Patent ID: 7831453

Claim:
A method in a computer system comprising: defining a business process meta-model, wherein the defining is performed using a processor of the computer system, the business process meta-model is a representation of a business process, the business process meta-model is defined during a business process definition mode, the business process meta-model is defined using one or more inputs from a plurality of classes of users, the plurality of classes of users comprises a class of users, and another class of users, the business process meta-model comprises control flow elements, annotation elements, and associations, each of the control flow elements is related to a control flow of the business process, each of the annotation elements comprises one or more details regarding one or more of the control flow elements, and each of the associations identifies a relationship between at least one of the annotation elements and at least one of the control flow elements; classifying, as being created from one or more inputs from the class of users, one or more of one of the control flow elements, one of the annotation elements, and one of the associations; classifying, as being created from one or more inputs from the another class of users, one or more of another of the control flow elements, another of the annotation elements, and another of the associations; and during the business process definition mode, preventing the class of users from performing a first alteration operation, wherein the first alteration operation comprises at least one of removing and modifying the one or more of the another of the control flow elements, the another of the annotation elements, and the another of the associations, and the preventing the class of users is based at least in part on the classifying the one or more of the another of the control flow elements, the another of the annotation elements, and the another of the associations, and preventing the another class of users from performing a second alteration operation, wherein the second alteration operation comprises at least one of removing and modifying the one or more of the one of the control flow elements, the one of the annotation elements, and the one of the associations, and the preventing the another class of users is based at least in part on the classifying the one or more of the one of the control flow elements, the one of the annotation elements, and the one of the associations.