A Web Business Process Optimiser

业务流程优化是使用预先指定的绩效衡量标准(标准)自动改进业务流程。业务流程优化的重要性在于它能够基于定量评估标准(重新)设计业务流程。这个概念强调需要根据给定的流程需求生成可选的业务流程设计，并对这些设计进行量化评估和比较。业务流程组合和优化的最新趋势之一是使用Web服务作为构建业务流程的结构元素。Web服务是在网络上实现的一组离散定义的连续和自主的业务或技术功能。这个概念与服务行业中已经流行的面向服务的体系结构(Service-Oriented Architecture，SOA)概念是一致的。本提案中概述的技术可以使用进化优化算法来组合Web业务流程(即由Web服务组成的业务流程)。进化优化算法的使用促进了使用在线可用的Web服务库(基于给定的标准)组合优化的业务流程设计的总体。组合设计结合了真实业务流程中经常遇到的业务流程模式，如OR、LOOP和AND。拟议技术的功能可以为任何寻求通过(本地或扩展)网络转移其业务并改进内部和外部业务流程的功能、响应性、效率和成本的基于服务的组织提供显著好处。该技术还可以处理不同组织之间的在线协作业务流程，这也是服务提供商最近流行的趋势。建议项目的目的是开发一个可商业利用的软件工具，以优化Web业务流程。为实现这一目标，将实现以下目标：-进一步开发业务流程优化框架，该框架是在EPSRC项目“流程重新设计和符合的智能决策支持”中创建的(Inteli-Process，批准号。EP/C54899X/1)，以使用优化算法处理一系列网络业务流程。-进一步开发在EPSRC Inteli-Process项目中创建的业务流程优化预原型，-开发一个网络服务库，以提供典型业务流程所需的关键功能。-开发一个搜索工具，在执行“网络业务流程优化器”时实时更新网络服务库。-在真实的服务行业工业环境中测试软件工具，并将其强化为原型标准。-进一步研究和分析市场上类似的优化工具(包括客户和竞争对手调查)。

Business process optimisation is the automated improvement of business processes using pre-specified measures of performance (criteria). The importance of business process optimisation lies in its ability to (re-)design a business process based on quantitative evaluation criteria. This concept stresses the need to generate alternative business process designs based on the given process requirements, and quantitatively evaluate and compare these designs. One of the latest trends in business process composition and optimisation is the use of web services as the structural elements for constructing a business process.A web service is a discretely defined set of contiguous and autonomous business or technical functionalities implemented over a network. This concept is in-line with the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) concept that is already popular within the service industry. The technique outlined in this proposal can compose web business processes (i.e. business processes composed of web services) using evolutionary optimisation algorithms. The use of evolutionary optimisation algorithms facilitates the composition of a population of optimised business process designs (based on given criteria) using a library of web services that are available on-line. The composed designs incorporate business process patterns such as OR, LOOP and AND that are frequently encountered in real-life business processes. The functionality of the proposed technique can provide significant benefits to any service-based organisation that seeks to shift its operations over a (local or extended) network and improve the functionality, responsiveness, efficiency and cost of the internal and external business processes. The proposed technique can also deal with on-line collaborative business processes between different organisations; this is also a recent and popular trend among service providers.The aim of the proposed project is to develop a commercially exploitable software tool for optimising web business processes. To achieve this aim, the following objectives will be realised:- Develop further the business process optimisation framework, created in the EPSRC project 'Intelligent Decision Support for Process Re-design and Conformance' (Intelli-Process, grant no. EP/C54899X/1), to address a range of web business processes using optimisation algorithms.- Develop further the business process optimisation pre-prototype, created in the EPSRC Intelli-Process project, to a comprehensive 'web business process optimiser' software tool with an interactive graphical user interface.- Develop a library of web services for providing the key functionalities required by a typical business process.- Develop a search facility that can update the library of web services in real-time as the 'web business process optimiser' is executed.- Test the software tool within a real-world service sector industrial environment and harden it to a prototype standard.- Further research and analyse the market for comparable optimisation tools (including customer and competitor surveys).