MAS-Aided Approval for Bypassing Decentralized Processes: an Architecture

Abstract

Executing business processes in a decentralized manner can improve inter-organizational efficacy. For example, blockchain-based process execution allows, at least conceptually, for cross-organizational compatibility, data integration, and integrity assurance without the need for a centralized trusted operator. However, most business processes run in agile and rapidly changing business environments. Updating a decentralized process requires continuous and extensive consensus-building efforts. Reflecting all organizations' business requirements is hardly practicable. Hence, in many real-life scenarios, to support cases with initially unforeseen properties, organizations can allow to bypass the decentralized process and fall-back to local variants. Yet, the decision to bypass or update a given process can have significant social implications since it may encourage a social dynamic that encourages collective avoidance of the decentralized process. This paper proposes a multi-agent simulation system to assess the social consequences of approving a bypass under given conditions. The proposed simulation is intended to inform the decision-maker (human or machine) on whether to allow to bypass a process or not. Moreover, we present an architecture for the integration of multi-agent simulation system, local process engine, and decentralized process execution environment, and describe a possible implementation with a particular tool chain.