Managing parallel subprocesses

[Michel777]

There is a main process SHOP and its subprocesses ORDER

1) SHOP starts several subproceses ORDER
2) SHOP selects a certain subprocess ORDER
3) SHOP sends a message them subprocess  ORDER

How to model 1)-3) ?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Michel

[MMA]

Use EA's BPMN (or activity) diagrams can easily achieve your goal.

Let's take BPMN for example:

1. Create a BusinessProcess called SHOP, create a BusinessProcess called ORDER.

2. create several callProcessActivity(s) (Create Activity from ToolBox, double click and select "callProcessActivity" in the type combobox) in process "SHOP", set the "calledActivityRef" to be "ORDER".

3. Use Gateways. (Exclusive Gateway to reach some callActivity to "selects a certain subprocess"; Parallel Gateway to reach multiple callActivity to "starts several sub-processes"

not quite understand your requirement of 3). It could possibly be solved by StartEvent (Message), or Event-Subprocess Start Event (maybe Message).

Hope that helps  

[Michel777]

Hi MMA,

thanks a lot !I see, my requirements were not enough clear:

1) SHOP starts several subprocesses, count is unknow. Maybe 4711 , maybe 8995 ... (is depend on customer activities)
2-3) e.g. SHOP receives a message, that an exisiting order (order nr = 1977) has been just shipped -> SHOP has to forward the message to the process ORDER, where order nr = 1977

The questions are:

1) how to model  subprocesses, whre the count is not known.
2) how to model to find a certain subprocess and
3) how to model to send a message to them

Thanks a lot in advance,

Michel

[MMA]

IMHO, there are several things need to improve:

1. modeling VS instance. When we are modeling, we should just focus on ONE: how ONE single order is processed; When the modeling is running, e.g. it could be triggered 100 times, 1000 times, the "count" doesn't matter, it is just instance count.

2. It should be a collaboration model with 2 processes, one is Shop (started by a message start event); the other process should be "Customer", not "Order".

This is a good document:

http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100601/10-06-02.pdf

have a look at page 12, section 5.2
The Pizza Collaboration  

[Michel777]

Thanks a lot.

One of my questions is still open. I try it with the concrete case (pizza):

A customer orders a salad only. Because salads are packed (no preparing time) should be checked, if already exists a process for that customer running and if yes, then send a message "Salad ... needed" to the running process.
Otherwise should start a new process.

The question is, how to model:

1) search for / find the appropriate process and
1a) start a new process or
2a) send a message to the existing process.

Thanks a lot in advance,

Michel

[semo]

I think you're making it more complicated than you need to... start with your basic process, and see if you need to add any exceptions.