This approach is similar to structured programming, where programs consist of procedures that are decomposed into subprocedures and sub-subprocedures until the atomic level of programming instructions is reached. In contrast to this approach, this position paper suggests a different, object-oriented approach for business process modeling that focuses on a description of work results rather than activities and refinement rather than decomposition. In this approach, business products and services are seen as objects with various responsibilities, methods and attributes. Tasks are modeled as object methods and business activities as collaborations between the objects. This object-oriented approach can deal with the complexity of business processes in a better way than approach focused on the decomposition of activities.
Tasks are small behavioral units that usually create or modify a business product.
Activities are units that are larger than task units. Activities typically consist of several tasks and often affect several business products. The business product or service is typically an information, which has a value to a business user and which is created or provided by a business process. In general, the traditional specification of a business process cannot cover all the possible combinations of activities, tasks and business products without becoming overly complex. This paper will show that in the specification of business processes, the object-oriented approach deals with complexity of the business process better than the traditional approach illustrated in Fig. 1.