Best Practices Using WS Business Modeler and Monitor

Redbooks Paper
Best Practices for Using WebSphere
Business Modeler and Monitor
Preface
The purpose of this Redpaper is to provide guidance for the preparation of business process models, developed with the WebSphere® Business Modeler, which will ultimately be monitored by the WebSphere Business Monitor. The model preparation, including business measure development, and the configuration of monitoring, including dashboard design, is the main focus of this paper. There are other resources from IBM® for guidance on general process modeling, deployment, and execution.
By use of examples to illustrate the concepts of continuous improvement management, this Redpaper presents the mechanisms for an organization to: Model and simulate a business process. Define business measures. Monitor the application to observe key performance indicators.
Throughout the paper best practices are highlighted to provide additional guidance for using WebSphere Business Monitor and WebSphere Business Modeler and for optimizing the value of the developed solutions. This paper will evolve and be updated as more best practices are identified.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2006. All rights reserved. ibm.com/redbooks 1Introduction
IBM understands that sophisticated enterprises require a comprehensive approach to meeting their strategic business requirements. This understanding drives our Business Innovation and Optimization approach, which includes industry expertise, best practices, and market-leading software-specifically, for the context of this paper: WebSphere Business Modeler, WebSphere Integration Developer, WebSphere Process Server, and WebSphere Business Monitor.
Business Innovation and Optimization is based on a continuous performance improvement cycle that consists of four core activities:  Modeling the business requirements Assembling the appropriate assets Deploying the models with the appropriate instrumentation (and consequently running the automated models) Managing the executing systems (Figure 1)
The managing activity is accomplished through monitoring the events emanating from the business operations and supporting IT infrastructure, analyzing the events and causality, and initiating the appropriate actions in response to circumstances, for example, redeploying resources, altering business rules, or revising business processes.
Figure 1 Business Innovation and Optimization lifecycle
The Business Innovation and Optimization model-based approach provides several advantages:  Alignment across the business, including IT; deep process and operation insight for risk management and change.
2 Best Practices for Using WebSphere Business Modeler and Monitor Informed decision-making and action; processes are integrated end-to-end; practical reuse of the business management assets. Flexibility to adapt to dynamic changes and efficiency in capturing business intent to ensure solution fidelity (how well the solution implementation reflects the requirements of the business). Enablement of service-oriented, end-to-end process management for your organization based on a service oriented architecture (SOA). SOA component applications enable businesses and organizations to plan, develop, implement, and improve their processes.
The IBM SOA foundation is an integrated, open set of software, best practices, and patterns that provides you with what you need to get you started with SOA. The SOA foundation provides full support for the SOA lifecycle through an integrated set of tools and runtime components that allow you to leverage skills and investments across the common runtime, tooling, and management infrastructure.
WebSphere tools and runtimeThis Redpaper provides examples and focuses on the continuous process improvement pattern for Business Innovation and Optimization lifecycle management, which utilizes: WebSphere Business Modeler-A business process modeling tool that enables you to model, design, simulate, analyze, and generate reports for your business processes; integrate your new and revised process; and define your organizations, resources, and business items. WebSphere Integration Developer-Allows you to build flexible, composite applications by wiring service components with minimal skills based on service-oriented architecture (SOA). WebSphere Process Server-A business integration server, it is built to support sol... [download for more]