Research

Our Research Topics

Service Systems

  • Digital Platforms
  • Ecosystems Analytics
  • Platform Ecosystems
  • Service Engineering
  • Service Management
  • Smart Service Systems

Decision Support

  • Decision Support Systems
  • Predictive Analytics
  • Prescriptive Analytics
  • Process Analytics
  • Visual Analytics

Business Process Management (BPM)

  • Adaptive Case Management
  • Business Process Automation
  • Process Analytics
  • Process Mining
  • Predictive Business Process Monitoring

Information Management

  • Information Modelling
  • Augmentation of Work
  • Automation of Decision Making
  • Algorithmic Support
  • Business Intelligence Architecture

→ Completed Doctorates

A selection of our publications

→ All publications

Our Research Projects

2024

  • Entwicklung eines Werkzeugkastens für präskriptives Process Mining

    (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

    Overall project: Entwicklung eines Werkzeugkastens für präskriptives Process Mining
    Term: 1. January 2024 - 31. December 2025
    Funding source: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie (StMWi) (seit 2018)
    Abstract

    Geschäftsprozesse sind das Rückgrat derWertschöpfung in Unternehmen. In modernen Unternehmen wird die Ausführung fastaller Prozessschritte durch IT unterstützt und via Datenspuren dokumentiert.Die Technologie Process Mining nutzt diese Daten zur Prozessverbesserung, indembspw. die Leistungsfähigkeit von Prozess gemessen wird. So werden Analystinnenund Manager bei der Rekonzeption von Prozessen unterstützt; in der Praxisgelingt es aber oft nicht, die Prozesse auch tatsächlich zu verbessern. Vordiesem Hintergrund entwickelt PräMi einen Werkzeugkasten für daspräskriptive Process Mining, womit einer Sachbearbeiterin während derGeschäftsprozessausführung nächste Schritte zur Fortsetzung der Fallbearbeitungempfohlen werden. Siemens Healthineers kann mit PräMi Logistik- undServiceprozesse effizienter ausführen und die Software AG kann damit eintechnologiebasiertes Geschäftsmodell entwickeln, womit bei vielen bayerischenKunden eine zusätzliche Hebelwirkung entfaltet wird.

2023

  • Context-aware Predictive Process Analytics (CoPPA)

    (Third Party Funds Single)

    Term: 1. January 2023 - 30. June 2025
    Funding source: DFG-Einzelförderung / Sachbeihilfe (EIN-SBH)
    Abstract

    The project described in this proposal is situated in the research stream of Business Process Management (BPM). It aims to explore how process analytics can be used by businesses to forecast future process behavior and how these predictive techniques from process analytics could leverage contextual information for better prediction performance. In particular, the goal of the project is to develop a context-aware predictive process monitoring approach that is based on probabilistic models from the field of Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBN). The approach will be able to forecast what activity of a currently running process instance will be likely seen next. By including context information of a process, we seek to achieve a high prediction accuracy. We understand context as every aspect related to a business process that goes beyond the sheer name of an activity. Hence, context includes, for instance, input and output data of an activity, people performing an activity, and sensor data characterizing the environment of a process. Context can significantly influence the behavior of a process, so we can expect that being aware of what context has been present in a process in-stance can increase the prediction accuracy of a predictive process monitoring approach (e.g., the amount of a loan in a loan approval process may have a considerable influence onto the subsequent decisions made in the process and thus influences its behavior).

  • Predictive and Prescriptive Process Monitoring for Industrial Production Processes

    (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

    Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
    Term: 1. April 2023 - 31. March 2025
    Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

2022

  • Data-driven analysis, benchmarking, and coordination of European IS-curricula

    (Third Party Funds Single)

    Term: 1. June 2022 - 31. May 2023
    Funding source: Volkswagen Stiftung
    Abstract

    Data-driven analysis, benchmarking, and coordination of European IS-curricula

    In the pastcouple of years, digital technologies and information systems have becomeincreasingly pervasive in almost every part of life and the economy. Theassociated implications are widespread and lead to the emergence of a varietyof multifaceted phenomena, from increasing psychological strains of adolescentsbecause of social media, to the more efficient monitoring and execution ofbusiness processes in companies, to advances in the analysis of historicaltexts with digital tools.

    These examplesalready point towards a central issue that is increasingly subject ofdiscussions in the IS research community: The extent to which theseintersections of different subjects such as psychology, management studies, andhumanities fall into the scope of IS or the respective other disciplines. Thisis mirrored in developments in (academic) education, as both IS curricula aswell as curricula of other disciplines are increasingly supplemented by‘digital’ elements and subjects.

    Arguably, as aresult of its inherently interdisciplinary nature, IS can pave the way withregard to finding a meaningful balance between adapting a discipline to the newrealities of digitalization without sacrificing its unique characteristics andfocus. Depending on institutions’ topical orientation and breadth as well asthe positioning of IS within institutions (e.g., in engineering or computerscience departments, business schools, or as a separate unit), differenttransformations of IS curricula are imaginable as a response to this challenge.Thus, the study of these transformations requires a rather broad scope.

    IS research isalready employing a plethora of techniques that facilitate the analysis oflarge, distributed bodies of (textual) data, such as text mining and naturallanguage processing. As such, it is well-suited for the envisioned large-scaleexploration of IS curricula across Europe. Thus, the proposed research projectaspires to use these techniques to answer the following research questions:

    How do recenttrends and the increasing diffusion of information systems into a variety ofdisciplines affect IS curricula across Europe?

    What aresuitable strategies to coordinate the diffusion of best practices for thedesign of IS curricula across the landscape of European universities?

    For severalreasons, a cooperation of Prof. Iryna Zolotaryova and the Institute ofInformation Systems at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) inthis project is a fitting opportunity.

    Prof.Zolotaryova has conducted extensive research on the effective design ofcurricula for studies in the area of IS. A special research focus of Prof.Zolotaryova in this regard has been the coordination of curricula acrossdifferent countries. To this end, she has successfully conducted severalEurope-wide research projects, such as, for example, the project SUCSID as partof the Trans-European Mobility Programme for University Studies. SeveralERASMUS+ projects executed by Prof. Zolotaryova have furthermore investigated thedesign and evaluation of IS curricula from non-academic mass education level tomaster’s and PhD.

    Prof. MartinMatzner, member of the Institute of Information Systems at FAU and hostresearcher, acts as academic head of the Service Science Competence Center atthe European Research Center for Information Systems. The information systemsdepartment at Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics is also along-time member institution of ERCIS, with Prof. Zolotaryova as maincoordinator and contact person. Thus, the project team is provided with bothaccess to a large network of institutions to collect data, but also todisseminate the research results across Europe and create tangible impact.

FAU as the hostinstitution is also part of the European Engineering Learning Innovation andScience Alliance (EELISA) that aims for improving European higher educationthrough Pan-European coordination and knowledge-exchange. Similarly, thiscreates opportunities for data collection and results dissemination.

  • Joint research on digitization in the area market decisions

    (Third Party Funds Single)

    Term: 1. January 2022 - 31. December 2026
    Funding source: andere Förderorganisation

  • Zukunftsforschung im Supply Chain Management

    (Third Party Funds Single)

    Term: since 4. May 2022
    Funding source: Stiftungen
    URL: https://www.hans-riegel-stiftung.com/

    • 2021

    • Building Bridges - Reinforcement Learning on Molecular and Process Graphs

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
      Term: 1. March 2021 - 28. February 2022
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

    • Multidimensionales Conformance Checking für Prozesse

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
      Term: 1. February 2021 - 31. January 2023
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

    • Nonparametric Bayesian Learning in Distributed Systems

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
      Term: 1. February 2021 - 31. January 2023
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

    2020

    • Analyse von Positonsdaten zur Ermittlung von Durchlaufzeiten in der Fertigung

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
      Term: 1. April 2020 - 31. January 2021
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      Abstract

      Das  Projekt "Analyse von Positionsdaten zur Ermittlung von Durchlaufzeiten in der Fertigung(APED-F)" untersucht die Realisierbarkeit der Ermittlung von Durchlaufzeiten inklusive ihrer Bestandtei-le durch die Analyse von Positionsdaten aus einem Real-Time Indoor-Localization-System

    • Deep Learning im Kontext von Predictive Maintenance

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
      Term: 1. January 2020 - 31. December 2021
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

    2019

    • Identifikation von Automatisierungspotentialen mit Process Mining (IdAP)

      (Third Party Funds Single)

      Term: 1. March 2019 - 28. February 2021
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

    • Interorganizational Interdependencies in Industrial-Internet-of-Things Business Models

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Software Campus 2.0
      Term: 1. January 2019 - 31. December 2020
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      Abstract

      IIoT-Lösungen werden häufig im Kontext von Plattform- oder Innovations-Ökosystemen entwickelt. Dabei wandeln sich vertikale Beziehungen zwischen Lieferanten und Kunden zu horizontalen Beziehungen mit anderen Akteuren. Die Motivationen und Interessen aller Akteure im Ökosystem zu balancieren, insbesondere im Hinblick auf existierende Geschäftsmodelle, ist eine zentrale Herausforderung in diesem Kontext. Das Forschungsprojekt entwickelt zu diesem Zweck Frameworks und Modellierungsansätze, um IIoT-Ökosysteme zu strukturieren und im Hinblick auf die Interaktionen zwischen verschiedenen Akteuren zu analysieren.

    • Artificial-Intelligence to Reveal Potentials for Semi-Process-Automation

      (Third Party Funds Single)

      Term: 1. January 2019 - 31. December 2020
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      Abstract
      Während der Prozessausführung werden durch nahezu alle Anwendungssysteme für stattfindende Ereignisse Daten – so genannte Ereignislogdaten – erfasst. Ein Teilbereich des Process Mining, Predictive Business Process Monitoring, beschäftigt sich mit der Vorhersage zur Evolution von Prozessinstanzen basierend auf diesen historischen Eventlogdaten. Aufgrund der begrenzten prädiktiven Güte derartiger Verfahren, oftmals bedingt dadurch, dass Geschäftsprozess immer komplexer werden, findet bislang kaum ein Einsatz in der Praxis statt. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist das wesentliche Ziel des Projektes AISA nächste Prozessschritte (Ereignisse) für laufende Prozessinstanzen mit Techniken des Deep Learning mit einer möglichst hohen Güte vorherzusagen, um die Etablierung solch einer Lösung bei DATEV zu erreichen. Durch eine vorgelagerte Anomalieerkennung und eine (Standard-)Ablauferkennug soll die Güte des Ergebnisses weiterhin verbessert werden. Zudem sollen über die üblicherweise genutzten Eventlogdaten (insb. Prozessinstanz Id, Ereignis und Zeitstempel) hinaus auch prozessbegleitende Kontextinformationen, welche die Prozessausführung charakterisieren, extrahiert und für die Vorhersage miteinbezogen werden. Solche Kontextinformation können z.B. Informationen aus prozessbegleitenden Belegen oder Informationen zum Anwendungssystem selbst sein.

    2018

    • Automated Content-Provisioning through smart control systems

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: FuE-Programm „Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik“
      Term: 1. January 2018 - 31. December 2019
      Funding source: andere Förderorganisation, Bayerische Staatsministerien
      Abstract

      Ein reißender Strom an Zustandsdaten ist das Nebenprodukt moderner Industrieanlagen in der Digitalen Fabrik. Dieser Datenstrom ist Antrieb für digitale industrielle Dienstleistungssysteme, die auf der zeitnahen Datenauswertung fußen. So haben Forscher und Entwickler in Betrieben und an Universitäten zahlreiche Methoden und Techniken für die vorausschauende Wartung von Anlagen entwickelt. Für den klassischen industriellen Aufgabenbereich der Technischen Dokumentation, welche durch die Komplexität moderner Industrieanlagen zunehmend herausgefordert und teilweise auch überfordert wird, wurden die Innovationspotentiale der Digitalisierung bislang nicht strukturiert erschlossen. AutoCoP basiert auf der überzeugung, dass die Dateninfrastruktur der Digitalen Fabrik und intelligente Algorithmen die Anlagendokumentation (teil-) automatisiert strukturieren und dynamisch weiterschreiben können. AutoCoP erkennt durch die Auswertung von Sensordaten anomales Verhalten und Fehlerfälle von Industrieanlagen und führt diese Beobachtungen mit Kontextinformationen sowie Expertenwissen erfahrener Redakteure zusammen. So entstehen klare Handlungsanweisungen für komplexe Fehlerfälle, die an der Maschine bereitgestellt werden und Diagnosen sowie Korrekturen durch Anwender mit unterschiedlicher Erfahrung und Qualifikation ermöglichen.

    • Bayessche Vorhersagemodelle auf Basis von Kontextinformationen für das Monitoring von Geschäftsprozessen

      (Third Party Funds Single)

      Term: 6. March 2018 - 31. December 2018
      Funding source: Bayerische Forschungsallianz (BayFOR)
      Abstract

      Das vorausschauende Monitoring von Geschäftsprozessen ist eine der maßgeblichen Herausforderungen im Process Mining. Ein Anwendungsfeld stellt die Vorhersage von zukünftigen Prozessschritten dar, die es erlaubt mögliche Probleme frühzeitig zu erkennen. In der Regel enthält das Vorhersagemodell Informationen über die Prozessschritte. Diese sind jedoch in vielen Fällen ungenügend für eine verlässliche Vorhersage. Kontextinformationen über die Prozessinstanz haben sich in vielen Anwendungsgebieten des Geschäftsprozessmanagements als nützlich erwiesen, da sie zusätzliche Informationen zum Ziel, der Organisation sowie der Prozessumgebung enthalten. Vor diesem Hintergrund erscheint das Einbeziehen von Kontextinformationen in das Vorhersagemodell sinnvoll. Da die Hintergrundinformationen allerdings eine zusätzliche Ungewissheit für das Modell mit sich bringen, werden wir weiterhin den Einsatz von Bayesschen Verfahren für die Vorhersage evaluieren.

    2017

    • smartmarket²: Mobile application development for location-based services

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: smart services for interactive customer experiences in High Street Retailing
      Term: 1. March 2017 - 29. February 2020
      Funding source: BMBF / Verbundprojekt
      URL: http://www.smartmarketsquare.de
      Abstract

      smartmarket² adapts successful strategies from online retailing to high street retailing to create interactive customer experiences. Research sets out to develop data-driven value-added services, as well as apps that allow a co-production resp. co-creation of customer experience in inner-city areas. Based on their current location, inner-city visitors receive information on e.g., the latest retailer promotions and campaigns. Customers act both as consumer of retailer-provided information on products and campaigns, and as information providers by writing and publishing product-related information, such as ratings and reviews. Retailer- and customer-generated information set the foundation for innovative location-based services and business models for inner-city retailers. Additionally, smartmarket² conducts data analysis on behavioral, context-aware customer data. This yields novel data sources of customer behavior to shed light e.g., on the flow of customers through inner cities, which offer analysis potentials both for science and practice.

       

    2015

    • FOKUS:SE - Researcher Network Service Engineering

      (Own Funds)

      Term: 1. January 2015 - 1. January 2018
      URL: http://fokusse.infai.org/
      Abstract

       

      Services are highly relevant to the economy and the society. The market success and quality of services depend on their concept and design. Different German research institutions are doing theoretical and practical research on service engineering.

      The goal of the research network „FOKUS:SE“ is to connect those researchers. The research network offers therefore a wide range of advantages and possibilities for the participating researchers and practitioners: 
       * FOKUS:SE facilitates the exchange and coordination of research activities - mainly for junior scientists (Ph.D. candidates, Post-Docs and junior professors).

       * FOKUS:SE aims for the connection and further development of existing research activities in service engineering and the reinforcement of the scientific community.

       * FOKUS:SE brings together its members and national and international business experts in meetings twice a year.  

       

       

       

    • Propelling Business Process Management by Research and Innovation Staff Exchange

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: RISE_BPM
      Term: 1. May 2015 - 30. April 2019
      Funding source: Europäische Union (EU)
      URL: http://www.rise-bpm.eu
      Abstract

      RISE_BPM networks world-leading research institutions and corporate innovators to develop new horizons for Business Process Management (BPM). BPM is a boundary-spanning discipline focused on division and re-integration of day-to-day work in organisations and on analysis of process data for organisational decision-making. Recent break-through innovations in Social Computing, Smart Devices, Real-Time Computing, and Big Data Technology create a strong impetus for propelling BPM into a pervasive corporate topic that enables design of entirely new products and services.

      ​All RISE_BPM consortium members possess excellent expertise in distinct aspects of the BPM lifecycle, ranging from Strategy and Modelling to Implementation and Analysis of business processes. RISE_BPM networks this complementary knowledge to create a unique environment for BPM research and innovation. The research activities are organised with reference to the design-science paradigm, including joint activities for analysing technological enablers and societal impact factors, as well as designing innovative IT artefacts for the BPM lifecycle.Staff secondments and joint events promote a cumulative exchange of knowledge in a think-pair-square-share approach that networks large-scale research capabilities and innovation projects carried out by the involved organisations. Key objectives of RISE_BPM are (a) to propel BPM research into the era of Social Computing, Smart Devices, Real-Time Computing, and Big Data Technology; (b) to enable companies to develop new products and services for designing and analysing business processes; and (c) to supply the involved staff with a unique intellectual environment for accumulating boundary-spanning knowledge and skills that refer to the entire BPM lifecycle.
      RISE_BPM extends the established administrative structures of the European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS) by involving additional BPM thought leaders and corporate innovators.

       

       

       

    2014

    • PUSH Münsterland

      (Non-FAU Project)

      Term: 15. August 2014 - 14. August 2015
      Funding source: Europäische Union (EU)
      URL: http://www.push-muensterland.de/
      Abstract

      Hybride Wertschöpfung beschreibt das Angebot kundenspezifisch angepasster Leistungsbündel aus Sach- und Dienstleistungen. Das Angebot dieser hybriden Leistungsbündel erfordert von Unternehmen eine Weiterentwicklung von Geschäftsmodell und betrieblichen Abläufen. Dies erfordert neuartiges Wissen, neuartige Kompetenzen und Ressourcen, die bei kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMUs) oft nicht vorliegen. Das Projekt sensibilisiert die KMUs in der Projektregion für die Hybride Wertschöpfung, trägt Wissen und Lösungsschablonen zusammen und entwickelt konkrete Methoden und Werkzeuge, um ihnen das Wissen über Hybride Wertschöpfung zugänglich zu machen.

       

    2013

    • User Acceptance and Service Design

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Crowdsourcing - Charging Service Provided by Private Persons as an Innovative Business Model
      Term: 1. December 2013 - 31. January 2017
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      URL: http://www.crowdstrom.de/
      Abstract

      The CrowdStroms project’s goal is the development of an innovative service, encouraging private people to set up charging stations and granting access to third parties. This crowd-sourced concept faces the challenges to develop new, standardized processes covering the entire range of requirements for setting up and operating a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The project’s analysis on customers’ willingness to pay enables the creation of an incentive system. Additionally, the CrowdStrom-project includes a detailed analysis of legal difficulties, occuring as customers become suppliers. The implementation of a software-system managing the service processes and the flow of information between participating parties will provide the technical foundation for the concept. Operating this system and the integration of all partial services set up an innovative business for supply and infrastructure providing companies, resulting in a public charging network empowered by existing private charging stations.

       

       

    • Software prototypes for perceptible integration

      (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

      Overall project: Perceptible Integration of Products and Services as necessary for the requirements-oriented Coordination of Product Service System Networks
      Term: 1. December 2013 - 30. November 2015
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      URL: http://www.cooperation-experience.de
      Abstract

      Today, successful innovations in business models increasingly take place in the form of product service system (PSS) networks that allow combining the skills and performance contributions of different partners of the value chain to new and innovative customer solutions. Among the potential benefits that are associated with the offering of product service systems a stronger differentiation from competitors, an increase in customer satisfaction and retention, and a potential for enhanced resource efficiency across the network can be named.

      One of the major obstacles for the realization of these potential benefits lies in the aspect that the complexity that arises from the requirement for integrating the heterogeneous involved actors of the PSS network is not yet mastered. Thus, innovative projects fail, for example, due to a missing consensus and transparency about the information requirements associated with the various actors during the life cycle of the PSS network. There is a lack of methodological approaches that allow an early experience of the actors' integration across the network and that hence facilitate an early assessment of these networks.The Cooperation Experience project's main goal lies in the research for an innovative conception method that supports the demand-driven coordination of product and service providers within a product service system network. This method shall be characterized by its capability to visualize the planning of the back-office integration in PSS networks and by its suitability to allow a most direct experience of the network as a part of a software-based test environment. Application domains are the planning and operating of facilities and the mechanical engineering. A parallel adaptation and development of domain-specific reference models shall show, how actors can match their tangible and intangible offerings along the product life cycle in an innovative way, for cooperatively achieving demanding economic, social, and environmental objectives. Parts of these reference models will be integrated into the modeling environment as templates or best practices knowledge allowing an effective application of the newly designed methodology. Overall, the development efforts resort to the basics of modeling in the Information Systems discipline and the approaches of model driven development and configurative reference modeling.

       

       

    2012

    • Federal Information Management

      (Own Funds)

      Term: 4. December 2012 - 31. December 2012
      URL: http://www.it-planungsrat.de/DE/Projekte/Steuerungsprojekte/Steuerungsprojekte_NEGS/FIM/fim_node.html
      Abstract
      Many public administrations maintain their information on administrative procedures on their own. This leads to a heterogeneous information landscape. It is, however, crucial for maintaining a reliable public service that same content is always described the same. Here, the FIM project comes into play. It is the goal to build up an information management that supports information exchange across all federal levels between internal processes and between public administrations and citizens (public service). This will be achieved by combining functional and technical Standardization. Public services are based on the three FIM building blocks: 
      * Service descriptions: They inform the citizens as well as the economy on public services.

      * Forms: They enable to apply for public services

      * Process: The application through a form initiates a service delivery process within the public administration, which usually ends with a delivery of notification.
       In the context of FIM, the Chair for Information Systems and Information Management at the Institute for Information Systems at the University of Münster addresses the FIM building block Standardization of forms - together with the Chair of Information Systems of the TU Munich, fortiss GmbH and Steinheis University of Applied Sciences. By doing so, the concept for a form repository will be developed, which enables the consistent and modular use of form building blocks across all federal levels.

       

       

       

    2011

    • Joint German-Russian Innovation Forum "Promoting business process management excellence in Russia" (PropelleR 2012)

      (Third Party Funds Group – Overall project)

      Term: 1. November 2011 - 30. April 2012
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      URL: http://propeller.ercis.org

    • German-Brazilian Workshop on Management and Engineering of IT-Supported Business Networks, Administration Networks and Social Networks

      (Third Party Funds Group – Overall project)

      Term: 1. April 2011 - 31. July 2011
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      URL: http://deubranet.ercis.org/
      Abstract
      Today, we observe the emergence and proliferation of networks in almost all aspects of professional and private life as parts of a shift towards a Networked Society. DeuBraNet 2011 provides a platform for inter-disciplinary discussions and presentations of Brazilian and German researchers that study networks in business and public administration as well as social networks to mere the understanding of the Networked Society and to identify prospects for future research. The DeuBraNet 2011 is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research of Education and Research (BMBF) in the context of the German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation 2010/11. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the International Bureau of the BMBF.

       

    2010

    • Initiation of Bilateral Cooperation with Brazil - Evaluating Standards for Interorganizational Process Integration in Brazilian-German Value Networks

      (Own Funds)

      Term: 1. May 2010 - 31. May 2010
      Abstract

      Dieses Vorhaben dient der Vorbereitung eines Antrags zur Einzelprojektförderung. Es basiert auf wissenschaftlichen Vorarbeiten des Antragstellers und einer existierenden wissenschaftlichen Kooperation mit Forschern im brasilianischen Bundesstaat Santa Catarina. Das Projekt soll federführend durch das Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik, European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS), an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster und die Universidade para o Desenvolvemento do Alto Vale do Itajai (UNIDAVI), Rio do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brasilien, bearbeitet werden.

      Interorganisationale Standards (IOS) (auch: Enterprise Systems Interoperability (ESI), E-Business Standards, Vertical IS Standards) unterstützen eine Integration betrieblicher Anwendungssysteme zur Abbildung organisationsübergreifender, integrierter Geschäftsprozesse.
      Die Vielzahl existierender IOS unterscheidet sich unter anderem durch adressierte Branchen (z.B. Energieerzeugung, Elektronik), betriebswirtschaftliche Anwendungsbereiche (z. B. Produktdatenaustausch, Auftragsbearbeitung) und hinsichtlich ihrer technischen Implementierung (z. B. EDI, XML). Das beabsichtigte Projekt SIPI entwickelt eine Methode zur Entscheidungsunterstützung, die Organisationen in Szenarien der Zusammenarbeit in international verteilten Wertschöpfungskooperationen bei der Auswahl geeigneter Standards unterstützt. Als Anwendungsfall werden brasilianisch-deutsche Unternehmenskooperationen untersucht und in Zusammenarbeit mit Praxisanwendern eine evaluationsgestützte Weiterentwicklung des Konzepts verfolgt.

      Der grundlegende wissenschaftliche Beitrag des beabsichtigten Vorhabens ist eine Integration verschiedener theoretischer Erklärungsansätze, um eine Evaluation von Standards im Sinne einer „Gütebestimmung" zu unterstützen. So soll eine Bewertung einzelner Standards im Hinblick auf die Anforderungen eines Anwenders oder der Vergleich verschiedener Standards unterstützt werden. Entsprechende Arbeiten sind für andere künstliche Grammatiken (insb. für konzeptionelle Modellierungssprachen) bekannt, liegen für ESI-Standards jedoch nicht vor.

       

    2006

    • Flexible Information Systems Architectures for Service Networks

      (Third Party Funds Group – Overall project)

      Term: 1. October 2006 - 31. March 2010
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      URL: http://ercis.org/node/127
      Abstract

      Service networks made up of manufacturers and service firms to satisfy complex customer needs are proliferating. By exploiting their complementary competencies, such service networks enable their members to provide innovative and integrated solutions that could not be offered by any of the firms alone. A specific challenge is to enable networks of companies to quickly adapt their business models to dynamic changes in their environment.
       

      In the research project FlexNet we have designed methods, electronic documents, software tools, and other solutions that enable companies to network their business processes and information systems with other companies in order to design, offer, and deliver complex value propositions to their clients collaboratively. Drawing on existing works on boundary objects and service blueprinting, we have developed a new method for diagnosing boundary spanning processes and identifying candidates for IT-based boundary objects that integrate the sub-processes of manufacturing companies and service companies. As boundary objects we have designed and standardized a set of electronic documents and interaction routines that companies can re-use and adapt in order to integrate with the partners.
       All methods and tools are provided in the integrated software tool FlexNet Architect. The FlexNet Architect is a planning and modeling tool for integrating business processes and information systems in service networks, based on planning workshops conducted with the involved stakeholders. In addition to these core results of the research project we have designed and implemented a research map that depicts and categorizes contributions of the international service research discipline and that is made available through a web portal.

       

       

    • International research network for e-Government between Germany and Brazil

      (Third Party Funds Group – Overall project)

      Term: 1. January 2006 - 30. June 2009
      Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
      Abstract

      The Project "TransReq" focused on front office design, back office design and strategic controlling in public administrations. For this purpose, information systems, methods, and other instruments had been developed at the European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS) in other projects. In the "TransReq" project these results were transferred and extended based on a previously established research network of Brazilian and German universities.

      A major requirement for the successful transfer of technology was an analysis and comparison of public administrations in Brazil and Germany. Consecutively, three software prototypes that had been developed in Germany were adjusted to fit with the Brazilian conditions. Finally, the software prototypes were installed in a selected region in order to evaluate and demonstrate their utility.
      The research partners involved in this project were the public administration of Emsdetten, Münster, Rio do Sul, Florianopolis, Ituporanga, the city association Associação dos Municípios do Alto Vale do Itajai (AMAVI), the district Warendorf and the local computer center of Münster (Citeq).