When process managers act as requirements engineers: a template-based proposal using workflow models to derive innovative IT requirements

Middle managers, who are responsible for business processes, are a typical source for innovative IT requirements. Since specialized requirements engineers are often not available, process managers are facing the challenge of specifying high-quality requirements. This paper extends S-BPM process models by a strategic view, so that identified IT barriers harming workflows can be explicitly recognized. A proposed template guides managers to specify correct and complete requirements. Moreover, with the help of a vector comparison, dependencies between requirements can be detected and resolved. The new modeling notation, the templates and the consistency check are finally represented using an illustrative case study of a manufacturer from Switzerland.