A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF TWO COMPUTER SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE WORK SYSTEMS FOR SUPPORTING COLLABORATIVE BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING ACTIVITIES

Abstract

In this study, a comparative evaluation of different Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) environments was conducted to reveal their constraints and affordances for supporting synchronous collaborative business process modeling (cBPM) activities online. For this purpose, two case studies were carried out with two CSCW systems that differ in terms of their interaction design features for supporting joint work. The dual-eye tracking method was employed to monitor how the participants focused their attention on the shared workspace during cBPM tasks. An interaction analysis was performed on the communicational content exchanged by the participants in chat messages and activities performed on the shared working area in light of the coordination, communication, awareness, group decision-making and team-building aspects of collaboration. The interaction analysis suggested that the design of the systems significantly affected the participants’ performance and the interaction quality throughout cBPM. In addition, a content analysis was conducted to determine the effects of different interaction design methodologies on the formation of the Business Process Modeling (BP Modeling) phases namely elicitation, formalization, validation and verification. The interaction design features of the systems were found to significantly affect the organization of the BP Modeling phases. Based on the findings, some design suggestions were made to enhance the efficiency of collaboration in cBPM practices. It is expected that the results of the study will serve as a guideline for system designers in designing an effective synchronous cBPM tool, and for end users in choosing a system for their synchronous cBPM practices.