ࡱ > e y \ ] ^ _ ` a b c d | | f q | M bjbj== )T W W B } 4 l 4 4 4 4 N4 ( 7 7 7 T 28 f R < 28 ]2 V V $ z z ΰ j 8 D | 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 $ 5 7 2 7 l @ " 2 F v4 v4 z 2 F F F & v4 t z 7 1 F 1 F j F Q' 6 7 h `C 28 G F \ h t_ -2 0 ]2 X 9 F 9 h F 28 28 v4 v4 v4 v4 Business Process Analysis Worksheets and Guidelines Procedures for Developing Business Processes in ebXML v1.0 Business Process Team 10 May 2001 (This document is the non-normative version formatted for printing, July 2001) Copyright UN/CEFACT and OASIS, 2001. All Rights Reserved. This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to ebXML, UN/CEFACT, or OASIS, except as required to translate it into languages other than English. The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be revoked by ebXML or its successors or assigns. This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS" basis and ebXML DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Table of Contents TOC \h \z \t "Heading 1,1,Heading 2,2,Heading 3,3,Appendix Heading 1,1,Appendix Heading 2,2,Appendix Heading 3,3" HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242805" 1 Status of this Document PAGEREF _Toc519242805 \h 7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242806" 2 ebXML Participants PAGEREF _Toc519242806 \h 8 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242807" 3 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc519242807 \h 9 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242808" 3.1 Summary PAGEREF _Toc519242808 \h 9 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242809" 3.2 Audience PAGEREF _Toc519242809 \h 10 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242810" 3.3 Related documents PAGEREF _Toc519242810 \h 10 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242811" 3.4 Document conventions PAGEREF _Toc519242811 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242812" 4 Design Objectives PAGEREF _Toc519242812 \h 12 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242813" 4.1 Goals/objectives/requirements/problem description PAGEREF _Toc519242813 \h 12 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242814" 4.2 The analogy PAGEREF _Toc519242814 \h 13 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242815" 4.3 Caveats and assumptions PAGEREF _Toc519242815 \h 14 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242816" 5 Worksheet Based Analysis Overview PAGEREF _Toc519242816 \h 15 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242817" 5.1 Basic guidelines for filling out worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242817 \h 16 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242818" 5.1.1 Focus on public business processes PAGEREF _Toc519242818 \h 16 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242819" 5.1.2 The REA ontology PAGEREF _Toc519242819 \h 16 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242820" 5.1.3 Use the worksheets in the order that makes the most sense for you PAGEREF _Toc519242820 \h 16 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242821" 5.1.4 The worksheets can be used for projects of various scopes PAGEREF _Toc519242821 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242822" 5.1.5 Think how will people use what you construct PAGEREF _Toc519242822 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242823" 5.1.6 Re-use is one of the primary goals of ebXML PAGEREF _Toc519242823 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242824" 5.1.7 Note on optional fields in the worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242824 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242825" 5.1.8 Number your worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242825 \h 18 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242826" 5.2 Worksheets to metamodel mapping PAGEREF _Toc519242826 \h 19 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242827" 6 Business Process Identification and Discovery PAGEREF _Toc519242827 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242828" 6.1 Goals PAGEREF _Toc519242828 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242829" 6.2 Guidelines PAGEREF _Toc519242829 \h 22 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242830" 6.2.1 How does one decide how big to make the various groupings at this level? PAGEREF _Toc519242830 \h 22 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242831" 6.2.2 What is the boundary of the business area? PAGEREF _Toc519242831 \h 22 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242832" 6.3 Worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242832 \h 23 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242833" 6.3.1 Business reference model PAGEREF _Toc519242833 \h 23 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242834" 6.3.2 Business area PAGEREF _Toc519242834 \h 23 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242835" 6.3.3 Process area PAGEREF _Toc519242835 \h 24 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242836" 6.3.4 Identify business processes PAGEREF _Toc519242836 \h 25 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242837" 7 Business Process Elaboration PAGEREF _Toc519242837 \h 26 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242838" 7.1 Goals PAGEREF _Toc519242838 \h 26 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242839" 7.2 Worksheet PAGEREF _Toc519242839 \h 26 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242840" 8 Economic Elements PAGEREF _Toc519242840 \h 28 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242841" 8.1 Goals PAGEREF _Toc519242841 \h 28 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242842" 8.2 Guidelines PAGEREF _Toc519242842 \h 28 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242843" 8.3 Worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242843 \h 29 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242844" 9 Business Collaboration PAGEREF _Toc519242844 \h 31 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242845" 9.1 Goals PAGEREF _Toc519242845 \h 31 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242846" 9.2 Worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242846 \h 32 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242847" 10 Business Transactions and Authorized Roles PAGEREF _Toc519242847 \h 34 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242848" 10.1 Goals PAGEREF _Toc519242848 \h 34 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242849" 10.2 Guidelines PAGEREF _Toc519242849 \h 34 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242850" 10.2.1 Use transaction patterns PAGEREF _Toc519242850 \h 34 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242851" 10.2.2 Detail transaction activities only if necessary PAGEREF _Toc519242851 \h 34 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242852" 10.3 Worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242852 \h 35 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242853" 11 Business Information Description PAGEREF _Toc519242853 \h 37 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242854" 11.1 Goals PAGEREF _Toc519242854 \h 37 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242855" 11.2 Guidelines PAGEREF _Toc519242855 \h 37 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242856" 11.3 Worksheets PAGEREF _Toc519242856 \h 38 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242857" 11.3.1 Business information context PAGEREF _Toc519242857 \h 38 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242858" 11.3.2 Document content description PAGEREF _Toc519242858 \h 39 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242859" 11.3.3 Content mapping PAGEREF _Toc519242859 \h 39 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242860" Appendix A Business Process Identifier Naming Scheme PAGEREF _Toc519242860 \h 42 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242861" Appendix B The Porter Value Chain PAGEREF _Toc519242861 \h 44 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242862" Appendix C Drop Ship Scenario Example PAGEREF _Toc519242862 \h 46 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242863" Business process identification and discovery: BRM-1.0-direct-to-customer-drop-ship-retail-model PAGEREF _Toc519242863 \h 48 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242864" Business areas PAGEREF _Toc519242864 \h 49 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242865" Direct to customer retail process areas PAGEREF _Toc519242865 \h 51 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242866" Financial process areas PAGEREF _Toc519242866 \h 55 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242867" Customer-order-management business process summaries PAGEREF _Toc519242867 \h 56 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242868" Customer order fulfillment business process summaries PAGEREF _Toc519242868 \h 57 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242869" Vendor inventory management processes summaries PAGEREF _Toc519242869 \h 57 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242870" Product catalog exchange business processes summaries PAGEREF _Toc519242870 \h 57 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242871" Payment business process summaries PAGEREF _Toc519242871 \h 58 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242872" Business process elaboration PAGEREF _Toc519242872 \h 58 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242873" BPUC-5.1-Firm-sales-order PAGEREF _Toc519242873 \h 58 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242874" BPUC-5.2-Customer-credit-inquiry PAGEREF _Toc519242874 \h 59 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242875" BPUC-5.3-Customer-credit-payment PAGEREF _Toc519242875 \h 59 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242876" BPUC-5.4-Purchase-order-management PAGEREF _Toc519242876 \h 60 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242877" BPUC-5.5-Ship-goods PAGEREF _Toc519242877 \h 61 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242878" BPUC-5.6-Inventory-management PAGEREF _Toc519242878 \h 61 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242879" BPUC-5.7-Sales-product-notification PAGEREF _Toc519242879 \h 62 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242880" BPUC-5.8-Present-invoice PAGEREF _Toc519242880 \h 63 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242881" Business collaboration and economic events PAGEREF _Toc519242881 \h 63 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242882" BC-6.1-Create-customer-order PAGEREF _Toc519242882 \h 63 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242883" BC-6.2-Check-customer-credit PAGEREF _Toc519242883 \h 65 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242884" BC-6.3-Process-credit- payment PAGEREF _Toc519242884 \h 66 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242885" BC-6.4-Create-vendor-purchase-order PAGEREF _Toc519242885 \h 67 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242886" BC-6.5-Shipment-instruction PAGEREF _Toc519242886 \h 69 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242887" BC-6.6-Confirm-shipment PAGEREF _Toc519242887 \h 70 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242888" BC-6.7-Vendor-inventory-reporting PAGEREF _Toc519242888 \h 72 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242889" BC-6.8-Request-inventory-report PAGEREF _Toc519242889 \h 73 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242890" BC-6.9-Sales-product-offering PAGEREF _Toc519242890 \h 75 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242891" BC-6.10-Invoice-presentment PAGEREF _Toc519242891 \h 76 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242892" Business transactions and authorized roles PAGEREF _Toc519242892 \h 78 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242893" BT-8.1-Firm-customer-sales-order PAGEREF _Toc519242893 \h 78 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242894" BT-8.2-Check customer credit PAGEREF _Toc519242894 \h 79 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242895" BT-8.3-Charge-customer-credit PAGEREF _Toc519242895 \h 80 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242896" BT-8.4-Create-vendor-purchase-order PAGEREF _Toc519242896 \h 81 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242897" BT-8.5-Vendor-inventory-report PAGEREF _Toc519242897 \h 83 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242898" BT-8.6-Request-inventory-report PAGEREF _Toc519242898 \h 84 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242899" BT-8.7-Shipment-notification PAGEREF _Toc519242899 \h 86 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242900" BT-8.8-Confirm-shipment PAGEREF _Toc519242900 \h 88 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242901" BT-8.9-Product-offering PAGEREF _Toc519242901 \h 89 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242902" BT-8.10-Present-invoice PAGEREF _Toc519242902 \h 91 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242903" Business information description PAGEREF _Toc519242903 \h 92 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242904" Purchase order PAGEREF _Toc519242904 \h 92 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242905" Content mapping PAGEREF _Toc519242905 \h 95 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242906" Appendix D Disclaimer PAGEREF _Toc519242906 \h 97 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc519242907" Appendix E Contact Information PAGEREF _Toc519242907 \h 98 Status of this Document This document specifies an ebXML Technical Report for the eBusiness community. Distribution of this document is unlimited. The document formatting is based on the Internet Societys Standard RFC format. This version: http://www.ebxml.org/specs/bpWS.pdf Latest version: HYPERLINK "http://www.ebxml.org/specs/bpWS.pdf" http://www.ebxml.org/specs/bpWS.pdf ebXML Participants Business Process Project Team Co-Leads Paul Levine Telcordia Marcia McLure McLure-Moynihan, Inc. We would like to recognize the following for their significant participation to the development of this document. Editors Charles Fineman Arzoon. Brian Hayes Commerce One. Jennifer Loveridge Nordstrom.com. William E. McCarthy Michigan State University David Welsh Nordstrom.com. Contributors Jim Clark International Center of Object Technology. Randy Clark Baker Hughes, Inc. Bob Haugen Logistical Software. Larissa Leybovich Vitria Nita Sharma Netfish Technologies. Introduction Summary The primary goal of the ebXML effort is to facilitate the integration of e-businesses throughout the world with each other. Towards this end much of the work in ebXML has focused on the notion of a public process: the business process(es) by which external entities interact with an e-business. The specification and integration to such public processes has long been recognized as a significant cost to such businesses. In order to reduce this cost ebXML is recommending the use of Business Libraries. The principle goals of these libraries are to: Promote reuse of common business processes and objects Provide a place where companies and standards bodies could place the specifications of their public processes where appropriate trading partners could access them. In order to realize these goals, a lingua franca needed to be leveraged so that all users of this repository could understand what each other are specifying. The ebXML community has decided to use as its lingua franca the semantic subset of the UMM Metamodel, specified by the UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology in the N090 specification. The UMM is targeted primarily at personnel knowledgeable in modeling methodology who facilitate business process analysis sessions and provide modeling support. It also serves as a checklist for standardized models when a previously specified business process is contributed to UN/CEFACT for inclusion and incorporation as a standard business process model. [UMM] This document contains several worksheets that guide analysts towards UMM compliant specifications of their business processes. We have tried to provide tools for users regardless of whether were working on behalf of a standards body or an individual company. Furthermore, we provide a variety of scenarios guiding how one might go about filling out these worksheets (e.g. top-down vs. bottom up). The UMM can be used as a reference for understanding the details of the underlying Metamodel and UMM methodology. Different degrees of rigor are required within these worksheets. As we approach the lower level, certain elements and organization of the specification are required to meet the requirements of the ebXML technical framework. At higher levels there is a good deal of latitude about the way concepts are grouped. In many cases, things such as assumptions and constraints will be specified in natural language rather then in a formal one. Audience We do not expect the users of these worksheets to be experts in business modeling, however it is expected that they are subject matter experts in their respective areas of practice. They should have detailed knowledge of the inter-enterprise business processes they use to communicate with their trading partners. This document could also be used by industry experts to help express their sectors business processes in a form that is amenable to the goals of the ebXML registry and repository. Of course, software vendors that are supplying tools (modeling and otherwise) in support of the ebXML framework will find useful information within. Related documents [ebCNTXT] ebXML Concept - Context and Re-Usability of Core Components. Version 1.04. 11 May, 2001. ebXML Core Components Project Team. [ebRIM] ebXML Registry Information Model. Version 1.0 11 May 2001. ebXML Registry Project Team. [ebRS] ebXML Registry Services. Version 1.0 11 May 2001. ebXML Registry Project Team. [ebTA] ebXML Technical Architecture Specification. Version 1.0.4 16 February 2001. ebXML Technical Architecture Project Team. [bpOVER] Business Process and Business Information Analysis Overview. Version 1.0. Date 11 May 2001. ebXML Business Process Project Team [bpPROC] ebXML Catalog of Common Business Processes. Version 1.0. Date May 11, 2001. ebXML Business Process Project Team [PVC] Michael E. Porter, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, 1998, Harvard Business School Press. [REA] Guido Geerts and William.E. McCarthy "An Accounting Object Infrastructure For Knowledge-Based Enterprise Models," IEEE Intelligent Systems & Their Applications (July-August 1999), pp. 89-94 [SCOR] Supply Chain Operations Reference model, The Supply Chain Council (http://www.supply-chain.org/) [UMM] UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology. CEFACT/TMWG/N090R9.1. UN/CEFACT Technical Modeling Working Group. Document conventions The keywords MUST, MUST NOT, REQUIRED, SHALL, SHALL NOT, SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, RECOMMENDED, MAY, and OPTIONAL, when they appear in this document, are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119. Heretofore, when the term Metamodel is used, it refers to the UMM e-Business Process Metamodel as defined in [UMM]. Design Objectives Goals/objectives/requirements/problem description ebXML business processes are defined by the information specified in the UMM e-Business Process Metamodel (hereafter referred to as the Metamodel). The Metamodel specifies all the information that needs to be captured during the analysis of an electronic commerce based business process within the ebXML framework. ebXML recommends the use of the UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology (UMM) in conjunction with the Metamodel. The UMM provides the prescriptive process (methodology) to use when analyzing and defining a business process. The ebXML Business Process Worksheets are a set of business process design aids, to be used with the UMM as a reference. It is intended that the worksheets be extensible to meet specific business needs. An ebXML business process, that is defined based on the UMM Metamodel, will sufficiently reflect all the necessary components of a business process and enable its registration and implementation as part of the ebXML compliant electronic trading relationship. The Worksheet based approach that provides an easier way of applying the UMM and the UMM Metamodel. The intent of the worksheets (or a business process editor) is to capture all the bits of information that are required to completely describe a business process so that it can be registered, classified, discovered, reused and completely drive the software. To develop company business processes for an ebXML compliant electronic trading relationship, use the UMM as a reference guideline plus the ebXML Business Process Worksheet to create the necessary business process models. These are the recommended steps for using the ebXML Business Process Worksheets A business need or opportunity is identified and defined before using these procedures. A Focus Project Team, usually representing a multifunctional set of experts from IT, business process ownership and business process experts needed to work out the business process using the ebXML Business Process Worksheet. Using the ebXML Business Process Worksheets, the Focus Project Team will be able to develop an ebXML Business Process Specification that can be reviewed and verified by the business. In addition, all necessary information to populate the ebXML Metamodel will be made available to enable an ebXML trading relationship. Figure STYLEREF 1 \s 4 SEQ Figure \* ARABIC \s 1 1: Worksheets Architectural Context The analogy The following analogy is useful in understanding the role of the Worksheets and other documentation and tools to the ebXML Business Process Collaboration Metamodel and the UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology. ItemUnited States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax SystemebXML Business Process Collaboration Metamodel UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology.Entire tax codeWorksheets and TemplatesIRS FormsMethodology GuidelinesIRS Instruction BookletsBusiness Process Editor Tool Suite Repository of Business Process Specifications, Core Components, etc.Something like TurboTax and other software packages for preparing personal or business tax forms where these packages would have on-line access/search of all your tax and tax related records and the Tax code.In order to actually specify a business process all we really need is the Worksheets and Templates. However, in order to ensure that we fill in the forms properly we will need to have a set of instructions that augment the templates and provide some of the rationale behind the templates. Caveats and assumptions This document is non-normative; the documents identified above should be considered the authority on the definitions and specifications of the terminology used herein. This document is intended to be an application of those principals and technologies. Worksheet Based Analysis Overview As stated above, the purpose of this document is to provide worksheets that guide the user through the construction of a UMM compliant specification of their business processes. The following diagram shows mapping from the worksheets to the high level components of the UMM. Note, the document definition worksheet is currently not included in the set of worksheets. Worksheets UMM Metamodel View Figure STYLEREF 1 \s 5 SEQ Figure \* ARABIC \s 1 1: Overview of mapping from Worksheets to Metamodel The expectation is that after the worksheets have been completed, there will be sufficient information to mechanically produce a Metamodel based specification of the modeled business process(es). The worksheets given above are: Business Reference Model Use this to define the frame of reference of the rest of the worksheets. This provides definitions of terms and, perhaps, canonical business processes (e.g. [SCOR]) Business Process Identification and Discovery Use this to do an inventory of the business processes. This is really just a set of high-level use cases merely to identify the existence of processes and the stakeholders without going into detail. Business Process Elaboration These worksheets are used to flesh out the business processes. This identifies the actual actors as well as pre and post conditions for the business process. Business Collaboration Definition In these worksheets we define the economic events that take place to fulfill the business process. This is where one defines the system boundaries and the protocols that govern the flow of information. Business Transaction Definition These worksheets are more technically oriented than the others (which have a decidedly more modeling orientation). At this stage one defines the actual activities and authorized parties within the organization that initiate these transactions. Business Information Definition In these worksheets one defines the contents of the information field widths, data types, descriptions, requirement traceability and, perhaps, the additional context ([ebCNTXT]) necessary to construct the document from the Core Components subsystem. Basic guidelines for filling out worksheets Focus on public business processes While these worksheets could be used to model any kind of business process, the focus of the ebXML effort is to make trading partner integration easier, cheaper, and robust. Therefore the expectation is that the primary focus will be on public faces of your business processes. The REA ontology The UMM and ebXML groups are recommending the use of the Resource-Economic Event-Agent Ontology for the formalization of business collaborations.Please refer to [BPAO] and [REA] for further information on this topic and associated worksheets. Use the worksheets in the order that makes the most sense for you For the purposes of this document we proceed from the top-level step (Business Reference Model) down to the lowest-level step (Business Transaction). It is important to note, however, that these worksheets can be filled out in whatever order makes the most sense from the users perspective. For example, a person who is trying to retrofit an existing document based standard (e.g. EDIFACT) might want to start by filling in the Business Transaction Definition worksheets (perhaps only specifying trivial definitions for the higher level worksheets). A person looking to formalize the definitions for an entire industry may very well start from the Business Reference Model worksheet. The worksheets can be used for projects of various scopes Although the Metamodel has definite requirements on what objects need to be present to comprise a complete specification, it says little about the scope of what those specifications represent. For example, if you are only trying to model a specific interaction with one of your trading partners, you do not need to include a complete Business Reference Model for your entire industry, just include the parts that are directly relevant for the interaction you are modeling. Similarly, if you are just doing a small set of interactions for your company, you might choose to have the Business Area or Process Area just be your own company. Think how will people use what you construct As you fill in these worksheets please keep in mind how the generated UMM specification will be used by a user of the repository. The two principal uses envisioned are: To determine if a given collaboration is appropriate for reuse (or at least is a close enough match for subsequent gap analysis) To be used as an on-line implementation guide. A potential trading partner (or a 3rd party on their behalf) could examine the public processes/collaborations you provide and construct an integration plan. This means trying to use industry wide terms (or at least Business Reference Model terminology) to increase the comprehensibility and specificity. . Re-use is one of the primary goals of ebXML As stated above, the hope is that users will develop models that are reusable by others. Towards that end, it is intended that the Worksheets be used in conjunction with a browser that lets the user search business process libraries for items that have already been defined. The items (e.g. business processes, business collaborations, document schemas, etc.) can be referenced (re-used as is) or copied to the worksheets and changed as needed. Over time, business process catalogs will become populated with a sufficiently large number of business processes. When this happens, the analysis processes will often become a matter of validating pre-defined business processes against requirements. Note on optional fields in the worksheets Some of the worksheets contain entries that are labeled as optional for ebXML. These are attributes that appear in the UMM but are not required as part of the ebXML Specification Schema. These are typically business objective/justification topics. While these are obviously very important aspects of any modeling endeavor, ebXML is oriented towards exposing an organizations public processes to their trading partners. Advertising that organizations justifications for such interfaces could potentially publicize strategic information that said organization would prefer to keep private. Number your worksheets Each of the worksheets has an entry for a Form ID. This ID can be used to reference one form from another. In addition, if you use an outline numbering scheme, it will be easy for the reader to determine parent-child relationships between elements of the model (of course, if you do a bottom up approach this will be significantly harder to do up front!). The recommended format is: