Oliver Vering

Die Grundsätze ordnungsmäßiger Modellierung in semantischen Modellierungssprachen

Die in Abschnitt 2 vorgestellten Modellierungssprachen Ereignisgesteuerter Prozessketten, Petri-Netze und Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) sind von der Struktur her sehr ahnlich. Sie geben eine Syntax vor, wie der Prozess zu modellieren ist; in der Ereignisgesteuerten Prozesskette (EPK) zum Beispiel dadurch, dass Funktionen, Ereignisse und Konnektoren definiert werden und festgelegt ist, dass eine Prozesskette mit einem Ereignis beginnt und mit einem Ereignis endet. Diese syntaktischen Modellierungssprachen eroffnen grose Spielraume bei der Gestaltung der Prozessmodelle. Plakativ formuliert: Der grose Vorteil solcher Modellierungssprachen ist, dass man mit ihnen „alles machen“ kann; der grose Nachteil solcher Programmiersprachen ist, dass man mit ihnen „alles machen“ kann.

Ausgestaltung der Grundsätze ordnungsmäßiger Modellierung

Nachdem in Abschnitt 3 „die Grundsatze ordnungsmasiger Modellierung (GoM)“ vorgestellt wurden, wird in diesem Abschnitt aufgezeigt, wie eine konkrete Ausgestaltung der Grundsatze ordnungsmasiger Modellierung in Form von Modellierungskonventionen erfolgen kann.

Die Grundsätze ordnungsmäßiger Modellierung bei der Bundeswehr

Dieser Abschnitt befasst sich mit der Umsetzung der Grundsatze ordnungsmasiger Modellierung in einem grosen Reorganisationsprojekt der Bundeswehr. Beschrieben wird, welche Motive die Entscheidung zugunsten der Grundsatze ordnungsmasiger Modellierung als verbindliche Methodik zur Prozessgestaltung beeinflusst haben, wie die Grundsatze projektspezifisch ausgeformt wurden und wie sie schlieslich angewendet werden.

Konzeption der Grundsätze ordnungsmäßiger Modellierung

Der Name und die Intention der Grundsatze ordnungsmasiger Modellierung sind in Analogie zu den Grundsatzen ordnungsmasiger Buchfuhrung gewahlt. Angesichts der Bedeutung der Informationsmodellierung fur die Qualitat von Anwendungssystemen, die im Software Engineering unbestritten und auch fur andere Modelleinsatzzwecke gelten durfte, sollten Masnahmen entwickelt werden, die eine qualitatsgerechte und vergleichbare Modellerstellung erlauben.

Zum Abschluss: Acht kurze Thesen

1. Modellierung ist ein wichtiges Instrumentarium, die Kommunikationslucke zwischen Fachabteilung und IT-Abteilung zu schliesen. 2. Modellierung unterstutzt Organisations- und IT-Gestaltung wirkungsvoll. 3. Grose Freiheitsgrade, die die meisten Modellierungssprachen bei der Ausgestaltung der Modellierung erlauben, fuhren zu nicht vergleichbaren Modellen. 4. Empfehlungen, die uber die Syntax-Regeln der Modellierungssprachen hinausgehen, sind notwendig, um die Freiheitsgrade einzugrenzen. 5. Die Grundsatze ordnungsmasiger Modellierung haben sich als Empfehlungen fur die Modellierung gut etabliert. Es sind dies:

Market and Competitive Conditions in Trading with Consumer Goods

When you look for the significant trends in trading with consumer goods, the trend to size may well initially predominate. On the one hand, mergers and acquisitions of other companies mean that the retailing companies themselves become ever larger — the growth of the German Metro, for example, is primarily based on acquisitions, but also the mergers and mutual purchases of large department stores show this — on the other hand, the sales areas are also growing. Large self-service department stores are being built on greenfield sites, specialized shops, such as do-it-yourself centers (e.g., Homedepot), are being established successfully, and also department stores strive for size. Retailing chains are increasingly supplanting independent retailers. The trend to shopping centers, which has long been established in the USA, is also coming to Europe. One of the largest centers in the USA is the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Mall of America, which was opened in 1992, today includes over 520 stores, employs more than 12 thousand people and has between 35 to 42 million visits yearly — more than Disney World, Graceland and Grand Canyon have together (http://www.mallofamerica.com). The most prominent German example is the Centro in Oberhausen that opened on September 12, 1996. 200 businesses offer their goods under a single roof in this shopping mall with a sales area of 70,000 square meters. A car park with space for 10,500 vehicles surrounds the shopping complex and ensures problem-free logistics.

Distributed Retail Information Systems (DRS)

The specifics of the business performed by retailing companies normally require territorially distributed structures. Thus, a retailing group usually consists of central areas, regional subsidiaries, central warehouses or goods distribution centers, and stores. In addition to the local distribution, the various retailing companies have very different organizational structures. Similarly, the distribution of the functions is often greatly influenced by the industry and the company philosophy. Consequently, it is hardly possible to provide a general distribution model for retailing limited to just a few scenarios. For these reasons, a modern retail information system should provide a large degree of flexibility to allow it to be adapted to any distribution structures.

Planning and Control of Goods Flows Between Industry and the Retail Sector

The relationship between industry and the retail sector has traditionally provided a high conflict potential. This results primarily from the different goals pursued for the policies for product and price on one hand, and communications and distribution on the other hand. As part of the product and price policy, manufacturers are mainly interested in building a positive image of their own brands and products. In contrast, the retail sector favors providing a positive image of its assortment and shopping outlet. This includes the different emphasis on manufacturing and retail brands. As part of the distribution policy, industrial companies tend to favor the delivery of large order quantities, whereas the retail sector wishes the fastest possible delivery, even for small volumes. Advertising by the manufacturer in the conflict area of end-consumer and permanent promotions by the retail sector serve to devalue brands. Increasingly, industry and the retail sector are faced with the need to meet joint profit goals, recognize this unsatisfactory situation as chance to end the conflicting relationship and to use cooperatively all success potentials available within the value chain to the end customer (see Figure 7-1). Not aggressive low prices, but a better price-benefit ratio, should produce more customer satisfaction and thus larger market shares and increased sales.

Electronic Commerce in the Retail Sector

Scarcely a development has influenced the structures of our economy so lasting and in such a short time as the new capabilities of the digital business handling over worldwide networks that are covered by the glittering term electronic commerce. Even when the predictions about the size of the expected online sales differ, they all forecast for the next few years a significant increase of the sales revenues that will be achieved over the Internet. The largest potential is seen in the electronic business conducted between companies (B-to-B), with a forecasted sales volume of 153 billion dollars in 2000. A significantly lower revenue potential is seen in the online sales to end customers (B-to-C). Figure 6-1 compares forecasts from various sources.

Systems for the Support of the Company Management

One factor that particularly affects the competitiveness of a retailing company in the market is the availability of current management-relevant information supported by an adequate information and communications infrastructure. Information is a critical success factor, and, nowadays, business success results primarily from an information lead over the competitors. Executives need precise information from all areas of the company and from its environment. The large volume of operative data in retail information systems can not be considered as suitable as basis for making management decisions without sensible conditioning and possibly coupling of these data with information from external sources. Managers must be able to recognize any problem areas and to analyze their creation as fast as possible through the availability of meaningful key figures. The same key figures should be used for the support planning. Special management support systems (MSS) are needed here.