 199-222.
• Recker, J. (2013): Empirical Investigation of the Usefulness of Gateway Constructs in Process Models. European Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 673-689.
• Figl, K., Recker, J., Mendling, J. (2013): A Study on the Effects of Routing Symbol Design on Process Model Comprehension. Decision Support Systems, Vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 1104-1118.
• Mendling, J., Strembeck, M., Recker, J. (2012): Factors of Process Model Comprehension – Findings from a Series of Experiments. Decision Support Systems, Vol. 53, No.1, pp. 195-206.
• Recker, J. (2012): BPMN Research: What We Know and What We Don’t Know. In J. Mendling and M. Weidlich (eds.): Business Process Model and Notation – BPMN 2012. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, Volume 125. Springer, Vienna, Austria, pp. 1-7.