OVERVIEW OF THE SEVEN VIEWS APPROACH
The ‘seven views’ approach is a model-based technique for modelling business processes and is described fully in Holt (2009). It defines seven inter-related views of any process, and posits that the seven views are the minimum that are needed to ensure that a process, or set of processes, is both completely and consistently specified. The seven views and the relationships between them are shown in Figure A.1.
The diagram shows each of the seven views and also shows, using stereotypes (the words enclosed in angle brackets, for example, «use case diagram»), how each of the concepts described in the seven views approach may be realised using UML. It also shows how the seven views are related to the important concepts of the requirements for a group of processes (the ‘Requirements Set’ element in the diagram), the description of a set of processes ( the ‘Process Description’ element) and the need to validate a group of processes (the ‘Process Validation’ element). Each of the seven views is very briefly described here.
Figure A.1 The Seven Views and their relationships
The Requirements View (RV)
The RV specifies the overall aims of a process or set of processes and can, if desired, be represented by more than one view. Often an RV is produced from the point of view of a particular stakeholder or group of stakeholders.
The RV is essential for validation of the processes to ensure that they continue to fulfil the needs of the organisation. Requirements for processes do change and so the Requirements View needs to be checked periodically to ensure that any changes to the requirements have been captured, allowing the processes to be changed, if necessary, to address the changed requirements. See Figure A.2 for an example.
The Stakeholder View (SV)
The SV identifies the stakeholder roles that have an interest in the processes being defined. It presents stakeholders in a classification hierarchy and allows additional relationships, such as managerial responsibility, to be added. The stakeholders appearing on the SV must be consistent with those shown on the RVs. See Figure A.3 for an example.
The Process Structure View (PSV)
The PSV specifies the structure of concepts and the terminology used when defining processes. For example, when one executes a process, does one carry out ‘activities’ or ‘tasks’ and are ‘artefacts’ or ‘work products’ generated. The PSV defines this vocabulary in order to ensure that consistency of terminology is used.
If many different processes have to be mapped to each other, then the PSVs for each set of processes form the basis for this process mapping, allowing the terminology used in one process model to be related to the terminology used in another. This is, effectively, what the UCAM ‘Framework Definition’ process is doing – relating the terminology and concepts for a competency framework to the generic assessment terminology and concepts contained in the UCAM meta-model. See Figure A.4 for an example.
The Process Content View (PCV)
The PCV identifies the processes available, showing the activities carried out and the artefacts produced and consumed. It may show general associations and dependencies between processes. It is important to understand that the PCV only identifies processes. It does not show how they are carried out. See Figures A.5–A.7 for examples.
The Process Behaviour Views (PBV)
The PBV shows how an individual process behaves and each process identified on the PCVs should have a PBV that defines its behaviour. A PBV shows the order of activities within a process, the flow of information through the process (that is, the flow of artefacts around the process) and the responsibilities, in terms of stakeholder roles, for carrying out the activities. See Figures A.8–A.11 for examples.
The activities and artefacts shown on a PBV must be consistent with those shown for the process on a PCV, and the stakeholder roles indicating responsibility must appear on both the SVs and RVs.
The Information Views (IV)
The IV identifies all the artefacts produced or consumed by a process, showing the relationships between them. IVs can be created at both a high or low level. High-level IVs simply identify artefacts and relationships, where low-level IVs show the detailed structure and content of individual artefacts. See Figures A.12–A.15 for examples.
The Process Instance Views (PIV)
The PIV shows instances of processes and the stakeholders involved in order to validate the processes by relating the execution of a sequence of processes back to the requirements for the processes. The PIVs along with the RVs ensure that the processes are fit for purpose and that all the requirements for the processes are met. See Figures A.16–A.18 for examples.