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BPMN Modeler Sub-Project proposal

Introduction

BPMN Modeler is a proposed sub-project under the top level project Eclipse SOA Tools Platform (STP). The proposal is written to solicit additional participation and input from the Eclipse community. Please send all feedback to the eclipse.bpmn-modeler newsgroup.

Background

The mission of the STP project is to build frameworks and extensible tools that enable the design, configuration, assembly, deployment, monitoring, and management of software designed around a Service Oriented Architecture. The project is guided by the values of transparency, extensibility, vendor neutrality, community collaboration, agile development, and standards-based innovation.

Currently, STP project contains a component named STP/BPMN. This component provides a graphical designer named BPMN Modeler, which allows to model BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) diagrams. This tool is based on GMF and works with an EMF meta model compatible with the BPMN 1.0 and BPMN 1.1 specifications proposed by the Object Management Group.

The aim of this proposal is to transform the actual STP/BPMN component into a sub-project of STP project.

Description

The purpose of the Eclipse BPMN Modeler sub-project is to provide a graphical modeler for modeling practitioners, ie end users with no particular programming skills, to design business process diagrams under the Business Process Modeling Notation.

Project Scope

The BPMN sub-project will focus on building an usable and extensible graphical modeler by leveraging the tools provided by the Graphical Modeling Framework and the EMF Validation Framework.
  • Provide a first class user experience when it comes to designing processes, using graphical assistants.
  • Provide a graphical notation according to the BPMN standard.
  • Provide ways to extend the modeler to integrate it within commercial products.

Out of Scope

Some things are not in the scope of the BPMN modeler sub-project.
  • Generation of Java or BPEL code: see STP-IM and JWT for coverage of those areas
  • Transformation towards other models (see STP-IM)

Proposed Components

  • BPMN model: This component is the core of the modeler. It represents the EMF model used to persist the BPMN diagrams.
  • BPMN diagram: This component should be in charge of the diagram editor itself. It would represent the editor and all its tools.
  • BPMN validation: This component represents the BPMN validator, it enforces the BPMN specification by flagging the invalid shapes with warnings and errors. It should also come with quickfixes.

Relationship with Other Eclipse Projects

The BPMN sub-project will be built on top of the Eclipse Platform and will have relationship with other Eclipse projects.

Organization

We propose that this sub-project will take place under the top level project STP.

Mentors

  • Oisin Hurley, IONA
  • Dave Carver, STAR

Proposed Initial Committers

  • Antoine Toulmé - Intalio, Inc. (Leader) - committer on STP/BPMN Component.
  • Hugues Malphettes - Intalio, Inc. - committer on STP/BPMN Component.

Code Contributions

The Eclipse STP/BPMN component will be the initial code.

Interested Parties

At this time, the following people, companies and projects have expressed their interest to see the creation of the BPMN modeler sub-project:
  • Oisin Hurley - STP project lead, IONA
  • Benoit Beaudet - Techsolcom
  • Andrea Zoppello - Engineering Ingegneria Informatica
  • Marc Dutoo, JWT project lead, OpenWide
  • Florian Lautenbacher, JWT Project Lead, University of Augsburg
  • Andrei Shakirin, Swordfish Project, Sopera
  • Gerald Preissler, Swordfish Project, Sopera
  • Alexei Markevich, Swordfish Project, Sopera
  • Adrian Mos, STP Project, INRIA

Tentative Plan

  • June 2009
    • Implement quick fixes: we have added validation to our diagrams, now we want people to be able to right-click and fix the problem they encounter.
    • Add an export tool a la Eclipse Spaces. Be able to deploy a diagram as a zip file, associated with an image and a description.
    • Package the BPMN modeler as part of a modeling practitioners Eclipse Product (see bug 240141)

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