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Production planning business process modelling using UML class diagram

Conference Paper · March 2018

DOI: 10.1109/INFOTEH.2018.8345535

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 17th International Symposium INFOTEH-JAHORINA, 21-23 March 2018

Production Planning Business Process Modelling

Using UML Class Diagram
Dusanka Dakic, Darko Stefanovic, Teodora Lolic, Srdjan Sladojevic, Andras Anderla
Department of industrial engineering and engineering management
Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad
Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract — Business processes present a core of business Today, business process management is a broad discipline that
organizations from the occurrence of process view on the makes remarkable progress in areas such as business process
organization. With the advent of globalization and frequent mining (automatic discovery of process models from raw
economic changes, there is an increased level of complexity of event data produced by common information systems found in
enterprise-environment relations, and consequently a raising
organizations), systematic identification of typical process
need for managing these processes. Business process modelling is
a necessity and prerequisite for business process management behaviors based on information provided by the Workflow
and therefore many business process technices and languages Patterns initiative, syntactic verification of complex business
were developed. In the past five decades, business processes are process models before implementing them through IT and
managed through automated systems and these business process automatic execution of business process model [3].
modelling techniques have been used for the purpose of Computing and communication innovations are still leading
documentation of information systems requirements and needs. actuators of change in organizational business processes and
This paper presents one solution for modelling of production contribute to motivation for business process modelling.
planning business process in a mid-sized organization in Serbia, Business processes are modelled with an aim to provide a
utilizing UML class diagram.
comprehensive understanding of a process and a base for
Key words – business process; business process modelling; analysis. An organization can be easily analysed and
production planning process; UML diagrams; integrated based solely on correctly modelled business
processes [1].
I. INTRODUCTION
Motivation for business process modelling does not have to be
Business process can be defined as a set of activities inside an tightly connected to computer science, altough main reason for
organization, with description of their logical order and business process modelling is documentation of information
dependencies, whose objective is to produce a desired result systems development needs and requirements. There is an
[1]. In this paper, focus will be set on production systems, increased interest in software process modelling in an
whose basic function in general is to meet the dynamic needs organizational context, as it has been perceived that true cost
of the market and surroundings and whose balance exist only benefits occur when software processes are aligned with
if the relationship between supply and demand, environmental organizational processes [4]. With the need for business
requirements and state of the elements in production system process management, modelling and automation, business
remain unaltered. Therefore, any change in the system process modelling distinguishs itself as field in system
environment and in the system itself disturbs the state of egineering, with numerous business process modelling
equilibrium, that is, acts on the system as a disorder. techniques and languages [5].
Accordingly, the disruptive effects are the main source of
constant need for management in the system. Production Crucial business process in a production system is production
management in a production system is not possible without management process. Production control process consist of
relevant, quality, timely and reliable information about the several subprocesses: Production Planning, Engineering
system state and behaviour. Therefore, all business processes Decision Making and Production Control. The focus of this
must be managed. paper will be automation of production planning process in an
organization in Serbia. Production planning process consists
Business process management is a trend that occured in the of creation of numerous time and resource planns based on
1920’s and is known as first business process management system requirements, systems objectives and goals placed
wave, where they were implicitly defined as work procedures, before the system.
and were not automated. Automation of business processes
occurs with second business process management wave during This paper will discuss the importance of business process
1990’s, which was enabled through ERP systems [2]. modelling, it’s techniques and languages and in which way

978-1-5386-4907-7/18/$31.00 ©2018 IEEE

 17th International Symposium INFOTEH-JAHORINA, 21-23 March 2018
can they be utilised for software development. The final requirements of the information system development. With the
contribution will be a production planning UML class established need for business process management and,
diagram, as model domain for production planning process therefore, for their modeling, modeling of business processes
and background for process automation in an organization in is distinguished as a part of system engineering, where
Serbia. business processes are represented through models. A number
of techniques and models of business process modeling are
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 also being developed, whilst choosing a modelling language
focuses on definition of business process and most common becomes essential.
business process modelling technices and languages used.
Then it describes more closely object oriented methods for There are many business process modelling techniques and
business process modelling, as they are used in this paper. languages and several authors essayed a research with the aim
Section 3 describes what entire production planning process to classify them. According to Van Der Aalst [5], modelling
and it’s integral parts should represent in an organization. languages can be divided into three classes: formal languages,
Section 4 describes methodology used for development of conceptual languages and execution languages, where formal
paper’s final result – UML class diagram for production languages include Turing machines, Petri nets, temporal logic
planning process. Section 5 presents these results (developed and process algebra, conceptual languages include BPMN
UML class diagram) and section 6 offers some final thoughts (Business Process Modelling Notation), EPCs (Event-Driven
on the subject and possible future work. Process Chains) and UML diagrams (Unified Modelling
Language), whilst execution languages include languages such
II. BUSINESS PROCESSES as BPEL (Business Process Execution Language).
A. Definition Aguilar-Saven and Ruth Sara [1] determined the following
Business processes are a set of procedures for conversion of main process modelling techniques: Flow chart technique,
available input sizes (matter, energy and information) into Data flow diagrams—Yourdon’s technique, Role activity
output sizes (product or service, new information and, in some diagrams—RAD, Role interaction diagrams—RID, Gantt
cases, a new form of energy). [6] According to the Quality Chart, Integrated Definition for Function Modelling IDEF,
Management System, the process is "a set of interconnected or Coloured Petri-net—CPN, Object-oriented methods and
interacting activities that convert the input elements into the Workflow technique.
output elements" [7].
Particulary interesting for this paper are object-oriented
Business processes were not in focus until the 1980s, when a methods. They are based on three concepts: objects (real
process view of the organization appeared. The organization is world entities), their state and their behaviour. The object’s
viewed as a set of business processes, a process system, where state is represents by attributes, where a set of object with
processes have interaction and interdependence, with a similair attributes and/or relationships to other object are
common goal of creating values. A process view of the called a class. Most commonly used modelling language that
organization requires the organization to: uses this concepts to build models is Unified Modelling
Language - UML [1]. UML is a language for specifying,
• Identify all business processes and apply visualizing, constructing and documenting the artefacts of
them consistently throughout the organization; software systems, as well as for business modelling and other
• Determine the order and interaction of these non-software systems. The UML covers conceptual things,
processes; such as business processes and system functions, as well as
• Identify the criteria and methods needed for effective concrete things, such as programming-language classes,
managing these processes;
database schemas, and reusable software components [1].
• Ensure the availability of resources and information
necessary to support the implementation and
monitoring of these processes; UML is particularly effective for creating useful design
• Monitor, measure and analyze processes and models of software systems in a form suitable for translation
implement measures necessary to achieve the planned into some form of executional language, such as program
results and continually improve these processes [7]. code. However, UML also has applicability in a number of
other scenarios such as business process modelling [4].
The literature outlines three key reasons for the emergence of
a process-oriented organization: quality control, more efficient UML offers following modelling diagrams: Class diagram,
management and development of information technologies. Object diagram, Statechart diagram, Activity diagram,
Collaboration diagram, Use-case diagram, Component
B. Business process modelling diagram and Deployment diagram.
The motive for business process modeling does not have to be
related to computer science, but to a large extent, business
processes are modeled to document the needs and
 17th International Symposium INFOTEH-JAHORINA, 21-23 March 2018
III. PRODUCTION PLANNING PROCESS requirements plans are always formed based on exact basics
In this section prouction planning will be adressed as a crucial and planned values.
process in a manufacturing company. Production planning has
several subprocesses and every subprocess has numerous Shop floor order setup’s initial activity is creation of work
order (where each product can not be manufactured without an
activities that have to be realized and production documents
work order), which is a basic enterpise document that enables
that are generated as a results of these activities. The process
of production planning and control takes place within planning, monitoring and control of production process.
production management function and the production itself.
Derivatives of the work order are an identity card, a deadline
Figure 1. presents integral parts of production planning –
card and a receipt/handover card. Their purpose is monitoring
Operational Planning, Manufacturing Resource Planning,
the product and providing the conditions for production
Shop Floor Order Setup and Production Process Simulation monitoring, controlling, time cost effectivness, meeting the
[8].
deadlines and distributing the costs and profits by profit
centers in the system. Work orders are based on the production
operational plan and are formed for each product from the
operational plan separately. By product, several different
subjects of manufacturing can be considered, such as elements
of the product, materials and finished goods. Based on these
subjects of manufacturing, work orders can be divided into
assembly work orders, which reffer to finished goods,
processing work orders, which reffers to elements that have to
be manufactured, and preparation work orders, which reffer to
preparation of the material later used in manufacturing.

Each work order from production operational plan is

accompanied by a technological process, as well as the model
of the subject of manufacturing to which the work order
reffers. Another important production order document,
considering shop floor order setup, is a worksheet document.
Worksheet is also a work order, but it refers to the workplace,
Figure 1. Production Planning
and not the product itself. For this reason, the number of
Integral part of production planning that represents the worksheets corresponds to the number of operations of
beginning of all production activities is operational planning. technological process necessary to produce a particular subject
The goal of operational planning is to formalize the of work. Another production order that is related to the
relationship between the production system and its business worksheet is a requisition document. Requisition documents
environment. Namely, operational planning is based on carry information about the amount of manufacturing
research, preparation and processing of the information resources taken from the warehouse, actual consumption of
gathered from the market, which determines the qualified those resources and amount of unused resources returned to
requirements for products from the production program. The the warehouse after execution of operations that are related to
result of operational planning is creation of an initial, master concrete worksheet.
and modified operational plan of production.
Previously mentioned activities of production planning as a
The following integral part of production planning is result, in fact, provide certain information carriers -
Manufacturing Resource Planning - MRP II. Based on documents. Documents that come out as a result of operational
informational basis given by the operational plan and on planning and manufacturing resources planning are called
norms given by the technological procedures, manufacturing planning documents. Planning documents in production are an
resource planning can be realised. Resources that need to be production operational plan, a manufacturing resource plan
planned are the following: material resources (product and a production timetable.
components/elements, basic, auxiliary and consumable
Documents generated during the shop floor order setup are
materials), time as a resource (time needed to perform
called executive documents. A group of executive documents
production activities), technological resources (machines,
are documents with information content whose purpose is the
tools and equipment), energy resources, human resources in
initialization of production processes. These are documents
production and financial resources needed for execution of
such as work orders, worksheets and requisitions.
production process. Result of manufacturing resource planning
should be balance score card of all previously mentioned
From the group of executive documents, control documents
manufacturing resources. Balance score card or material
can be extracted as a sub-group. Control documents are
introduced into the system with the aim of providing adequate
 17th International Symposium INFOTEH-JAHORINA, 21-23 March 2018
information contents for following work items and production relations between them and give a conceptual perspective on
flows in production processes. For this purpose, the the production planning system [10], [11].
aforementioned derivatives of the work order are used, which
are: identification card, the main purpose of which is to For the purposes of this paper, the final result of the object-
provide the possibility of monitoring and recognizing every oriented software development analysis will be shown - that
object of races during its production, completely independent is, the selected key system abstractions and the UML class
of its path and current position in material flows; Deadline diagram that represents the production system.
Map - A document whose purpose is to provide the possibility
of controlling the realization of the planned deadlines for V. RESULTS
completing certain stages of production of the subject of work; In this section initial use-case diagram and class diagram,
A receipt / handover card - a document whose purpose is to developed for the production company will be presented. This
provide the possibility of recording the entry of a subject into company is a mid-sized, production company that
any unit of organization and the exit of that subject from the manufactures brass plumbing fittings. With it’s 50 employees,
organizational unit. the company manufactures around 3.000.000 pieces of
finished goods annually. The production planning strategy of
IV. METHODOLOGY the company is make-to-order, which means that they do not
In order to create a base and gather relevant information for generate supplies of finished goods. Instead, production
production planning process automation, i.e. development of planning is based on customer sales orders.
production planning software, the production planning process
had to be in some way modelled. In section 2, several different After observations and analysis of production planning
techniques and languages for business process modelling were process and activities and actors included in the process, three
mentioned, from which object-oriented methods were singled key use-cases can be singled out as of great significance and
out as relevant for this paper. included in to initial use-case diagram. Initial use-case
diagram presents operational planning use-case,
Object-oriented information systems analysis and design has manufacturing resource planning use case and shop floor order
two basic phases: Object-oriented analysis (OOA) and Object- setup use-case and relationships between them. Furthermore, it
oriented design (OOD) [8]. Main focus of object-oriented shows actors that participate in the realization of these use-
analysis is identification of the system and problem domain, cases. Initial use-case diagram is shown in Figure 2.
which in this case are company’s production system, integral
parts of this system and information requirements.

For the purpose of completing an object-oriented system

analysis (whose outcome will be consistent with the initial
setting of the task), and according to UML standards, it was
necessary at the very least to perform the following
methodological steps:
• Defining and analyzing initial use case diagram for
the production planning system,
• Based on the analysis of system’s use cases,
extract classes that will be implemented in a later
developed information system,
• Defining UML class diagram based on extracted
classes.
Figure 2. Designed production planning use case diagram

Use-case diagram illustrates the relationships between use-

cases i.e. captures the functional requirements of a system. These initially observed use-cases can be dissolved into
They describe the typical interactions between the users of a simpler use-cases that could present how production planning
system and the system itself, providing a narrative of how the process functions in more concise and detailed manner. Based
system is used. Each use-case, typically defined in plain text, on these detailed use-case diagrams, key system abstractions
describes a part of the total system functionality [10]. can be extracted in a model domain i.e. UML class diagram.

UML class diagrams model the information on the domain of Production planning UML class diagram is presented in
interest, in this case the production planning process, in terms Figure 3. Class diagram shows identified classes, relationships
of objects organized in classes and relationships between between them and associated attributes. For the purpose of this
them. UML class diagrams allow modelling, the static paper, class diagram is modelled as a conceptual model and
structure of an application domain, in terms of concepts and therefore does not show class methods or access level
modifiers for the class attributes.
17th International Symposium INFOTEH-JAHORINA, 21-23 March 2018

Figure 3. UML class diagram for production planning

 17th International Symposium INFOTEH-JAHORINA, 21-23 March 2018

Identified classes included in the diagram presented in Figure some work place and every work place is allocated in
3. are: an organizational unit, therefore WorkPlace and
OrganizationalUnit classes are modelled.
 Class Product, further generalized into classes
Element, Material or FinishedGoods; VI. CONCLUSION
 Class ProductModel, as every product instance must The presented study indicates the importance of business
have suitable product model. Product can be process management and business process modelling,
modelled through BillofMaterials class and/or mentions most commonly used business process modelling
WorkingDrawing class; and techniques, with a particular focus on usability of these
techniques for software development and shows in which way
 Class ProductionPlan that includes Unified Modelling Language diagrams can be used for
ManufacturingResourcePlan and modelling of production planning process in a mid-sized
OperationalPlan. ManufacturingResourcePlan company in Serbia. The final result of the paper is UML class
refers to plans made for manufacturing resources, diagram that consist of crucial identified abstractions i.e.
modelled by ManufacturingResources class, and classes, their attributes and relationships between them.
they include ToolandEquipment, Machinery,
Employee and Energy classes; Developed conceptual, UML class diagram for production
 Each manufacturing resource is located in a planning process can further be used for development of other
warehouse, therefore there is a Warehouse class that types of UML diagrams and as background for object-oriented
relates to GoodsReceipt and OutboundDelivery software development.
classes. Goods receipt is a document that shows
LITERATURE
which resources are delivered to a certain warehouse,
and form which supplier. Outbound delivery
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framework, International Journal of production economics, pp. 129-149,
which buyer. Therefore, there are Supplier and 2004,
Buyer classes; [2] H. Smith and P. Fingar. Business process management: the third wave.
Vol. 1. Tampa: Meghan-Kiffer Press, 2003.
 Production Order class relates to products and is
[3] W.M.P. Van Der Aalst, M. La Rosa, and F. M. Santoro. "Business
further generalized in WorkOrder, WorkSheet and process management." pp. 1-6 , 2016.
Requisition classes. Work orders are based on the [4] P. Wohed, W.M.P. van der Aalst., M. Dumas, A. H. ter Hofstede and N.
production operational plan and are formed for each Russell, On the suitability of BPMN for business process modelling. In
product. Work sheet is a production order that relates International conference on business process management, Springer,
Berlin, Heidelberg. pp. 161-176, 2006.
to production operations and carry information about
[5] W.M.P. Van Der Aalst. "Business process management: a
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 ProductionTechnology class represents technology An object-oriented approach with UML. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
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material or finished good) and therefore this class is modeling language”. Addison-Wesley Professional, 2004.
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classes. Every instance of ProductionTechnology
class relates to one or more instances of
ProductionOperation class and therefore enables
production routing. Every operation is executed on

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