Business process modeling with levels of abstraction

The success of a software project depends on the quality of the software requirements specifications. Business process models are frequently used for eliciting software requirements; therefore, it is critical to produce high-quality business process models. To achieve this, the use of multiple levels of abstraction has been suggested in the literature as a modeling strategy. This paper presents the findings from a survey of experienced practitioners in order to test a set of propositions to address some of the issues with this strategy. The findings show, among other things, that practitioners need to represent business processes at the strategic, tactical and operational levels of abstraction. The survey findings also provide useful insights for selecting a business process modeling notation.