On the Evolution of Methods for Conceptual Information Systems Modeling

Abstract

Business information systems engineering has more than half a century of tradition in research and practice. Throughout these years, the object of investigation has remained the same: information systems. But this object has changed a lot over time. With the enhancements of platforms and technologies for the design and implementation of large software systems, the manageable size of information systems and their automation and integration was increasing. Automation refers to the share of tasks performed by machines. Integration is the enabling of holistic tasks through appropriate coupling of application systems.

The basic tools for managing these challenges are models and modeling methods. They bridge the gap between platforms and technology on the one hand and the real world on the other. As platforms and technologies mature, modeling methods continue to evolve.

In order to understand this evolutionary process, a framework supported by organizational theory is used. It is based on the concept of task, which is described from an internal and external perspective. The evolution takes the path from the inside to outside. While the internal perspective is oriented towards the platforms and technology, the external perspective is closer to the real world. Evolution begins with functional decomposition and ends preliminary with event-driven modeling.