The composition diagram of a complex process: Enhancing understanding of hierarchical business processes

• Published in: Information systems (Oxford) 2025-02, Vol.128, p.102489, Article 102489
• Main Authors: Jurik, Pavol, Schmidt, Peter, Misut, Martin, Brezina, Ivan, Reiff, Marian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Business process management; Business process modelling; Complex process; Diagram technique; Hierarchical decomposition
• ISSN: 0306-4379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.is.2024.102489

The article presents the Composition Diagram of a Complex Process (CDCP), a new diagramming method for modelling business processes with complex vertical structures. This Method addresses the limitations of traditional modelling techniques such as BPMN, Activity Diagrams (AD), and Event-Driven Process Chains (EPC). The experiment was carried out on 277 students from different study programs and grades to determine the effectiveness of the methods. The main objective was to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of CDCP compared to established methods, focusing on two primary tasks: interpretation and diagram creation. The participant's performance was evaluated based on the objective results of the tasks and the subjective feedback of the questionnaire. The results indicate that CDCP was the effective method for the reading and drawing tasks, outperforming BPMN and EPC in terms of understanding and ease of use. Statistical analysis of variance showed that while the year of the study did not significantly affect performance, the study program and Method used had a significant effect. These findings highlight the potential of CDCP as a more accessible and intuitive business process modelling tool, even for users with minimal prior experience.