Automatically evolving a process model

A computer program product comprising a computer a computer readable storage medium and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by at least one or more processors, the program instructions comprising:

• receiving one or more user-defined constraints to be satisfied by a process model to be evolved, the one or more user-defined constraints comprising logical rules or criteria indicated by a user;
• performing an optimization method to find a best solution of a cost function depending on a set of optimization conditions, over a solution space of possible consistent and/or sound process models derivable from the process model depending on the received one or more user-defined constraints, the optimization method comprising solving a problem of constraint satisfaction over the solution space of possible consistent and/or sound process models, and performing a multi-objective search method over the solution space of possible consistent and/or sound process models;
• the set of optimization conditions comprising maximizing constraints satisfaction corresponding to satisfaction of the received one or more user-defined constraints and of previous constraints from previous executions of the method, prioritizing the maximized constraints satisfaction with respect to any other optimization condition in the set of optimization conditions, and minimizing indirectly inferred relationships between process-elements derivable from the process model at least depending on the received one or more user-defined constraints, the indirectly inferred relationships comprising a relationship that is not explicitly defined by a constraint but preserves a soundness of the process model in evolution along with directly inferred relationship(s);
• and
• updating the process model with the obtained best solution.

A system for automatically evolving a process model including process-elements and relationships between process-elements, the relationships being defined as a relationship between the process-elements that cause satisfaction of user-defined constraints by a process model to be evolved, and the user-defined constraints comprising logical rules or criteria indicated by a user, the system comprising:

• a receiving module configured to receive one or more user-defined constraints to be satisfied by the process model;
• an optimization module configured to perform an optimization method to find a best solution of a cost function depending on a set of optimization conditions, over a solution space of possible consistent and/or sound process models derivable from the process model depending on the received one or more user-defined constraints, the optimization method comprising solving a problem of constraint satisfaction over the solution space of possible consistent and/or sound process models, and performing a multi-objective search method over the solution space of possible consistent and/or sound process models;
• and the set of optimization conditions comprising maximizing constraints satisfaction corresponding to a satisfaction of the received one or more user-defined constraints and of previous constraints from previous executions of the method, prioritizing the maximized constraints satisfaction with respect to any other optimization condition in the set of optimization conditions, and minimizing indirectly inferred relationships between process-elements derivable from the process model at least depending on the received one or more user-defined constraints, the indirectly inferred relationships comprising a relationship that is not explicitly defined by a constraint but preserves soundness of the process model in evolution along with directly inferred relationship(s);
• and
• an updating module configured to update the process model with the obtained best solution.