User-oriented business processes

This paper points out a number of limitations in the way current notations and languages handle the relations between processes and user activities, and proposes a solution emphasizing the participation of users in processes. The solution is based on an approach and a notation called UP (User-oriented Processes). UP processes are made up of role components which interact with each other on the basis of collaborations defined beforehand. Collaborations encompass the interactions exchanged between two parties for a common purpose; they are defined in separate collaboration models. The novel point of view of UP is the interpretation of interactions as communications between user activities and not between processes. Role components are defined by models directed to the users: these models show the activities the intended users will be involved in and focus on the cause-effect relationships between the activities and the interactions.