Deriving Normalized Systems Elements from Business Process Models

Normalized systems theory has recently been established to engineer evolvable information systems. In order to build information systems according to this theory, a method to identify the normalized systems´ primitives has to be constructed. Because business processes are currently receiving more attention as process-centric representations of an enterprise, this method should be able to translate business process models into the normalized systems primitives. In this paper, a preliminary mapping method based on proven software engineering principles, is discussed. The proposed method adheres to the normalized systems´ viewpoint of business processes being normalized production lines. In this sense, business process production lines are identified as workflow elements operating on a single type of data element. These process lines are operated as state machines, triggering action elements on the specified data element. The mapping method is illustrated using an example of a realistic business process flow. Some initial conclusions on the method construction are presented.