Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

Instance
Schema
Figure 4: Cyclic transformation
Process
Capture
Norbert Gronau et al
Instance
(As-Is Situation)
3.2 The Knowledge Cycle (K-Cycle)
Schematisation
Reality
Check
Abstracted
As-Is Situation Refinement
Instance
(Initial Situation)
Instantiation
Reference
Schema
Schema
Adoption
As-Is Model Reference Model
The K-cycle denotes <strong>the</strong> cycling run-through <strong>of</strong> model transformations. Schemata are continuously
tested and optimised by <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> case base <strong>of</strong> past process runs (see Figure 5)
Process Instance
Process Schema
Figure 5: Model Transformation Cycle
Real.
Inst.
Schem.
Opt.
Knowing and understanding <strong>the</strong> level <strong>of</strong> abstraction, change and representativeness is important for
<strong>the</strong> selection <strong>of</strong> process model as base for model optimisation. Thus, <strong>the</strong> model is also qualified for a
particular process management task. As-is process instance models with only few changes to <strong>the</strong>
reference model will cause a higher representativeness after schematisation. Just as models used for
<strong>the</strong> analysis should have a comparable level <strong>of</strong> abstraction. The usage history <strong>of</strong> a model or partial
model can be observed in <strong>the</strong> classification system. The cycle will become visible but <strong>the</strong>re are also
branches going outside <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cycle when <strong>the</strong> model is <strong>the</strong> base for more than one reference process
instances or when multiple schemata <strong>of</strong> different abstraction levels are created. And <strong>the</strong>re will be
branches going inside when <strong>the</strong> analysis is based on many schemata or when a process instance is
updated by fur<strong>the</strong>r partial process models (see Figure 6).
Figure 6: Continuous cycle
4. Application <strong>of</strong> method
As-Is Reference
Instance
Instance
Schema Schema
As-Is
Reference
The following section gives an overview <strong>of</strong> how <strong>the</strong> above explained concept can be applied into a
reality-based scenario. First we will introduce <strong>the</strong> Knowledge Modeling Description Language (KMDL),
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