Patent ID: 7313533

Claim:
A method for managing a business process, comprising the steps of: executing a business process that comprises an integrated set of applications that enable interactions between a plurality of entities; and managing the execution of the business process using business commitment specifications that describe one or more business commitments among said entities, wherein the business commitments are defined using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and wherein KPIs are defined using probe points, the probe points comprising a logical locator inside the business process for reporting process data to a process monitoring/control system for calculating the KPIs, wherein the managing comprises, reporting process data from at least one probe point associated with the business process upon activation of the at least one prove point, determining a value of a KPI associated with the at least one probe point based on the process data, and evaluating a business commitment associated with the KPI based on the determined value of the KPI to determine if the business commitment has been violated.