<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Workflow graphs, consisting of actions, events, and logical switches, are used to model business processes. In order to easily identify the actions within a workflow graph, it is useful to number them in such a way that the numbering reflects the structure of the workflow. However, available tools offer only rudimental numbering schemes. In the paper, a set of natural requirements is defined that a logical numbering should fulfill. It is investigated under what conditions there is an appropriate numbering at all, when it is uniquely defined by the set of requirements, and when it can be computed efficiently. It is shown that for an important special class of workflow graphs, namely, structured workflow graphs, the answer to all these questions is affirmative. For general workflow graphs, a set of requirements is presented that can always be fulfilled, but the numbering is not necessarily unique. An algorithm based on a depth-first search can be used to compute an appropriate numbering efficiently.</p></abstract>

Workflow graphs, consisting of actions, events, and logical switches, are used to model business processes. In order to easily identify the actions within a workflow graph, it is useful to number them in such a way that the numbering reflects the structure of the workflow. However, available tools offer only rudimental numbering schemes. In the paper, a set of natural requirements is defined that a logical numbering should fulfill. It is investigated under what conditions there is an appropriate numbering at all, when it is uniquely defined by the set of requirements, and when it can be computed efficiently. It is shown that for an important special class of workflow graphs, namely, structured workflow graphs, the answer to all these questions is affirmative. For general workflow graphs, a set of requirements is presented that can always be fulfilled, but the numbering is not necessarily unique. An algorithm based on a depth-first search can be used to compute an appropriate numbering efficiently.

Numbering action vertices in workflow graphs

Department of Computer Science and Information Theory, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary

International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science

{"article-title":"Numbering action vertices in workflow graphs"}

Workflow graphs, consisting of actions, events, and logical switches, are used to model business processes. In order to easily identify the actions within a...

Numbering action vertices in workflow graphs

Published Online: Sep 27, 2010

Page range: 591 - 600

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10006-010-0044-0

Keywords
workflow graph, flowchart, event-driven process chain, numbering, depth-first search

This content is open access.

Numbering action vertices in workflow graphs

Published Online: Sep 27, 2010

Page range: 591 - 600

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10006-010-0044-0

Keywordsworkflow graph, flowchart, event-driven process chain, numbering, depth-first search

This content is open access.

Keywords
workflow graph, flowchart, event-driven process chain, numbering, depth-first search