Dear All,
I would like to highlight the proper usage of Process Interface(s) during ARIS EPC Models. A process interface provides the functionality to link multiple processes.
During the documentation of a particular process, quite often we come across situations, where particular steps are performed as part of another process. One way to overcome this situation is to copy all those steps from the process and add them within the current process. However, this can make the current process quite lenghty and also distract the user from focusing on the steps of the current process.
In such cases, it is wiser to link the processes through the Process Interface. However, it is necessary to ensure that the starting and ending events for Process Interface are correctly managed to avoid ‘Semantic Check’ errors.
Kindly find attached a sample usage of Process Interface. Here, the process being documented is related to receiving of Payroll Records and then executing the Payroll Cycle. However, in order to disburse cash, it is first necessary to withdraw cash from the safe deposit. Thus it has been linked through the ‘Cash Withdrawal from Main Safe’ process interface.
As you can see, the starting Event of the process attached through the interface precedes the Process Interface symbol. Similarly, the ending event of the attached process becomes the succeeding event to the Process Interface symbol. This resolves the ‘Semantic Check’ issues.
Hope this article would help in correct usage of the Process Interface symbol and would lead to better linkage of multiple processes.
Regards,
Anosh
Thanks for this clear rule... It would be clearer to have such a rule included in the ARIS syntax ..
on the contrary, you can associate what you want to, for example a VAC, to a process interface...
I suppose that ARIS consider that a step F of CPE C1 can be dependant in a complex maner of main function which involves many operationnel CPE. For exemple, you want to add a "quality check" in an operationnelk process, but this check is described by many quality process (visual check, sampling, non destructive control,...) ?
In fact, is there a clear definition of the format "process interface" ? it is not an object type, only a format of a function...
regards
pam
In fact an entire process may be viewed as a function. That's why a process interface is just a different symbol for the object type function. It is good practice to model your process map in VAC models down to level 3 and then use the level 3 (VAC-) function objects in the level 4 EPC models as process interfaces.
Anywhere you feel like having identified a reusable piece of process at level 4, extract it to an EPC of its own, create a function representing that process at level 3 in the VAC, assign the new EPC to that function and connect the EPCs using the process interface conventions, using the level 3 function objects as process interfaces.
Regards, M. Zschuckelt
