Supporting Terminological Standardization in Conceptual Models – A Plugin for a Meta-Modelling Tool

Havel Jean-Marie, Steinhorst Matthias, Dietrich Hanns-Alexander, Delfmann Patrick

Abstract
Today’s enterprises are accumulating huge repositories of conceptual models, such as data models, organisational charts and most notably business process models. Those models often grew heterogeneously with the company and thus often are terminologically divers and complex. This terminological diversity originates from the fact that the natural language allows an issue to be described in a large variety of ways especially when many modellers are involved. This diversity can become a pitfall when conceptual models are subject to model analysis techniques, which require terminological comparable modelling elements. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the model quality by enforcing naming conventions. This paper introduces a prototype, which intends to resolve all associated issues of terminological standardisation during modelling already. Therefore, the modeller is guided through the standardization process by providing an automated list of all correct phrase propositions according to his entered phrase. In this approach, naming conventions can easily be defined and enforced. This leads to terminologically unambiguous conceptual models, which are easier to understand and ready for further analysis purposes.

Keywords
Terminological standardisation; conceptual modelling; linguistics; naming conventions