Enterprise software development based on Web process ontology

Abstract

This paper describes a methodology that enterprises can use to adapt their software applications, both intra-net and inter-net systems, to the changes of their business environment. The methodology enables agile software development based on a Web process architecture that executes ontology-based business processes as workflow systems. Ontology construction technology is used to extract business model of tasks and processes from enterprise documents, model them, and organize them. Reflective semantics interoperates between RDF/XML representation of business tasks and Java objects of business process primitives. The gap between business models and enterprise software applications is bridged by a Java-based software framework that executes business process as a set of Web page transitions. As a result, a business model is implemented as a thin client application. The software framework enables rapid spiral development of short-term cycles because business modelers, software developers, and users are able to share the same framework of description and systems. The feasibility of the methodology described here has been demonstrated in projects developing local-government workflow systems.