Business system as an equilibrium of intention and causality

219 4, XX, 2017 In o ma ion Managemen DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2017-4-015 In oduc ion Mo e han 20 yea s a e he idea o business p ocess-d i en managemen was bo n he e s ill exis essen ial insu i ciencies in he unde s anding o how business p ocesses should be modeled in o de o espec his idea. These insu i ciencies a e mani es ing hemsel es e en in he exis ing modeling s anda ds. As he modeling o business p ocess is a necessa y i s s ep in he p ocess o implemen ing he p ocess-d i en managemen idea, his si ua ion seems o be a main ba ie o he needed pu ing his idea in o he eal li e. On he o he hand, he e a e exis ing heo ies, me hods and ideas, al eady known in o he con ex s, which di ec ly add ess he p oblems and ea u es behind he abo e men ioned insu i ciencies o he cu en s a e. As usually, he oo o he p oblem is no he insu i cien basic knowledge bu a he he insu i cien ealiza ion o he p ope con ex . The aim o his a icle is o d aw a en ion o he essen ial ea u es o he business p ocesses and business sys ems in he con ex o hei modeling. The needed e l ec ion o hese essen ial ea u es in he modeling language and me hodology will be analyzed. In addi ion, he basic insu i ciencies o he con empo a y app oaches o he business p ocess modeling will be poin ed ou oge he wi h he ou line o possible ways o hei o e coming. As a basis o he main p inciples used in conside a ions in his a icle we use he MMABP me hodology Řepa (2003), OpenSoul p ojec (2015). MMABP (Me hodology o Modeling and Analysis o Business P ocesses) is a ‘language independen ’ me hodology based on he se o me a-models which de i ne he basic concep s and exp ess he basic p inciples o he me hodology, and comple ed wi h he se o echniques, consis ency ules and pa e s. MMABP is gene ally open in e ms o p incipal abili y o be comple ed wi h newe concep s, p inciples, echniques, e c. i hey a e consis en wi h i s p inciples and he me a- models. As he MMABP is based on me a- models ins ead o pa icula languages i can be also used as a basis o he e alua ion o any modeling language owa ds he p inciples. The oo idea, his a icle is based on, is ha business p ocess is an equilib ium o in en ion and causali y. This idea is based on he ac ha business p ocess always ep esen s he way o ollowing some in en ion. E e y business p ocess has he goal which ep esen s he meaning o he p ocess. E e y ac ion pe o med in he p ocess han should be a ge ed o i s goal. The abo e desc ibed ea u es o he business p ocess mean ha business p ocess is always subjec i e. On he o he hand, business p ocess always exis s in some en i onmen which de i nes he condi ions ha ha e o be espec ed by he p ocess ac ions. These condi ions ha e di e en o ms: he es ic ions o possible ac ions, ime and o he ypes o limi s, admi ed o p ohibi ed consequences, e c. Al hough he condi ions become om di e en esou ces: he na u e i sel , legisla ion, habi s, o speci i c local es ic ions o ea u es, hey all ha e o be espec ed in he p ocess uncondi ionally. F om he p ocess poin o iew all condi ions gi en by he p ocess en i onmen a e objec i e. The e o e, we call he summa y o all hese manda o y condi ions, no ma e whe e hey come om, he causali y o he business sys em. Concluding om p e ious wo pa ag aphs one can see he business p ocess as a way o ollowing some in en ion in he en i onmen which pa icula ly es ic s i s ac ions. The co ec business p ocess hus mus balance be ween i s pu pose and he gi en causali y o he en i onmen . The a icle is di ided in o i e sec ions. In he second sec ion, a e his in oduc ion, we BUSINESS SYSTEM AS AN EQUILIBRIUM OF INTENTION AND CAUSALITY Václa Řepa EM_4_2017.indd 219EM_4_2017.indd 219 13.12.2017 12:54:0213.12.2017 12:54:02 220 2017, XX, 4 In o mační managemen ollow he oo ideas o cybe ne ics in o de o explain he concep o in en ionali y and i s consequences in business sys em modeling as well as i s impac on he business p ocess modeling me hodology and language. Thi d sec ion is ocused on he concep o causali y in business sys ems. Rele an in o ma ics heo ies and echniques o modeling he eal wo ld causali y a e in oduced in his con ex . In he ou h sec ion he ela ionships be ween bo h basic ypes o he business sys em models (in en ional business p ocess e sus causal on ology model) a e discussed oge he wi h he me hodological consequences. In his sec ion we also in oduce basic consis ency ules om he MMABP me hodology. In he i nal sec ion we summa ize he main ideas om he a icle, discuss connec ed insu i ciencies o he cu en app oaches and ou line some basic ask o he u u e de elopmen . 1. In en ionali y in Business Sys em In he legenda y a icle Rosenblue h, Wiene and Bigelow (1943) au ho s exp essed he idea which essen ially in l uenced he la e de elopmen o cybe ne ics: ‘all pu pose ul beha io may be conside ed o equi e nega i e eed-back’. The concep o nega i e eed-back is explained he e as ollows: ‘... he beha io o an objec is con olled by he ma gin o e o a which he objec s ands a a gi en ime wi h e e ence o a ela i ely speci i c goal. The eed-back is hen nega i e, ha is, he signals om he goal a e used o es ic ou pu s which would o he wise go beyond he goal’. Acco ding o he basic wo k in he i eld o p ocess-d i en managemen (Hamme , & Champy, 1993) business p ocess always ollows some goal. The goal is a undamen al a ibu e o a business p ocess as i is egula ly used in ma u ed me hodologies like in E iksson and Penke (2000) o ins ance. Tha means ha business p ocess is always an in en ional p ocess. By he e m in en ional p ocess we mean he p ocess o pu pose ul beha io o in e es ed objec ollowing some goal. Concluding om p e ious wo pa ag aphs one can i nd ha he business p ocess, as i is an in en ional kind o p ocess, ha e o ha e some nega i e eed-back which ensu es es ic ion o i s ou pu s in o de o keep hem in he ma gins o i s goal. This cha ac e is ic s ongly dis inguishes he business p ocess om he p ocess in gene al (i.e. in jus echnical /physical sense) as well as om p ocesses which do no need any eed-back like machine- managed o au oma ed p ocesses unning wi hou a con ac wi h hei en i onmen . In he case o business p ocess he eed- back is ep esen ed by he inpu o he p ocess om i s en i onmen which is causally connec ed wi h some p ocess ou pu . The alue o he inpu should in l uence he ollowing beha io o he p ocess in e ms o keeping i in he ma gins o i s goal. This means ha ‘in e media e’ inpu s o he p ocess (i.e. none-s a ing inpu s o he p ocess coming be ween i s s a ing and end poin s) a e c i ically impo an pa s o he business p ocess dis inguishing i om o he , non-in en ional (i.e. non-business), p ocesses. Wo king wi h p ocesses we ha e o ake in o he accoun e en he ime dimension; e e y inpu o he p ocess om i s en i onmen has o be synch onized wi h he p ocess un. Thus, in each pa o he p ocess whe e some inpu which in l uences he ollowing p ocess un is expec ed he p ocess s a e has o be placed. P ocess s a e means such poin in he p ocess s uc u e whe e no hing can be done be o e he inpu o he p ocess occu s, i.e. poin o wai ing o he inpu . 1.1 The Concep o P ocess S a e in he MMABP Me hodology The ideas p esen ed in his a icle a e sys ema ically elabo a ed in he MMABP me hodology (Me hodology o Business P ocesses Analysis and Design). MMABP dis inguishes be ween wo main ypes o models: business p ocess e sus business objec models. In bo h ypes o model he me hodology ecognizes he global model (sys em iew) and he de ailed model. The modeling ools used by he me hodology a e based on common s anda ds BPMN (Business P ocess Model and No a ion (2011)), UML (Uni i ed Modeling Language™ In as uc u e Speci i ca ion e sion 2.4.1 (2015)), and E iksson/Penke No a ion (E iksson and Penke (2000)). The essence o he me hodology is de i ned in he o mal me a-model (Business Sys em Modeling Speci i ca ion (2015)) as a pa o he de elopmen p ojec OpenSoul (OpenSoul p ojec (2015)). The me a-model consis s o h ee main packages which co espond o he main dimensions o he business sys em model: Business Subs ance Me a-model, Business P ocess Me a-model, and Business Models Consis ency Model. EM_4_2017.indd 220EM_4_2017.indd 220 13.12.2017 12:54:0213.12.2017 12:54:02 221 4, XX, 2017 In o ma ion Managemen The ‘in en ional’ pa o he business sys em is a subjec o he Business P ocess Me a- model (see Fig. 1). Business P ocess Me a- model de i nes he essen ial concep s in he i eld o business p ocesses and hei ela ionships, and exp ess he p inciples which he modeling o business p ocesses should be based on. As i is isible om he me a-model he concep o ‘s a e’ is, oge he wi h ‘s imulus’ and ‘ac i i y’, one o he basic building blocks o he business p ocess desc ip ion. Me a-model also exp esses i s essen ial ela ionships o o he basic concep s:  S a e is a manda o y consequence o bo h ypes o he p ocess ac i i y (p ocessing and con ol, he di e ence is only in he ca dinali y o he ela ionship which depends on he ype o he ac i i y). This p inciple exp esses he ac ha e e y p ocess ac i i y (i.e. an ac ion pe o med in he p ocess) needs o be ollowed by wai ing o he eac ion om ou side he p ocess (a eed-back).  S a e has o be connec ed wi h a leas one ‘e en ’ ype o ‘s imulus’. This p inciple exp esses he ac ha ollowing p ocess ac i i y can be pe o med a e he eac ion om ou side he p ocess (a eed-back) occu s. The eed-back comes o he p ocess in he o m o ‘e en ’. The de i ni ion o basic p inciples in he me a-model is absolu ely exac , ne e heless (and he e o e) i is e y ha dly eadable. Mo eo e , he me a-model in jus de i ning he p inciples bu does no explain hei meaning and pu pose. The e o e, he me a-models in he MMABP me hodology a e comple ed wi h pa ial, no so exac bu mo e easily eadable, de i ni ion o some p inciples in he o m o so- called p ocess pa e ns. The e a e wo main kinds o Business P ocess Pa e ns in he MMABP:  Basic Business P ocess Flow Pa e n which de i nes he basic p ocedu e and decision poin s o he p ocess o model Fig. 1: MMABP Business P ocess Me a-model Sou ce: OpenSoul p ojec (2015) EM_4_2017.indd 221EM_4_2017.indd 221 13.12.2017 12:54:0213.12.2017 12:54:02 222 2017, XX, 4 In o mační managemen c ea ion. This pa e n is essen ial in he MMABP, i exp esses he main p inciples, ules, and o he aspec s o he MMABP app oach o he business p ocess modeling. I also de i nes and explains he ole o he p ocess s a e in he p ocess desc ip ion and he e o e i is explained in de ail in his a icle.  BP pa e ns o pa icula si ua ions which co e ypical si ua ions equen ly occu ing in business p ocess models whe e i is possible o i nd some gene ally alid s uc u es, p inciples and cons uc ions which should be ul i lled by he p ocess desc ip ion undoub edly. The e a e se e al mos gene al p ocess pa e ns in he MMABP: Complemen a y E en s Pa e n, Repea ing S a e Pa e n, and some o he speci i c pa e ns. The i s wo men ioned complemen a y pa e ns o pa icula si ua ions a e also connec ed wi h he p oblem o p ocess in en ionali y h ough hei ocus on wo main concep s ele an o he p oblem: s a e and e en . Thus, hese wo pa e ns a e also explained in de ail in ollowing ex . 1.2 Basic P ocess Flow Pa e n Basic P ocess Flow Pa e n exp esses he basic s uc u e o he p ocess model which espec s he essen ial ules o he MMABP me hodology. These ules exp ess he ‘ echnical’ necessi ies which mainly ollow om he gene al heo y o algo i hms as well as he speci i c aspec s o he business p ocess which dis inguish he business p ocess om a p ocess in gene al (i.e. jus echnical) sense. The la ely men ioned ules ollow om he heo y o BP managemen and e-enginee ing which is ancho ed al eady in he basic wo k in his i eld: Hamme and Champy (1993), Da enpo (1993). Basic P ocess Flow Pa e n (see Fig. 2) exp esses he essence o he p ocess l ow using h ee me hodically essen ial ypes o he p ocess elemen s: e en s, ac i i ies, and s a es. Acco ding o he Basic P ocess Flow Pa e n he business p ocess should be desc ibed as a sequence o Ac i i y blocks in e up ed by S a e blocks s a ing wi h jus one E en block (s a ing e en ) and esul ing in Fig. 2: De i ni ion o basic blocks and concep s o he BPF Pa e n Sou ce: Business Sys em Modeling Speci i ca ion (2015) EM_4_2017.indd 222EM_4_2017.indd 222 13.12.2017 12:54:0313.12.2017 12:54:03 223 4, XX, 2017 In o ma ion Managemen one o mo e End s a es. The de i ni ion is w i en in he semi- o mal me alanguage based on he simpli i ca ion o he s anda d Ex ended Backus- Nau Fo m ( o de ails and explana ion o he EBNF see Syn ac ic Me alanguages ISO/IEC In e na ional S anda d 14977 (1996)). Used me a-symbols ha e ollowing meanings:  A = [ elemen 1 | elemen 2 | elemen 3 ] means ha he i em A can be ei he elemen 1 o elemen 2 o elemen 3 exclusi ely.  A = { elemen X } means ha he i em A consis s o one o mo e elemen sX. Pa icula de i ni ion sen ences can be ead as ollows: De (i): P ocess l ow begins wi h s a ing E en block ollowed by he P ocess Body. De (ii): E en block is ei he a single e en , o s uc u e o mu ually exclusi e E en blocks, o s uc u e o mu ually synch onized E en blocks. De (iii): E en can be ei he an ad-hoc e en o a ime . De (i ): P ocess body consis s o one o mo e pai s whe e each pai consis s o an Ac i i y block ollowed by ei he S a e block o End S a e. I he pai ends wi h S a e block he desc ip ion should con inue wi h ano he pai (see he a ow a e he S a e block). End s a e always means he end o he p ocess. De ( ): Ac i i y block is ei he a single Ac i i y, o s uc u e o mu ually exclusi e Ac i i y blocks, o s uc u e o pa allel Ac i i y blocks. De ( i): S a e block is a synch oniza ion o in e nal p ocess l ow wi h expec ed e en (s) exp essed as an E en block (in o he wo ds: wai ing o he e en (s)). E en block ep esen s he ex e nal in l uence which he p ocess always has o espec . I wo ks ei he as a igge o a limi e o he p ocess. In bo h cases i has o be unambiguous which means, among o he s, ha is has o ep esen a single poin o ime. The e o e, i can be ei he a single e en o a ime-elemen a y s uc u e o e en s. I i is a s uc u e i can exp ess ei he he synch oniza ion o pa allel e en s (e en blocks) o he se o possible mu ually exclusi e al e na i e e en s (e en blocks) in o de o be ime-elemen a y. Ac i i y block ep esen s an ac ion elemen o he p ocess. I can be ei he a single ac i i y o a s uc u e o ac i i ies (ac i i y blocks). Simila ly, as in he case o e en also an ac i i y should be unambiguous. The e o e, i i is a s uc u e, i can exp ess ei he he synch oniza ion o pa allel ac i i ies (blocks) o he se o possible mu ually exclusi e ac i i ies (blocks). I canno exp ess a sequence o ac i i ies as i would be a iola ion o he elemen a iness ule. The me hodical easons and meaning o he need o he elemen a iness o ac i i ies in he p ocess desc ip ion is discussed in mo e de ail below. S a e block ep esen s he essen ial need o synch onize he p ocess un wi h expec ed e en s. This need ollows om he ac ha he e en is always an objec i e ex e nal in l uence and hus i mus be espec ed. F om he physical poin o iew such espec means synch oniza ion – wai ing o he e en (e en block). As he BPMN no a ion do no ecognize he concep o p ocess s a e he e is no o he way han o exp ess he p ocess s a e wi h he gene al symbol o synch oniza ion – he ‘AND ga e’. In o de o dis inguish be ween he gene al synch oniza ion and i s speci i c meaning as a p ocess s a e we comple e he BPMN wi h he s e eo ype <<p ocess s a e>>. One o he mos impo an ideas exp essed in his pa e n is ha he e canno be a sequence o p ocess ac i i ies unin e up ed by he p ocess s a e. This ule e l ec s he essence o he de i ni ion o an elemen a y p ocess ac i i y: (a) he p ocess ac i i y is ega ded as elemen a y i he e is no objec i e eason o i s in e up ion, (b) he eason o he in e up ion o he ac i i y is objec i e i i comes om ou side o he p ocess. Rule (b) o his de i ni ion means ha each objec i e eason o he p ocess in e up ion is ep esen ed by an e en (ex e nal in l uence) in ac . Thus, any ac i i y o he p ocess, no ma e how echnically complex i is, mus be ega ded as elemen a y i he e does no exis an ex e nal in l uence (e en ) which he p ocess has o espec (i.e. wai o ). This consequence well illus a es he ac ha he elemen a iness o a business p ocess ac i i y is no only i s physical bu much mo e a unc ional a ibu e as EM_4_2017.indd 223EM_4_2017.indd 223 13.12.2017 12:54:0313.12.2017 12:54:03 224 2017, XX, 4 In o mační managemen he business p ocess i sel is always mo e han a physical p ocess (algo i hm) only. This way he me hodology p e en s he analyze om he poin less unlimi ed di iding o he p ocess ac i i ies which is a equen mis ake in he i eld o business p ocess modeling. The necessi y o such sa e y use in he me hodology agains he unlimi ed di ision o ac i i ies is gi en by he ac ha in he i eld o p ocess-o ien ed modeling he agg ega ion is a domina ing ype o abs ac ion (unlike in he i eld o objec -o ien ed modeling whe e he gene aliza ion is a domina ing ype o abs ac ion). This ac mani es s i sel in he p incipally unlimi ed possibili ies o di ision o ac i i ies known as a ule: any single p ocess ac i i y can be decomposed in o he s uc u e o sub-ac i i ies – a p ocess (as i is also de i ned by he p ocess me a-model a Fig. 1). As he di ision o ac i i ies is physically unlimi ed he me hodology has o de i ne some logical – unc ional de i ni ion o he e y low le el: he le el o he p ocess elemen a iness. Fig. 3 shows he symbolic example o he p ocess which can be ega ded as co ec acco ding o he Basic Business P ocess Flow Pa e n. The p ocess can be seen as a sequence o se e al pa s each ep esen ing one block o a pa icula basic ype (see he di ision o he whole p ocess by e ical dashed lines). I is beginning by he s a ing e en block which consis s o jus single e en E1 in his case – he s a ing e en o he p ocess. The s a ing e en is ollowed by he ac i i y block consis ing o jus single p ocessing ac i i y A1. Acco ding o he pa e n he ac i i y block is ollowed by he s a e block in he o m o synch oniza ion o he p ocess un wi h jus a single e en E2. Following ac i i y block ep esen s mo e complex s uc u e o ac i i ies: i consis s o he s uc u e o h ee pa allel ac i i ies whe e he i s wo a e single p ocessing ac i i ies A2 and A3, and he las one is a s uc u e o wo al e na i e p ocessing ac i i ies A4 o A5. Following s a e block ep esen s he wai ing o wo al e na i e e en s E3 o E4. The las ac i i y block is a s uc u e o wo al e na i es: he p ocessing ac i i y A6 ollowed by he p ocess end End2 o he immedia e p ocess end End1. The example in he Fig. 3 illus a es ha and how any algo i hmic s uc u e o he p ocess can be checked whe he i ul i lls he basic de i ni ion o he business p ocess exp essed by he Basic BP Flow Pa e n: business p ocess is a sequence o Ac i i y blocks in e up ed by S a e blocks s a ing wi h jus one S a ing E en block and esul ing in one o mo e End s a es. Fig. 3: Co ec business p ocess l ow example Sou ce: own EM_4_2017.indd 224EM_4_2017.indd 224 13.12.2017 12:54:0313.12.2017 12:54:03 225 4, XX, 2017 In o ma ion Managemen In he MMABP he Basic P ocess Flow Pa e n is comple ed by a numbe o p ocess pa e ns which model he speci i c ypical si ua ions which a e o en occu ing in business p ocess models. These si ua ions a e gene alized and should be he e o e ins an ia ed o he use in he pa icula p ocess. 2. Causali y o Business Sys em By he e m ´causali y´ we unde s and an agg ega e o basic ac s, condi ions, ules, ela ionships, p esump ions, consequences, and o he aspec s o he gi en business sys em which can es ic he possible ac ions in a business p ocess. As i ollows om his de i ni ion, he causali y o he business sys em is always supe o dina e o any ac ion in he sys em, o any ac i i y o any business p ocess. The adi ional in o ma ics echnique o desc ip ion o he eal wo ld causali y is called Concep ual Modeling. The o igin o concep ual modeling is closely connec ed wi h he da abase echnology. The o iginal pu pose o he echnique o da a modeling was o c ea e he concep o he da abase whose s uc u e is so l exible o be able o accep as much as possible needed u u e changes. The need o u u e changes o he da abase comes om he changes in he eal wo ld. As he eal objec s and hei ela ionships a e na u ally changing, he con en s o he da abase should change as well. The oo mo i a ion o da a modeling is he need o design he da abase which would be able o accep as much as possible necessa y changes in he eal wo ld wi hou he need o change i s own s uc u e. Chen (1976) exp essed he c ucial idea ha hese c i e ia bes ul i lls such s uc u e o he da abase which is simila as much as possible o he s uc u e o he eal wo ld concep s. The e o e, he modeling echnique has o be p ima ily aimed on analyzing he s uc u e o he eal wo ld concep s. Fo ha pu pose he p oposed a da a model, called he en i y- ela ionship model, which inco po a es he impo an seman ic in o ma ion abou he eal wo ld by modeling he eal wo ld concep s and hei ela ionships. Concep ual Modeling was bo n. Fig. 4: Example o he sys em model o objec s (Class Diag am) Sou ce: own EM_4_2017.indd 225EM_4_2017.indd 225 13.12.2017 12:54:0313.12.2017 12:54:03 226 2017, XX, 4 In o mační managemen Since he mid-nine ies he Class Diag am om he UML (Uni i ed Modeling Language™ In as uc u e Speci i ca ion e sion 2.4.1 (2015)) has been accep ed by he in o ma ics communi y as a s anda d ool o concep ual modeling. Class Diag am desc ibes he s a ic s uc u e o he sys em in he o m o classes and ela ionships among hem. Class Diag am is a basic diag am o he whole UML epe oi e o diag ams. In he ollowing decades he e ha e come he new gene a ion o he Real Wo ld modeling which can be also ega ded as a successo o he adi ional concep ual modeling: on ology modeling and on ology enginee ing. A comp ehensi e desc ip ion and explana ion o ela ionships among he concep ual modeling, on ology modeling and he UML can be ound in Guizza di (2005). We unde s and he e m ‘sys em o business objec s’ o mean he global iew o objec s. This model exp esses which objec s in which mu ual ela ionships o m he business sys em. Fo an example o a pa icula sys em o business objec s see Fig. 4 abo e. In p inciple, he sys em iew o objec s can simply ecognize hei exis ence and mu ual con ex , no hei dynamic de ails. This model is a concep ual model in he adi ional meaning, in ac . Pa icula objec classes in he model ep esen concep s which iden i y possible eal objec s om he business sys em. Rela ionships among objec classes hen iden i y possible links among eal objec s om he business sys em. Ne e heless, bo h eal objec s and hei mu ual links a e na u ally dynamic in he eal wo ld; hey a e changing in ime. These dynamic aspec s canno be desc ibed in his model as i p incipally only ep esen s a s a ic iew o objec s. Fo he desc ip ion o objec ’s dynamics he de ailed objec s model (li e cycles o objec s) is in ended. One o he main easons o using he UML Class Diag am as a s anda d is he ac ha his diag am, as a pa o he consis en sys em o diag ams UML, allows di ec linking wi h he de ailed objec models – objec li e cycles in he o m o UML S a e Cha s. 2.1 Modeling Dynamics o Objec s (Objec Li e Cycles) Like in business p ocess models, e en in he i eld o business objec s he e is a need o a de ailed iew on some pa icula objec s. Like in he case o business p ocesses, e en he de ailed iew o a business objec means iewing he objec as a p ocess. This p ocess ep esen s e e y hing ha can happen du ing he li e ime o he pa icula ins ance o he objec class. The e o e, his de ailed model o an objec is called he objec li e cycle. The objec li e cycle exp esses he in e nal dynamics o each objec o gi en class. I desc ibes he mechanism o he objec e olu ion du ing he ime. As he ool o he Objec li e cycle desc ip ion, he MMABP me hodology uses he S a e Cha diag am om he UML (Uni i ed Modeling Language™ In as uc u e Speci i ca ion e sion 2.4.1 (2015)). MMABP ega ds he S a e Cha as a mos sui able ool om he Uni i ed Modeling Language o he pu pose o he objec li e cycle desc ip ion. Ne e heless, he S a e Cha has no been o iginally in ended as a ool o desc ip ion o li e cycle. I s oo s a e in he i eld o s a e machines heo y, and i is closely connec ed wi h he concep o so called ‘ eal- ime p ocessing’. Howe e , he concep o he s a e machine in gene al is no subs an ially educible o jus he a ea o eal- ime p ocessing. The e is also a need o ecognizing he s a es and ansi ions among hem in he a ea o da a p ocessing. The bes p oo o his idea is he concep o he objec li e cycle i sel – once we hink abou he objec s gene ally (i.e. in e ms o hei classes), hen we ha e o s ongly dis inguish be ween he class and i s ins ance. In he case o he objec li e his equi es de e mining hose poin s in he li e o all objec s o he same class, which we will be able o iden i y, and which i is necessa y o iden i y in o de o desc ibe he synch oniza ion o he objec li e wi h li e cycles o o he objec s. Such poin s o he objec li e a e i s s a es. So each objec ins ance li es i s own li e while he common s uc u e o li es o all ins ances o he same class is desc ibed as a common li e cycle o he objec class. Fig. 5 shows he example o he li e cycle o he objec class Teache om he model a Fig. 4. Fo he unde s anding o he li e cycle con en s he ela ionships o he Teache o o he objec classes om he on ology model a e essen ial. The e a e ou main s a es in he li e o he Teache :  The s a e Vacan means ha he eache does no supe ise any s uden and does no each o gua an ee any cou se (i.e. has no ela ionships o objec s S uden and Cou se). The e a e wo possible ways om EM_4_2017.indd 226EM_4_2017.indd 226 13.12.2017 12:54:0413.12.2017 12:54:04 227 4, XX, 2017 In o ma ion Managemen his s a e: ei he he new s uden o cou se is assigned o he eache which causes he ansi ion o he s a e Occupied o he eache is eleased ( ansi ion o he i ni e s a e Released).  The s a e Occupied ep esen s he si ua ion when he eache supe ises some s uden s and/o eaches o gua an ees some cou ses bu he/she s ill has a ee capaci y o mo e s uden s and/o cou ses (i.e. has some ela ionships o objec s S uden and Cou se bu s ill in he gi en bo de s o his/ he capaci y). F om his s a e he eache can ansi o any s a e including i sel (see he sel - ansi ion in he case o he change which does no o e l ow he eache ’s capaci y and does no mean lose o he las s uden and/o cou se).  The s a e Fully Occupied ep esen s he si ua ion when he eache has no mo e capaci y o any s uden and/o cou se. F om his s a e he eache can ansi jus back o he s a e Occupied o o he i ni e s a e Released h ough he mid-s a e In he p ocess o elease.  The s a e In he p ocess o elease is a necessa y mid-s ep om he s a es Occupied and Fully Occupied o he i ni e s a e Released as he elease o he eache equi es p io hand o e o all supe ised s uden s as well as augh and gua an eed cou ses (i.e. edi ec ing all exis ing ela ionships o objec s S uden and Cou se o o he Teache s). Each desc ibed li e cycle has o co espond o he pa icula objec class in he Class Diag am. In such way he S a e Cha speci i es he gene al mechanism o he li e o all possible ins ances o he gi en class. Desc ibed s a es and ansi ions among hem consequen ly co espond o he a ibu es and me hods o he class. In ac , li e cycle s a es ep esen he speci i c a ibu e o he class (no ma e whe he his a ibu e is p esen in he class desc ip ion o no i always exis s by Fig. 5: Example o he objec li e cycle model Sou ce: own EM_4_2017.indd 227EM_4_2017.indd 227 13.12.2017 12:54:0413.12.2017 12:54:04 234 2017, XX, 4 In o mační managemen o causali y. Thus, i is necessa y o include o he on ology model e en he p ocess aspec s o he causali y in he o m o so-called objec li e cycles. Many o abo e men ioned me hodological challenges a e e l ec ed in he MMABP me hodology (OpenSoul p ojec , 2015; Řepa, 2003), o he challenges will be e l ec ed in i s u u e de elopmen . Some e l ec ion o hem can be also i nd in o he me hodical esou ces in he i eld o business sys ems modeling (me hodologies, languages and ools) Ne e heless, ega ding he gene al alidi y o he oo idea o his pape , he e l ec ion o hem should mainly become he egula pa o he p o essional s anda ds in he i eld. 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Uni i ed Modeling Language™ (OMG, UML) In as uc u e Speci i ca ion e sion 2.4.1 (2015). Objec Managemen G oup (OMG). Re ie ed om: h p://www.omg.o g. p o . Ing. Václa Řepa, CSc. Uni e si y o Economics, P ague Facul y o In o ma ics and S a is ics Depa men o In o ma ion Technologies [email p o ec ed] EM_4_2017.indd 234EM_4_2017.indd 234 13.12.2017 12:54:0513.12.2017 12:54:05 235 4, XX, 2017 In o ma ion Managemen Abs ac BUSINESS SYSTEM AS AN EQUILIBRIUM OF INTENTION AND CAUSALITY Václa Řepa The a icle is aimed o d aw he a en ion o he essen ial ea u es o he business p ocesses and business sys ems in he con ex o hei modeling. We ollow he oo ideas o cybe ne ics in o de o explain he concep o in en ionali y and i s consequences in business sys em modeling as well as i s impac on he business p ocess modeling me hodology and language. Possible way o e l ec ing hese ideas in he business p ocesses modeling me hodology is ou lined using he example o he p ocess me a-model and business p ocess pa e ns om he MMABP me hodology. Then he concep o causali y in business sys ems is explained and ele an in o ma ics heo ies and echniques o modeling he eal wo ld causali y a e in oduced in his con ex . Pa icula a en ion is paid o he opic o ela ionships be ween bo h basic ypes o he business sys em models: in en ional business p ocess and causal on ology model. Gene al ules and p inciples o he consis ency o models a e discussed oge he wi h hei me hodological consequences. Basic ypes o he consis ency o models – comple eness and co ec ness – a e iden i i ed and also he speci i c opic o ‘s uc u al consis ency’ is in oduced in his con ex . In he conclusions sec ion he needed e l ec ion o hese essen ial ea u es in he modeling languages and me hodology is analyzed and he basic insu i ciencies o he con empo a y app oaches o he business p ocess modeling a e poin ed ou oge he wi h he ou line o possible ways o hei o e coming. As he main challenges in he i eld o business p ocess modeling me hodology and languages we pa icula ly iden i y he need o espec ing all consequences o he ac ha business p ocess has o be always aken as a pu pose ul p ocess as well as he need o implemen ing he sel -pe cep ion o he p ocess in o de o allow i achie ing he highe o de s o p edic ion. Key Wo ds: Business p ocess managemen , business p ocess modeling, concep ual modeling, on ology, objec dynamics, cybe ne ics. JEL Classi i ca ion: M10. DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2017-4-015 EM_4_2017.indd 235EM_4_2017.indd 235 13.12.2017 12:54:0513.12.2017 12:54:05