HLMC: A Hybrid Logic Tool for Model Checking in Verification of Administrative Processes Anca Goron
Carlos Iván Chesñevar
Intelligent Systems Group Dept. of Computer Science Technical University of Cluj Napoca Baritiu 28, 400391 Cluj Napoca, Romania Tel: +40 (264) 401480
ICIC-CONICET Dep. Of Computer Science and Eng. Universidad Nacional del Sur Alem 1253 - B8000CPB B.Blanca, Argentina Tel. : +54-291-459-5135
[email protected]
[email protected]
• Applied computing~E-government
improve real processes by extracting knowledge from event logs [2]. Compliance checking refers to verifying (given a certain business model) whether the required regulations are met for that model. In a real world scenario, both the behavior of the business model as well as the actual business logs available have to be considered for compliance checking. When performing model checking [3,4], constraints are represented using logical formulas. A search is performed in the model given as a labelled graph, to check which are the states in which a formula holds. However, such formulas present some important limitations (e.g. lacking mechanisms for naming states, for dynamically creating new names for states, etc.). Hybrid Logics [4,5] come as a solution in this direction, allowing to refer to states in a truly modal framework.
Keywords
2.1. Hybrid Logics and Conformance Checking
ABSTRACT Nowadays, public services can be modeled, analyzed and implemented using notations and tools for the business process (BP) abstraction. Applying such an approach allows public administrations (PAs) to better react to the undergoing transformation in service provisioning, improving service quality in order to satisfy citizens and business requests while coping with decreasing budgets. This paper introduces a novel approach to verifying administrative processes based on HLMC, a hybrid logic model checker
CCS Concepts
Compliance Checking; Business Event Logs; Hybrid Logics; Model Checking
1. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATIONS Nowadays, public services can be modeled, analyzed and implemented using notations and tools for business process (BP) abstraction. Applying such an approach allows public administrations (PAs) to better react to the undergoing transformation in service provisioning, improving service quality in order to satisfy citizens and business requests. This calls for an automated support for audit tasks [1,2]. Even though several semiautomated model checking compliance approaches have been considered, they focus mainly on the control flow of processes, neglecting potentially relevant context-based information. This paper introduces a novel approach to verifying administrative processes based on HLMC, a hybrid logic model checker which is able to deal with the expressivity of hybrid multimodal logic along with temporal logic specific operators. This allows an enhanced tracing of event logs, by analyzing the changes brought about in time, depicting as well relevant data.
2. PROCESS MINING AND MODEL CHECKING Process mining is a research area combining data mining with process modeling and analysis in order to discover, monitor and SAMPLE: Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. ICEGOV2016, March 1–3, 2016, Montevideo, Uruguay. Copyright 2016 ACM 1-58113-000-0/00/0010…$15.00. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/12345.67890
Model checking is the problem of determining whether a given formula holds for a particular model [3,4]. It is used for checking either properties of linear models given as formulas expressed in the language of different types of logics (such as modal or temporal logics), and the combination of both, known as Hybrid Logics [4,5]. However, it is not easy to determine from the beginning which parts of a process are more data sensitive than others. In such unfortunate scenarios (such as complex administrative processes), one must apply a different method and use the support of technologies such as model checking to determine and differentiate between data sensitive parts of the process model. Moreover, with representation methods and reasoning languages such as Hybrid Logics, one can relate the process flow with the corresponding data model. Hybrid Logics (HL) allow us to represent both a succession of events and also to correlate it with the data available. Thus, HL is a key towards allowing to determine the key piece in this puzzle of data hidden under the process actions. The HL based model checking uses Kripke structures as representation methods, which offer a clear detail of the flow of actions and the states through which the system transitions occur, while at the same time relating different pieces of data. Compliance checking of general guidelines (or properties of interest) needs also to consider the localization aspect, meaning that the verification process must include different specific settings in which the rules are applied. HLMC is a model checker for hybrid logics. It is a C implementation of the algorithms MCLite and MCFull [4]. The tool contains also a parser for the input formula and for the XML based representation of the model. HLMC is a global model checker, reporting to the user all the states of the model given as a Kripke structure, in which a certain property is true. HLMC supports as input complex formulas with both hybrid logic operators as well as with temporal operators.
2.2. HLMC in Verifying Administrative Processes Given that organizations rely on the support of information systems in automating their business processes, the auditing of these processes is a complex task, as it needs to consider both the business process model and the relevant data logs. For the compliance checking the HLMC tool offers the support of temporal operators, lending itself as a powerful tool for verifying inconsistencies between process models and their execution. With new data for an alternative run of the execution, the presented method can update the abstract model to enable the final user (e.g. decision maker within an organization) to see what might happen or might have happened in such runnings of the process model. We contend that the verification of administrative processes borrows many common features from business processes, so that many of the previous advantages apply in this particular context. Figure 1 illustrates how the different elements along the execution of an administrative process can be connected with the HLMC Tool. As shown in the diagram, time constraints and organizational procedures can be recast into HL formulas, providing one of the inputs to the HLMC Tool. On the other hand, the overall administrative model used along the resulting administrative process logs (associated with the outcome of previous executions of such processes) provide the basis for defining a Kripke structure, which is the second input given to the HLMC Tool. After running on such inputs, the tool’s model checker detects the list of possible irregularities whose presence is a hindrance for getting a proper functioning of the administrative model. Such irregularities are translated into natural language statements and given to the decision maker responsible of the overall administration model, in order to carry out the appropriate modifications in the administrative model.
3. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK We have presented an overview of the applicability of Hybrid Logics in the context of verification of public services administration services, based on the use of a particular tool, HLMC. This preliminary research is based on previous successful experiences in applying HLMC in the context of business
Figure 1: Role of HLMC in Verifying Administrative Processes
processes [6]. We contend that many complex administrative processes (as the one described in the case study) can be implemented more effectively and tested when designed within the administrative procedures to be carried out by the corresponding authorities (municipalities, town halls, etc.). Thus, formal aspects of software engineering could be integrated into the overall administrative process, resulting in better and more efficient procedures for the citizenry, avoiding possible bottlenecks and deadlock situations. Part of our future work involves developing a general framework for stating requirements and constraints associated with administrative processes, and integrating the input with a software tool oriented towards government officials in charge of coordinating and defining complex administrative processes. Research in this direction is currently being pursued.
4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank anonymous reviewers for their detailed comments which helped improve the original version of this paper.
5. REFERENCES 1.
Corradini, F., Polini, A, Re, B. 2015. Inter-organizational business process verification in public administration. Business Proc. Manag. 21(5): 1040-1065.
2.
Schultz, M. (2013) Enriching process models for business process compliance checking in ERP environments. In J. vom Brocke et al (eds), Design Science at the Intersection of Physical and Virtual Design, volume 7939 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 120–135. Springer.
3.
Cranefield, S., and Winikoff, M. (2011). Veryfing Social expectations by model checking truncated paths. Journal of Logic and Computation, 21(6):1217-1256.
4.
Franceschet, M., De Rijke, M. (2006). Model checking hybrid logics (with an application to semistructurated data). Journal of Applied Logic, 4:279-304.
5.
Areces, C. and Cate, B. (2007). Hybrid Logics. In P. Blackburn, J. Van Benthem and F.Wolter, (eds), Handbook of Modal Logic, pp.821-868, Elsevier.
6.
Letia, I., Goron, A. (2015). Model checking as support for inspecting compliance to rules in flexible processes. J. Vis. Lang. Comput. 28: 100-121.
7.
Lange, M. (2009). Model checking for hybrid logic. Journal of Logic, Language and Information, 18(4):465-491.
8.
Gong, Y., and Janssen, M. (2013). Adaptive and Compliant Policy Implementation: Creating Administrative Processes Using Semantic Web Services and Business Rules. I3E 2013:298-310.
