A higher-order transformation approach to the formalization and analysis of BPMN using graph transformation systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a formal semantics for BPMN using higher-order graph transformations, enabling more comprehensive analysis and property verification of workflows.

Contribution

It presents a novel higher-order transformation approach that formalizes BPMN semantics and supports property checking, surpassing previous methods in coverage and precision.

Findings

Formal semantics covering more BPMN elements

Implementation as an open-source web tool

Enhanced property checking capabilities

Abstract

The Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a widely used standard notation for defining intra- and inter-organizational workflows. However, the informal description of the BPMN execution semantics leads to different interpretations of BPMN elements and difficulties in checking behavioral properties. In this article, we propose a formalization of the execution semantics of BPMN that, compared to existing approaches, covers more BPMN elements while also facilitating property checking. Our approach is based on a higher-order transformation from BPMN models to graph transformation systems. To show the capabilities of our approach, we implemented it as an open-source web-based tool.