A Method To Support The Alignment Of Business

1. A Method to Support the Alignment
of Business Models and Goal Models
A master thesis submitted for the degree of Master in Computer Science,
University of Namur, departement of computer science
Belgium, Namur, the 25th of June 2008,
Pierre HALLEUX and Ludovic MATHIEU
{pHalleux,lMathieu}@info.fundp.ac.be
Pierre
HALLEUX

2. I. Introduction
Context
Products cycles shorter, growing competition, complex
environement,…
One solution to deal with these problems : models
Figure 1.1: Overview of the problematic (adapted from [17])

3. I. Introduction (2/3)
Purpos
e
Address one part of the alignment
problem between the goals of an
organization and the IT-resources
A relevant problem …
In the literature goal and business
models are studied separately
A method to cope with changes
relies on a templates and rules
based approach [4]
Scop
i * instead of BMM
e
e³value instead of Figure 1.2: Overview goal model to business model
REA

4. I. Introduction (3/3)
Thesis Goals ~ Presentation Inline ~ Thesis
Structure Background,
Introduce an existing method (and frameworks)
Chapter 2,
Analyze the method presented in [4] : by highlighting the (non-)syntactical issues
Detailled Analysis
and Improvement
of the Approach,
Chapter 3,
Propose improvements and extensions on templates and rules to correct these issues
Goal Test the new method on a case study
s
Case
study,
Compare the different results with the previous method
changes ➔ a real improvement ? Chapter 4,
➔ more efficiency ?
Conclusion
Chapter 5,
Benefits of the Improved
A Method to Support the Alignment Method
Purpose
of Business Models and Goal Models Future
Work

5. Thesis Goals ~ Presentation Inline ~ Thesis
Structure Background,
Introduce an existing method (and frameworks)
Chapter 2,
Analyze the method presented in [4] : by highlighting the (non-)syntactical issues
Detailled Analysis
and Improvement
of the Approach,
Chapter 3,
Propose improvements and extensions on templates and rules to correct these issues
Goal Test the new method on a case study
s
Case
study,
Compare the different results with the previous method
changes ➔ a real improvement ? Chapter 4,
➔ more efficiency ?
Conclusion
Chapter 5,
Benefits of the Improved
A Method to Support the Alignment Method
Purpose
of Business Models and Goal Models Future
Work

6. II. Background
A Templates and Rules Approach for Goal and Value Models Alignment
(1/3)
Align business model with the associated goal model
Templates and rules based approach
« Template » :
Relates to a means situated in the goal model
Compulsory part (what the template aims to do): < Event, Resource, Agent >
Optional part (consequences of the template): [optional part]
e.g. Template
1

7. II. Background (2/3)
A Templates and Rules Approach for Goal and Value Models Alignment
(2/3)
« Transformation rule » template
is removing (adding) elements from (into) the value model according to the expressed template.
has two parts :
Primary action is associated to the compulsory part
draws on the model what the current template aims to do.
Secondary action is associated to the optional part
represents the choices and obligations linked to the optional part
e.g., Transformation rule associated to template 1:
Primary action: Add one exchange event for the resource from the principal agent
to an existing or new agent in an existing or new duality.
Secondary action:
a. Connect the new exchange event to a new conversion event, or
b. Connect the new exchange event to an existing conversion event, or
c. Add a new exchange event from the principal agent to a new or existing agent from whom the resource is
procured; and
d. Add a new exchange event for receiving a resource from agent to the principal agent
as a compensation for the resource offered by the principal agent.

8. II. Background (3/3)
A Templates and Rules Approach for Goal and Value Models Alignment
(3/3)
Figure 2.1: How [4] aligns goal model with business model

9. Thesis Goals ~ Presentation Inline ~ Thesis
Structure Background,
Introduce an existing method (and frameworks)
Chapter 2,
Analyze the method presented in [4] : by highlighting the (non-)syntactical issues
Detailled Analysis
and Improvement
of the Approach,
Chapter 3,
Propose improvements and extensions on templates and rules to correct these issues
Goal Test the new method on a case study
s
Case
study,
Compare the different results with the previous method
changes ➔ a real improvement ? Chapter 4,
➔ more efficiency ?
Conclusion
Chapter 5,
Benefits of the Improved
A Method to Support the Alignment Method
Purpose
of Business Models and Goal Models Future
Work

10. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (1/13)
The Templates > Syntactical Issues
Not very well formed templates and ambiguous syntax :
Formulation of the logical operators (« AND », « | ») (use AND , XOR )
Normal rules of the logic (useless AND at the beginning of the templates removed)
Formulation of the compulsory part < Event, Resource, Direction, Agent > (from, to, in)
Formulation of the optional part (only one pair of square brakets « [… ] »)
Implicit calls of templates (use compulsory part names instead of synonyms)
The Templates > Non Syntactical Issues
Name of event in the compulsory part (introduced in a more formal way stop start)
Change of ontology (REA • e3value terms)
Scheduling between the templates (scheduling conditions for the templates)
Ambiguous Name for “agent” and “resource” (specialize the terms by using the role played)
Unnecessary event in template 9 (remove the financial compensation from the template 9)

11. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (2/13)
The Templates > Backus-Naur-Form Grammar for the
Templates
by generalization from the solutions proposed
it solves the issues in the templates of [4]

12. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (3/13)
The Templates > Graphical
Representation
e.g. What happens if the organization wants to start offering a resource to an agent ?
➔ template 1
Figure 3.1: Graphical notation for template 1

13. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (4/13)
The Templates > Graphical Representation > Global
Network
Templates can call other templates ➔ relevant to draw a global network
Figure 3.2: Global network
e.g. for template 4, if the organization wants to stop procuring resource from agent (T4),
then it needs to stop offering the resource (T2)
or to start producing the resource in a value activity (T5)

14. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (5/13)
The Templates >
Instantiation
Organizatio customer
provider
n i
p resource resource
j
l
➔ Possible confusions among the
resources.
To be more specic and able to distinguish the different variables: subscripts
added
e.g. customer1, customer2, provider1, provider2, …

15. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (6/13)
The Templates > Link between the Goal Model and the
Templates
How to link the elements situated into the i* goal model with the set of templates ?
Figure 3.3: Generic to-be goal model

16. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (7/13)
The Templates > Link between the Goal Model and the
Templates
2
Figure 3.4: through the goal model to the templates with a substitution tree

17. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (8/13)
The Templates > Improved List of 10
Templates
Original template 1 from
[4]:
Original template
1
Improved template
1:

18. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (9/13)
The Rules > Issues in the Rules
Lack of Information for Transformation
Rules have to remove some unecessary elements in the business model
In [4] every rule is not always doing that correctly (e.g. template 4)
➔ add the necessary information
Figure 3.5: Consequences of lack of
information for transformation in the rule 4
Missing Rules for Templates 5 to 8
➔ add these rules

19. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (10/13)
The Rules > Issues in the Rules > Avoid Redundant Changes on the Model (1/2)
a) Restricting Conditions for the Choice of the Optional
Part
T5 (Start producing resourcej in value activityk)
has to call T1 to offer the resourcej which is produced (as stated in its optional part)
Possible redundant change: T1 can call T5 to produce the resourcej to be offered.
T1
Figure 3.6: when a template is called from another template
➔ Solution : restrict the choice in the precursors when called from another template

20. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (11/13)
The Rules > Issues in the Rules > Avoid Redundant Changes on the Model (2/2)
b) Restrictions within the
Rules illustration of the issue with T2 and T4
e.g.
Figure 3.7: overview of the links between T2 and T4
➔ Solution : introduction of a Prev(Ti) in the rules

21. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (12/13)
The Rules > Improved Transformation Rules
e.g.,

22. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (13/13)
The Improved Method >
Summary
Figure 3.9: How the improved method aligns goal model with the business model

23. Thesis Goals ~ Presentation Inline ~ Thesis
Structure Background,
Introduce an existing method (and frameworks)
Chapter 2,
Analyze the method presented in [4] : by highlighting the (non-)syntactical issues
Detailled Analysis
and Improvement
of the Approach,
Chapter 3,
Propose improvements and extensions on templates and rules to correct these issues
Goal Test the new method on a case study
s
Case
study,
Compare the different results with the previous method
changes ➔ a real improvement ? Chapter 4,
➔ more efficiency ?
Conclusion
Chapter 5,
Benefits of the Improved
A Method to Support the Alignment Method
Purpose
of Business Models and Goal Models Future
Work

24. IV. Case Study (1/7)
Case Presentation > As-Is Goal
Model
Figure 4.1: as-is goal model

25. Case Presentation > As-Is Business Model
Figure 4.2: as-is business model with e3alue

26. Improved Method Application > To-Be Goal Model
IV. Case study
Figure 4.3: to-be goal model

27. IV. Case Study (4/7)
Improved Method Application > Substitution Tree
Figure 4.4: improved method chain of templates

28. Improved Method Application > Aligned To-Be Business
Model Case study
IV.
Figure 4.5: aligned to-be business model

29. Comparison of both Methods (1/2)
IV. Case study
Figure 4.6: explicit results of the method of [4]

30. Comparison of both Methods
(2/2)
Previous Method : To-Be BM
(1) Implicit new v. act. (buy content,…)
Many redundant names for v.activities
(2) & (4) Implicit renaming for v.object
(3) V. object not present in the rules
(5) Implicit different flows for $
(6) Implicit extension of value exchange
Figure 4.7: highlighted issues
in the previous method

31. Thesis Goals ~ Presentation Inline ~ Thesis
Structure Background,
Introduce an existing method (and frameworks)
Chapter 2,
Analyze the method presented in [4] : by highlighting the (non-)syntactical issues
Detailled Analysis
and Improvement
of the Approach,
Chapter 3,
Propose improvements and extensions on templates and rules to correct these issues
Goal Test the new method on a case study
s
Case
study,
Compare the different results with the previous method
changes ➔ a real improvement ? Chapter 4,
➔ more efficiency ?
Conclusion
Chapter 5,
Benefits of the Improved
A Method to Support the Alignment Method
Purpose
of Business Models and Goal Models Future
Work

32. V. Conclusion (1/2)
Benefits of the Improved
Method Templates easier to read and more understandable
Reduce mistakes, avoid ambiguities, clearer templates
Better transformation rules
List of rules completed, higher level of details in the BM
More formal and less heuristic method
BNF grammar, explicit calls, substitutions, instantiation
More advanced presentation of the method
Graphical representation
First step of the method clarified
All these improvements
Better alignment between the goal and business models
Less time to produce an aligned business model
Better methodological support

33. V. Conclusion (1/2)
Future Work
Add new templates (to match with more goal models)
With BNF and scheduling conditions
Templates are highly context-dependent
Fill in the optional part (see Sect. 3.2.3)
(Dis)advantages to increase the level of details?
e.g. notion of port, sub-value activity, or possibility to distinguish the interfaces in the rules
Level of formalism
Tools
Textual template ➔ graphical representation (to add new templates)
With BNF grammar and UML graphical notation
Produce the to-be business model
With as-is models, to-be business model, and a library of templates and associated rules in inputs.

34. Thank you
for
your attention.

35. III. Detailled Analysis and Improvement of the Approach (5/14)
The Templates >
Specialization
Templates will be associated to means situated into the i* goal model
➔ the templates must be clear and understandable (to choose a right one)
Unfortunately, only abstract notions in [4] (e.g. “agent ”, “resource ”, …. )
The goal modeler will more likely look for the notion of “customer”, “provider”,etc.
➔ “agent ” • “customer”, “outsourcer” or “provider”
➔ “resource ” • “compensation” when necessary
Easier to distinguish the roles and select the templates (e.g. template 1)

36. e3value vs c3value

37. How Introduce More Formalism?
May be use Interface Description Language (e.g.: Darwin)
Process Modelisation
(e.g FSP)
(Source : V. Englebert, Advanced distributed System Course)

38. Prolog ?