Process flexibility patterns

Abstract

The topic of process flexibility has become a center of attention from both commercial and research institutions as understanding of requirements for business processes capable to adapt their behavior to changes in an external environment is crucial for supporting organizations operating in a dynamic context. In this paper, a set of requirements addressing the aspect of the process flexibility are identified and presented in the form of the Process Flexibility Patterns. Each of the patterns facilitates one of the five process flexibility types: flexibility by design, flexibility by deviation, flexibility by underspecification, flexibility by momentary and permanent change. The semantics of the patterns is illustrated by means of Colored Petri Nets as functionality augmenting the behavior of flexi-\nble process engine. The patterns are used to evaluate the flexibility of a selection of offerings.